world bank

The Global Youth Anti-Corruption Forum, held in Brussels from 26-28 May, brought together almost 50 young civil society leaders, musicians, and journalists from around the World to exchange their experiences and to formulate action plans to fight corruption in their countries.

This dynamic event aimed at strengthening the Global Youth Anti-Corruption network (GYAC) by engaging emerging leaders, many of whom come from Fragile States, in a dialogue to build stronger social accountability mechanisms.

The forum combined discussions, musical sessions and the creation of a dynamic online community to support the work of these young leaders as they advocate for good governance to be more effective in the fight against corruption.

Apart from the main working group of young civil society leaders, the forum also supported the emergence of a strong network of young journalists who will collaborate on a global level to play a strategic role in promoting good governance. These journalists are supported by the European Center for Journalism.

The Forum also supported the work of young musicians who have been promoting the message of fighting corruption all over the world. Three of the winning bands from the DRC, Palestine and Malawi were selected to take part in the Forum through their participation in a competition organised by Jeunesses Musicales International.

The Forum concluded with a performace of a special song promoting the anti-corruption message composed and performed by the three bands in the Beursschouwburg, Brussels where this event took place. This forum was supported by the World Bank, visit the GYAC website for more information.

The Government of Japan and the World Bank are equal partners in the ‘Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) Project', founded in 2004 with as its main objectives: (i) to establish TDLC as an important part of Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region; (ii) to provide access to Japanese knowledge and expertise in development, to Asia and internationally; and (iii) to contribute to the development and sustainability of GDLN in EAP by taking a leadership role in programs, operations, or technology.

The current phase of the Project ends in June 2010. In order to document the major achievements, outcomes and impact of the TDLC Project, to ensure the accountability of the Project to its stakeholders, and to provide a sound basis for the future of TDLC, an external and independent assessment is put in place, which focuses on key features and functions of TDLC. The assessment tries to answer to what degree TDLC Project has achieved its current goals, to what extent it has operated effectively and efficiently, and what its impact has been until today. Mathy Vanbuel, ATiT is based in Tokyo for most of April to participate in the assessment.

ATiT are leading a training course in Sierra Leone from 22 to 24 June on the new interactive web service that has been designed for the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA). Built using Drupal, this site allows experts to register their company and activities and make themselves available for parterships inside and outside the country. It also allows SLIEPA staff to provide information, business intelligence and connections to help local businesses grow and to contribute to the economic growth of Sierra Leone.