Regions and Countries

	Table of Contents
p. 11 of 20 BACK | NEXT I. Country Performance Assessment II. Country Operational Strategy III. Sector Strategies A. Agriculture B. Infrastructure C. Social Infrastructure and Environment D. Governance Dimensions of ADB Operations E. Gender Dimensions of ADB Operations F. Private Sector Operations IV. Regional Cooperation V. Donor Activities and Aid Coordination VI. Cofinancing and Catalyzing External Resources VII. ADB’s Operational Program VIII. Economic and Sector Work Program IX. Local Cost Financing

Country Assistance Plans - Vanuatu : III. Sector Strategies

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C. Social Infrastructure and Environment

1. Health

32. Vanuatu's health system suffers from a serious lack of qualified staff, especially midwives, doctors, and specialists. Of the 17 medical positions within the hospital system for instance, only three are filled with nationals⁷. Although measures are in place to address such issues, basic service delivery is currently stagnating or, in some cases, even deteriorating. In 2000 ADB has provided a technical assistance (TA) program to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of selected frontline public services, including health. Other donors are also providing substantial support to improve the health sector over the medium term, including an institutional strengthening project being supported by Australia in the Ministry of Health.

2. Education

33. Similar constraints to effective service delivery also exist in the education sector, with many secondary school teachers qualified only to teach at the primary level. The need to address education sector problems is recognized as being of very high priority if there is to be any sustainable solution to the skills and capacity limitations that currently exist throughout the public service. ADB has provided a TA program to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of selected frontline public services including education. The World Bank has funded the development of an Education Master Plan, which has been under Government consideration. In addition, ADB and New Zealand have funded a TA to study the supply and demand of informal skills and to identify methods of making skills training progress are market-oriented. It envisages contracting private and non-government service providers to deliver skills training and employment placement services for early school leavers. Opportunities for a loan project based upon the outcome of the TA are being explored. This project is considered important from the point of view of skill requirements in developing economy as well as from the point of view of arresting the growing urban drift.

3. Urban Development

34. Improvement of various urban infrastructure including roads, a bridge, a wharf, and a water supply system, is vigorously being made under the ADB's Urban Infrastructure Project. However, the recent rapidly growing urban drift and squatting is accumulating potentially serious social and economic adversity in urban development and tourism. To help address these issues, the Government has proposed an Urban Sanitation project, which will become the second phase Urban Infrastructure Project to address the growing problems in slum areas, urban sanitation, and public health.

4. Environment

35. As noted earlier, environment issues continue to be marginalized within the Government and there is a need for greater recognition of the importance of sound environment management in all sectors of the Government. ADB is assisting the Government to formulate an urban growth management strategy for Port Vila, including improvements in the legislative framework for urban planning and the environment. Technical assistance is being provided for the development of environmental and resource management legislation, physical planning legislation and regulation, water resource management legislation, and sanitation by-laws. Technical assistance is proposed to support capacity building in urban sanitation and environment.

7. AusAID, Pacific Program Profiles, 1998 - 1999.

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