Power Sector Vision for the Greater Mekong Subregion
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Logistics Development in the North–South Economic Corridor of the Greater Mekong Subregion
Logistics Development in the North–South Economic Corridor of the Greater Mekong Subregion Ruth Banomyong1 Abstract Traders in the Greater Mekong Subregion require efficient logistics services that can move their goods to the right place, at the right time, in the right condition, and at the right price. It is, therefore, of great importance that regional links among neighboring countries are strengthened to facilitate trade and to develop logistics for better access to the global market. This is particularly true for the North–South Economic Corridor (NSEC), one branch of which extends from Kunming in the People’s Republic of China to Bangkok, Thailand. This branch, which is the focus of this paper, has three separate subcorridors. A methodology to assess the NSEC macro-logistics system and subcorridors was developed and validated with empirical and secondary data for the three subcorridors in the Kunming– Bangkok branch of the NSEC. Infrastructure connectivity in the NSEC is almost complete, but border crossings are still the weakest link in the macro-logistics system. An integrated approach is needed in order to solve this key problem. This approach should combine solutions to physical infrastructure issues with adherence to rules and regulations. The remaining challenge is how to transform the NSEC subcorridors into fully fledged economic subcorridors that can attract investment and generate economic activities in remote areas of the subcorridors, such as border crossings. Introduction The development of logistics services and communication technologies has revolutionized production and distribution processes, creating a global market. Shippers and consignees require efficient logistics services that can move their goods to the right place, at the right time, in the right condition, and at the right price. -
ESCAPING POVERTY – OR TAXES? a Danwatch Investigation of Tax Planning Opportunities in IFC-Supported Extractives Projects in Developing Countries
ESCAPING POVERTY – OR TAXES? A DanWatch investigation of tax planning opportunities in IFC-supported extractives projects in developing countries October 2011 Content RESEARCH: DANWATCH OCTOBER 2011 1. Summary & key findings....................................... p. 3 RECOMMENDATIONS: IBIS 2. Research methodology.......................................... p. 4 This is an independent DanWatch study conducted in accordance with Dan- Watch’s ethical guidelines and international principles on the conduct of journal- 3. IFC on tax.............................................................. p. 4 ists. DanWatch is fully responsible for the contents of the study. DanWatch is an independent non-profit research centre and media that investi- 4. IFC extractive-clients’ corporate structures......... p. 5 gates corporations’ impact on humans and the environment globally. The study is commissioned by the Danish development organisation IBIS. Based on DanWatch’s findings IBIS has provided a number of recommendations for 5. IFC extractive-clients’ tax planning...................... p. 7 IFC that are attached to the end of the report. 6. The case of Yanacocha.......................................... p. 8 7. Government efforts against tax planning............. p. 10 8. Transparency on payments to governments........ p. 11 9. Recommendations from IBIS to IFC.................... p. 12 2 1. Summary Key findings The World Bank’s private-sector entity - the In- The report identifies two key aspects of corporate tax An example from an OECD Policy Brief on the tax ternational Finance Corporation (IFC) - seeks planning that IFC extractive-clients can use to erode effects of FDI shows that: a company can reduce its to increase tax payments to the government in the host countries’ tax base: average tax rate on a foreign direct investment from developing countries through supporting their 30 pct. -
South China Sea Overview
‹ Countries South China Sea Last Updated: February 7, 2013 (Notes) full report Overview The South China Sea is a critical world trade route and a potential source of hydrocarbons, particularly natural gas, with competing claims of ownership over the sea and its resources. Stretching from Singapore and the Strait of Malacca in the southwest to the Strait of Taiwan in the northeast, the South China Sea is one of the most important trade routes in the world. The sea is rich in resources and holds significant strategic and political importance. The area includes several hundred small islands, rocks, and reefs, with the majority located in the Paracel and Spratly Island chains. Many of these islands are partially submerged land masses unsuitable for habitation and are little more than shipping hazards. For example, the total land area of the Spratly Islands encompasses less than 3 square miles. Several of the countries bordering the sea declare ownership of the islands to claim the surrounding sea and its resources. The Gulf of Thailand borders the South China Sea, and although technically not part of it, disputes surround ownership of that Gulf and its resources as well. Asia's robust economic growth boosts demand for energy in the region. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects total liquid fuels consumption in Asian countries outside the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to rise at an annual growth rate of 2.6 percent, growing from around 20 percent of world consumption in 2008 to over 30 percent of world consumption by 2035. Similarly, non-OECD Asia natural gas consumption grows by 3.9 percent annually, from 10 percent of world gas consumption in 2008 to 19 percent by 2035. -
