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Palestinians' Donors Conference Calls For "Further Efforts".

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"A conference in Paris of donors to the Palestinian Authority called on donors, Palestinians and Israelis to make 'further efforts' to boost the Palestinian economy.

The co-Chairs of the conference, Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, said in a statement: 'The total amount of aids pledged in Paris has now reached $7.7 billion' compared to the $7.4 billion announced December 17 after the Paris conference.

But 'while recognizing there has been some improvement in the Palestinian economy following the Paris Conference', the co-Chairs noted that further efforts by all parties are required. The situation in Gaza is a source of great economic and humanitarian preoccupation. ..." [Agence France Presse/Factiva]

AP reports that "...They also encouraged donors who are still firming up their support to give some to security projects for financing equipment, infrastructure, and training of personnel, according to the statement. ...The money is for budgetary support, development projects and humanitarian assistance by aid groups, and it comes in support of a plan laid out by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' government. ..." [The Associated Press/Factiva]

In additional Palestinians related news, AP notes that "International agencies on Tuesday asked donor countries for $462 million in aid to the Palestinians for 2008, to counter rising poverty and the closure of Gaza by Israel and Egypt.

The appeal came from UN aid agencies and dozens of non-governmental organizations. If the money is granted, the Palestinians would become the third largest recipient of such aid after Sudan and Congo, according to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. ... The UN said most of the aid in 2008 would be used for food distribution and job creation. ..." [The Associated Press/Factiva]

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Poor Countries Must Be Proactive In Cutting Child Deaths: UNICEF.

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"The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Tuesday that developing countries must play an active role alongside global partnerships to further cut child mortality and raise overall care.

UNICEF noted in its State of the World's Children Report 2008 that awareness of child mortality and other global health issues is at an all time high thanks to the efforts of new public-private initiatives such as the GAVI alliance that promotes vaccinations, and the Roll Back Malaria campaign. However, 'it has been argued that global partnerships are often donor- and commodity-driven rather than country- and people-centered,' the report said. ...

Health programs must be integrated into strategies and policies that tackle the root causes of discrimination and exclusion, it said. ...To this end, healthcare should be tailored to the needs of individual patients and treat them as active participants in their own treatment rather than just passive recipients. ..." [Agence France Presse/Factiva]

AP notes that "A newborn child in Sierra Leone has the lowest chance in the world of surviving until age 5, with the prospects almost as bad for children in Angola and Afghanistan...

In 2006, nearly 9.7 million children died worldwide before reaching the age of 5, mostly from preventable causes such as diarrhea, malaria or malnutrition, UNICEF said in its annual report. ...

The deaths could be prevented by simple health care measures, such as vaccination, insecticide-treated bed nets and vitamin supplements, the report said. But the measures must be taken all together and applied in each village to reach every child, even in the remotest regions of the world, it said. ...

The data was mainly drawn from statistics and studies by the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the UN Populations Division." [The Associated Press/Factiva]

Reuters writes that "...UNICEF warned that despite recent advances, Africa, South Asia and the Middle East are falling short of a UN goal to reduce child mortality by two thirds between 1990 and 2015, to less than 5 million deaths per year. ...

The toughest steps toward the UN target lie ahead - attempting to boost children's life expectancy in countries ravaged by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and plagued by weak governance and poor health systems, it said. ..." [Reuters/Factiva]

Kyodo News adds that "...Almost one-third of the 50 least developed countries have reduced child mortality rates by 40 percent or more since 1990, which proves that progress can made in poor countries if political will and sound strategies are in place, according to the report.

'Investing in the health of children and their mothers is a sound economic decision and one of the surest ways for a country to set its course toward a better future,' said Joy Phumaphi, Vice President of the Human Development Network at the World Bank in a statement." [Kyodo News/Factiva]

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Banks Raise Alarm over Kenya.

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"The World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB), acting to 'raise an alarm' over the turmoil in Kenya, said on Tuesday they may have to adjust lending programs... if unrest persists following a disputed poll. ...

In a speech to diplomats in Tunisia, AfDB President Donald Kaberuka said ... it was important that African countries took 'ownership' of the task of ensuring political stability so that the development effort did not 'go forward three steps and march backwards four steps.'...

'The current situation could drive two million Kenyans into poverty, reversing the gains made over the last few years,' the joint statement said. 'Business confidence is being undermined.' ...'The impact on other countries in eastern Africa from the fallout in Kenya, in particular the disruption of transit routes, is high and will increase as the problems persist,' the two lending institutions said. ..." [Reuters/Factiva]

The East African Standard notes the joint statement said that "...both the World Bank and AfDB will, accordingly, continue to monitor developments closely and keep programs under review, while making necessary adjustments as the situation evolved. ..." [The East African Standard (Kenya)/Factiva]

In related Kenyan news, FT writes that "Kenya's simmering political crisis is likely to make it harder for the government to raise funds from the -capital markets as analysts predict less revenue than expected from the flotation of Safaricom, the country's biggest mobile telephone operator. ...

The government's sale of a 25 percent stake in the company on the Nairobi stock exchange was planned for this month and was expected to raise 30-40 billion Kenya shillings ($425 million), making it east Africa's biggest initial public offering. ...

International investors had expressed keen interest in Safaricom but some are revising their views of Kenya, and others are retrenching across-the-board in the face of a weakening global economic outlook. ..." [The Financial Times (UK)]

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Cambodian Bourse Planned For 2009.

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"South Korea's stock exchange (KRX) and the Cambodian government have agreed to set up a stock exchange in Phnom Penh in 2009, the latest signal of the optimism sweeping the fast growing but deeply impoverished country. ...

