Mit neuen Mitteln unterstützt die Weltbank den Aufbau von Managementsystemen im Bildungs- und Gesundheitsbereich der Demokratischen Republik Kongo.
World Bank Approves Additional Funds to Support Human Development Systems in DRC
The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved today an additional
grant of $30 million for the Human Development Systems Strengthening Project in
DRC. This financing is complemented by $10 million from the Global Financing
Facility (GFF) Trust Fund and $1.08 million from the Policy and Human Resources
Development Trust Fund from the Government of Japan.
The additional
financing will expand the geographic scope and depth of the Education Management
Information System and cover a financing gap for the two rounds of Service
Delivery Indicator surveys. Project financing will support the development of a
strategy to modernize the national system for Civil Registration and Vital
Statistics (CRVS) and will support increasing the depth and breadth of
activities related to the pharmaceutical regulatory system and to the public
supply chain management system.
The systems that deliver human
development services were severely weakened during decades of conflict and
instability. Some progress has been observed in recent years in select health
and education indicators, but considerable challenges remain. The ranking of the
country on the Human Development Index, while still low, improved to 176 out of
188 countries in 2015 from its previous ranking at the bottom of the scale.
Chronic malnutrition rates have remained high at 43% and stagnant, while the
fertility rate remains high at 6.6 children per woman and is increasing. Access
to primary education has improved significantly, but out-of-school children are
still too numerous and quality of education remains a challenge. These
statistics point to the urgent need to strengthen systems and ensure delivery of
good quality services for human development.
"The human development
services are in the process of being rebuilt, the Government recognizes the need
to build strong institutions and systems to enable it to meet the needs of a
growing population for effective health, education, and social protection
services and wants the Bank to scale up its support in this area" said Ahmadou
Moustapha Ndiaye, Country Director for the DRC.
The new funds will
strengthen select management systems for education and health services in
targeted geographical areas in the recipient’s territory. The project focuses on
the national level and in a select number of provinces. The direct beneficiaries
include decision makers and staff of the Ministries of Primary, Secondary
Education and Initiation to New Citizenship Public Health; Social Affairs;
Labor, Employment and Social Insurance; Justice and Human Rights; and Interior
and Security, through a stronger evidence base to strengthen the systems for
effective and efficient service delivery.
"The project is aligned with
the Bank strategy for Africa. It focuses on the foundation of the
strategy—public sector capacity—in systems that will contribute to increased
competitiveness and employment (through a well-educated and healthy work force)
and to reduced vulnerability and increased resilience (through improved health
and the development of a national social protection strategy)" added Luc
Laviolette.
Task Team Leader of the Project
Among the most visible results of the additional financing will be the
delivery of birth certificates to an expected six hundred thousand children with
project financing and the ability to monitor key indicators of the entire
country’s primary education system through a web portal. The additional
financing will also support the development and testing of a logistics
management information system to provide a unified view of the availability of
health products throughout the supply chain to support all levels in
anticipating needs to avoid stock-outs.
The Global Financing Facility is
a multi-stakeholder partnership that supports country-led efforts to improve the
health of women, children and adolescents by acting as an innovative financing
pathfinder. Improving civil registration and vital statistics systems is an
important component of the GFF's work to strengthen the information systems that
are critical to tracking—and ultimately, improving—overall health and
well-being. The GFF Trust Fund is a multi-donor trust fund that leverages
additional financing for reproductive, maternal, newborn, adolescent and child
health by linking grant funding to IDA financing. The GFF Trust Fund will
provide $10 million for improving CRVS in DRC, which is matched by $10 million
in IDA financing.
The World Bank's International Development Association
(IDA), established in 1960, helps the world's poorest countries by providing
grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost
economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people's lives.
IDA is
one of the largest sources of assistance for the world's 77 poorest countries,
39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.3
billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has supported
development work in 112 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $19
billion over the last three years, with about 50 percent going to Africa.