Annual Report and Accounts 2014 Accounts and Report Annual
and Accounts 2014 Annual Report Ophir Energy plc Annual Report and Accounts 2014 Ophir Energy creates value by finding resources and then monetising them at the appropriate time. The Group has an extensive and diverse Read more at portfolio of assets in Africa and Asia and is listed ophir-energy.com on the London Stock Exchange (FTSE 250). Ophir diversifies funding model through acquisition of Salamander Energy During 2014 Ophir agreed to acquire Salamander Energy. This acquisition provides Ophir with an Asian operating platform, with a cash generative production base that is resilient at low oil prices and will part fund the resource finding business. Review of operations page 22 Contents Strategic report 2 Financial statements 95 Overview Independent Auditor’s report 95 Financial and operational highlights in 2014 2 Consolidated income statement and Market overview 4 statement of comprehensive income 98 Business model 6 Consolidated statement of financial position 99 Chairman’s statement 8 Consolidated statement of changes in equity 100 Consolidated statement of cash flows 101 Strategy Notes to the financial statements 102 Chief Executive’s review 10 Statement of Directors’ responsibilities Strategy and key performance indicators 12 in relation to the Company financial statements 132 Principal risks and uncertainties 18 Company statement of financial position 133 Performance Company statement of changes in equity 134 Review of operations 22 Company statement of cash flows 135 Financial review 34 Notes to the financial statements 136 -
The Greater Mekong Subregion (Stone, Strutt and Hertel)
Improving Infrastructure, Facilitating Trade and Reducing Poverty in the Greater Mekong Subregion (Stone, Strutt and Hertel) Presented by Susan Stone Workshop on Aid for Trade Implementation 28-29 March 2011 OECD, Paris Presentation Outline • The Greater Mekong Subregion • The Economic Corridors in the Region • Projects undertaken in transport and trade • Evaluating impacts • Outcomes People’s Republic of China Myanmar Land area: 633 thou sq km Land area: 677 thou sq km Population: 94.1 M Population: 56.2 M GDP per capita: US$1,173 GDP per capita: US$231 (figures for Yunnan and Guangxi only) Thailand Viet Nam Land area: 513 thou sq km Land area: 332 thou sq km Population: 65.2M Population: 84.2 M GDP per capita: US$3,162 GDP per capita: US$723 Cambodia Lao PDR Land area: 181 thou sq km Land area: 237 thou sq km Population: 14.2 M Population: 5.7 M GDP per capita: US$513 GDP per capita: US$599 Source: ADB Trade Statistics Average Share of Exports to GDP 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% GMS Share in Exports Cambodia Lao PDR Thailand Viet Nam GMS 1993-2000 2001-2006 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Cambodia PRC Lao PDR Myanmar Thailand Viet Nam 2004 2005 2006 2007 GMS Program • Investment in the development of infrastructure to – enable the development and sharing of resource base, and – promote the freer flow of goods and people in the subregion. • Investment in capacity building and support to implement Cross Border Transport Agreement (CBTA) – Covers all the relevant aspects of cross-border transport facilitation. -
The World Bank Group in Extractive Industries
Public Disclosure Authorized THE WORLD BANK GROUP IN Public Disclosure Authorized EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES Public Disclosure Authorized 2012 ANNUAL REVIEW Public Disclosure Authorized i Table of Contents Abbreviations and Acronyms ............................................................................................................. iii Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ v I. The World Bank Group in the Extractives Sector .......................................................................... 7 II. WBG – EI Financing in FY2012 ..................................................................................................... 7 IBRD & IDA ............................................................................................................................. 8 IFC .......................................................................................................................................... 8 MIGA ..................................................................................................................................... 10 III. Partnerships and Initiatives....................................................................................................... 11 Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative .......................................................................... 11 Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFR) ............................................................... 12 Petroleum -