Most of the capital financing Cambodia's rapid growth has come from external sources, including foreign aid and growing foreign direct investment. A senior World Bank official in Phnom Penh said Cambodia would increasingly need to rely on domestic savings. ...

In spite of the rapid expansion, it is far from clear that Cambodia's private sector, dominated by closely held family businesses, is ready to take the leap to go public. 'The key issue will be to raise corporate governance standards,' the World Bank official said." [The Financial Times (UK)]

AFP adds that "Cambodia Tuesday signed an agreement with representatives from South Korea's stock exchange operator to establish Cambodia's first stock market in 2009, officials said.

The memorandum of understanding makes formal the planned joint venture between Cambodia and the Korea Exchange, Asia's fourth-largest bourse operator. ..." [Agence France Presse/Factiva]

Reuters notes that "...KRX said in a statement the exchange and the Cambodian Finance Ministry were working on a detailed investment plan to set up the Cambodia Stock Exchange and a support system next year. The Cambodian government will own a minimum 51 percent in the new bourse while KRX will hold as much as 49 percent. KRX will also help the country set up a regulatory body to oversee stock trading, it said. ..." [Reuters/Factiva]

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Commentary: Davos And The Power Of Collaborative Innovation.

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In a commentary written by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and published in The International Herald Tribune, Schwab writes: "On Wednesday, the World Economic Forum (WEF) will convene 2,500 leaders from industry, government, media, civil society and international organizations for its 38th annual meeting. They will have traveled from 88 countries to arrive at this small alpine village. An obvious question to ask, particularly in an era of advanced communication, is why? ... As the founder of the WEF, even I cannot provide a single overwhelming rationale. But I do believe that the theme for this year's meeting, 'The Power of Collaborative Innovation,' offers the most compelling answer. ...

[M]y intuition is that those leaders joining us in Davos this week understand that, in the current global context, collaboration and innovation are highly undervalued concepts - particularly in a world that is shifting from mono-polar, hierarchical structures to multi-polar, 'flat' networks. ... Although the primary responsibility for resolving pressing problems like climate change, water shortages, infectious diseases, disaster relief and corruption still rests with governments and international institutions, business can still play a role. By exercising the power of collaborative innovation, companies can ensure a consistent and sustainable framework for global engagement that adds value for both the companies and the global space in which they seek to nurture their businesses.

Admittedly, Davos does not function as a global crystal ball - nor as a kind of school of 'appropriate manners' for global decision makers. But even our detractors will concede that the WEF, with its multi-stakeholder philosophy and interdisciplinary approach, captures the zeitgeist and often foreshadows the changes, challenges and champions that loom just over the horizon...." [The International Herald Tribune]

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Also in this edition; briefly noted...

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Briefly Noted... Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade unveiled on Tuesday an oil-fired power plant of 67.5 megawatts to help the West African country overcome acute power shortages. Lebanon's Matelec Group and Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. built the $98.59 million Kounoune power station in the outskirts of Dakar. [Reuters/Factiva]

War, disease and malnutrition are killing 45,000 Congolese every month in a conflict-driven humanitarian crisis that has claimed 5.4 million victims in nearly a decade, a survey released on Tuesday by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) carried out with Australia's Burnet Institute said. [Reuters/Factiva]

The Ecuadorian government will invest $2.39 billion through 2011 to develop four hydroelectric projects using revenue from the Feiseh oil fund, Electricity and Renewable Energies Minister Alecksey Mosquera said Tuesday. [Dow Jones/Factiva]

The Chinese government unveiled a detailed plan on Tuesday to limit pollution in China's lakes by 2010 and return them to their original state by 2030. The State Council, China's cabinet, ordered strict regulation of the release of wastewater, the closing of heavily polluting factories near lakes, the improvement of sewage treatment facilities and strict limits on fish farms, according to Xinhua. [The New York Times]

Southeast Asia will face stiffer export competition from China and likely bear the brunt of any impact in Asia from a major economic slowdown in the US, International Monetary Fund's Asia and Pacific department Deputy Director Steven Dunaway said Tuesday. [Agence France Presse/Factiva]

The EU should restrict the availability to heavy industry of cheap carbon offsets to 1.4 billion tons from 2008-2020, to meet its greenhouse gas emissions goals, a confidential EU document said. [Reuters/Factiva]

Serbia's government on Tuesday approved a strategic deal for long-term gas supplies from Russia through a branch of the proposed South Stream pipeline. Serbian Infrastructure Minister Velimir Ilic said he would sign the intergovernmental agreement in Moscow on Saturday. [The Financial Times (UK)]

The World Bank today launched its annual contest of development projects, which will award grants in the amount of $4 million to the best initiatives to promote sustainable agriculture in poor countries. The Bank will choose between 25 and 30 projects that will improve market access and ownership of land by small farmers, or are linked to climate change and biodiversity conservation, according to a press release. [EFE/Factiva]

State-backed investment funds should agree to a code of conduct governing their behavior or risk being branded irresponsible players in the global economy, Standard Chartered Chairman Mervyn Davies warned. He said sovereign wealth funds based in the Middle East and Asia should agree to adopt minimum standards on transparency and governance. [The Financial Times (UK)]

The world's leading economies must follow the Fed's emergency economic aid and implement a coordinated action on monetary and fiscal policy, Institute of International Finance, Managing Director Charles Dallara told Reuters ahead of the World Economic Forum on Tuesday. [Reuters/Factiva]

A significant slowdown in 2008 world growth appears inevitable, with the process of restoring markets going to be a complex and protracted task, International Monetary Fund spokesman Masood Ahmed said on Tuesday. [Reuters/Factiva]