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THE WORLD BANK IN SOUTH ASIA - JULY 2005
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http://www.worldbank.org/sar
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Tsunami Recovery: Back on the Sea
World Bank funding has helped fishermen in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh go back to work. The funding has done more than just enable fishermen to earn a living again, it’s also helped them psychologically to deal with the effects of last December’s devastating tsunami.

More on the World Bank response to the tsunami: http://www.worldbank.org/tsunami

Afghanistan Country Update
The World Bank  has been an active advocate of building the capacity and the legitimacy of the state and channeling donor resources through the government as a means of assuring that investments are aligned with national priorities.  Since April 2002, the World Bank has committed US$ 343.8 million in grants and an additional US$436.4 million in no-interest loans, known as "credits" for 18 development and emergency reconstruction projects in Afghanistan.

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FEATURED PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS

Sri Lanka: Improving the Rural and Urban Investment Climate
Firms in the North and East of the country affected by the conflict have developed coping strategies, such as reducing their inventory, producing from a residential location, and increasing outlays on security.  Urban businesses, located mostly in the Western province, enjoy better access to roads and other forms of transport, but are affected by the high cost and unreliable supply of electricity. This situation leads nearly 75 percent of urban manufacturing firms in Sri Lanka to purchase a generator, a significantly higher proportion than competitor countries like China (where only 27 percent do). As it can cost 3 to 4 times as much to generate electricity with a generator, urban firms are only half as productive as they could be with more reliable power.

Treasures of the Education System in Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan education system has been celebrated in development policy circles and the economic literature for its success in providing widespread access to primary and secondary education, and enabling the country to attain a high level of human development for a low income economy. Up to the early 1990s Sri Lanka enjoyed the highest basic social development outcomes relative to per capita income among virtually all developing countries. This achievement was the result of strategic public policy decisions, over several successive generations, to invest resources in education, health and other social services. The Sri Lankan policy makers who designed the basic framework of the education system, in the 1930s and 1940s, were far ahead of their time in perceiving human capital as a promising investment with the potential to produce a wide range of important economic and social benefits.

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