PMI Country Profile of the Greater Mekong Subregion
President’s Malaria Initiative PMI Fighting Malaria and Saving Lives GREATER MEKONG SUBREGION The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) Malaria prevention and control is a major U.S. foreign assistance objective, and PMI’s strategy fully CHINA BHUTAN aligns with the U.S. Government’s vision of ending preventable child and maternal deaths and ending extreme poverty. Under the PMI Strategy for 2015–2020, the U.S. Government’s goal is to work with BANGLADESH INDIA PMI-supported countries and partners to further reduce malaria deaths and substantially decrease BURMA VIETNAM malaria morbidity toward the long-term goal of elimination. LAOS THAILAND SOUTH PMI support extends to the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), which is made up of five countries: CHINA SEA CAMBODIA Burma, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand, and Vietnam. BRUNEI Regional Context MALAYSIA Although considerable progress has been made in malaria control in the GMS during the past 10 years, malaria remains a major concern for the international community and ministries of health in the region. This is exacerbated by the development and confirmed spread of resistance to artemisinin drugs, the principal component of the combination therapies for malaria that now are the first-line treatment for malaria throughout the GMS and the world. Recent evidence suggests that artemisinin resistance is more widespread than previously believed. Plasmodium falciparum resis- tance to artemisinin drugs has now been confirmed in western Cambodia; failures in artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) have been reported from multiple sites on the Thai-Cambodian border; and an early warning sign of artemisinin resistance – i.e., prolongation of parasite clearance times – has been reported from the Thailand-Burma and Burma-China borders and in southern Vietnam. -
Malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion
his report provides an overview of the epidemiological patterns of malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Tfrom 1998 to 2007, and highlights critical challenges facing National Malaria Control Programmes and partners as they move towards malaria elimination as a programmatic goal. Epidemiological data provided by malaria programmes show a drastic decline in malaria deaths and confirmed malaria cases over the last 10 years in the GMS. More than half of confirmed malaria cases and deaths in the GMS occur in Myanmar. However, reporting methods and data management are not comparable between countries despite the effort made by WHO to harmonize data collection, analysis and reporting among Member States. Malaria is concentrated in forested/forest-fringe areas of the Region, mainly along international borders. This providing a strong rationale to develop harmonized cross-border elimination programmes in conjunction with national efforts. Across the Mekong Region, the declining efficacy of recommended first-line antimalarials, e.g. artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) against falciparum malaria on the Cambodia-Thailand border; the prevalence of counterfeit and substandard antimalarial drugs; the Malaria lack of health services in general and malaria services in particular in remote settings; and the lack of information and services in the Greater Mekong Subregion: targeting migrants and mobile population present important barriers to reach or maintain malaria elimination programmatic Regional and Country Profiles goals. Strengthening -
The Mineral Industry of Indonesia in 2009
2009 Minerals Yearbook INDONESIA U.S. Department of the Interior September 2011 U.S. Geological Survey THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF INDONESIA By Chin S. Kuo Indonesia is rich in mineral resources, including coal, copper, in December 2008. Ministries with vested interests in the gold, natural gas, nickel, and tin. The country also has less regulations, such as the Ministries of Finance and Forestry, had significant quantities of bauxite, petroleum, and silver. The not responded to the drafts proposed by the Ministry of Energy country’s industrial production came from the cement, metal and Mineral Resources. The mining sector was unlikely to have mining, and oil and gas industries. Indonesia was among the new projects in the near future as the Government stopped five leading producers of copper and nickel in the world and its issuing new mining permits until the regulations were made tin output was ranked second after China. It was also ranked final. Mining investment fell below $1 billion in 2009 because among the world’s top 10 countries in the production of gold of the uncertainty in the new mining and coal law. BHP Billiton and natural gas. Indonesia was one of the leading exporters of Ltd. of Australia scrapped a study to develop an integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) (after Qatar) but was a net importer nickel project on Sulawesi Island and the development of a coal of oil. mine in Central Kalimantan Province. Tsingshan Mineral Co. of China scrapped a $500 million nickel project in North Maluku Minerals in the National Economy Province. The new mining law also requires foreign investors to divest shares either to the Government, a state-owned enterprise, Indonesia’s real gross domestic product (GDP) growth was or a local private entity after the fifth year of commercial 4.5% in 2009. -
Seismic Reflections
9 December 2011 Seismic reflections Listening out for the Falklands jungle drums Interest in Falklands oil exploration has dwindled during 2011 as investors limit exposure to the frontier region. However, with Rockhopper nearing the end of its extended Sea Lion appraisal campaign, a second discovery having been confirmed in the shape of Casper, and most critically the Leiv Eiriksson drilling rig coming over the horizon to start drilling in the South Falklands Basin, we expect interest to pick up significantly in the new year. Enthusiasm may not reach the peaks of 2010’s hysteria, but the region continues to offer some of the cheapest proven oil in the ground along with Analysts excellent upside for the frontier exploration investor. Ian McLelland +44 (0)20 3077 5756 Colin McEnery +44 (0)20 3077 5731 Press coverage dries up Peter J Dupont +44 (0)20 3077 5741 Elaine Reynolds +44 (0)20 3077 5700 Column inches during 2010 became as inflated as valuations when Rockhopper Krisztina Kovacs +44 (0)20 3077 5700 bagged its maiden discovery at Sea Lion. However, more recently front page [email protected] spreads have been replaced with only the briefest of mentions. Indeed, confirmation 130 last month of a second discovery in the shape of Casper was greeted in one 120 110 leading trade journal with a paltry one inch of text and 36 words. 100 90 Investors take flight 80 Despite the almost heroic efforts of Rockhopper to fully appraise its Sea Lion 70 prospect, with eight appraisal wells almost all on prognosis and two flow tests Jul/11 Apr/11 Oct/11 Jan/11 Jun/11 Feb/11 Mar/11 Aug/11 Nov/11 Dec/10 Sep/11 May/11 Brent WTI driving resource estimates up to 389mmbbls, the interest in the North Falklands Basin has continued to wane. -
Oil Prices: Cause and Effect 1
Oil Prices: Cause and Effect 1 Briefing note 10 March 2015 Oil Prices: Cause and Effect The global price of oil had been relatively stable at about US$110 a barrel for the last 4-5 years. However, the increased shale oil production in the US combined with lower global demand for oil has recently led to a plunge in oil prices. Oil prices have fallen significantly since June 2014. The decline, together with uncertainty about where oil prices will settle, has created sudden downward pressure in the oil & gas sector and has given rise to a need to re-visit business planning and strategy, at least in the short term. Some of the key themes that we have seen and expect to continue with the increased volatility in oil prices are set out below. Impact on oil exporting defaults by oil-producing countries in their contractual countries obligations Key issues The fall in oil prices will have a debt and loan defaults Impact on oil exporting significant impact on countries (like sovereign debt refinancing countries Venezuela, Nigeria and Russia) for oil-producing countries seeking to Review of current project which oil exports make up a large increase their "take" of revenue arrangements proportion of their income. under petroleum agreements at Long term LNG contracts Venezuela, which was already the expense of oil companies, against a strengthening US suffering the effects of inflation, will including through expropriative dollar likely need prices of US$120 per actions Merger and acquisition barrel if it is to fund important social It would be prudent to consider what opportunities programmes and Nigeria has had to provisions should be included in devalue its currency as a result of the future contracts with sovereign states common. -
Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program: Overview
OVERVIEW Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program 1 Contents 3 | The GMS Program 5 | Institutional Arrangements 6 | Program Sectors 13 | Recent Developments More information on the GMS Program is available at www.adb.org/gms/ © 2012 Asian Development Bank All rights reserved. Published in 2012. Printed in the Philippines The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area, or by using the term “country” in this document, ADB does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. ADB encourages printing or copying information exclusively for personal and noncommercial use with proper acknowledgment of ADB. Users are restricted from reselling, redistributing, or creating derivative works for commercial purposes without the express, written consent of ADB. Note: In this publication, “$” refers to US dollars. All images were taken from the ADB photo archive. 2 The GMS Program he Greater Mekong Subregion of logistics systems, regional power (GMS) is made up of Cambodia, the trade, harnessing of information and TPeople’s Republic of China (PRC, communication technology (ICT), expansion specifically Yunnan Province and Guangxi of cross-border agricultural trade, and the Zhuang Autonomous Region), the Lao promotion of the GMS as a single tourism People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), destination.