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The Bank Group and Morocco on Tuesday, July 6, 2010, in Tunis signed a €100 million agreement for the financing of the fourth phase of the country's public service reform support project (PARAP IV). The project falls within the framework of the country's public service and governance reforms that began in 2002. The project aims to improve governance and the effectiveness of public services with a view to enhancing human development and providing quality services in line with international standards. The legal documents relating to the agreement were signed for the country by its ambassador to Tunisia, Najib Zérouali Ouariti, while the Bank Group's vice president for country programs and policies, Aloysius Ordu, signed for the Bank.

Despite generally improved economic conditions and a long period of healing after the failure of Lehman Brothers, progress toward global financial stability has recently experienced a setback. Sovereign risks in parts of the euro area have materialized and spread to the financial sector there, threatening to spill over to other regions and re-establish an adverse feedback loop with the economy. Further decisive follow-up is needed to the significant national and supranational policy responses that have been taken in order to strengthen confidence in the financial system and ensure continuation of the economic recovery.

Asia's strong recovery from the global financial crisis continued in the first half of 2010, despite renewed tension in global financial markets. First-quarter GDP outturns were generally stronger than anticipated at the time of the April 2010 WEO, and high-frequency indicators suggest that economic activity remained brisk during the second quarter.

World growth is projected at about 4½ percent in 2010 and 4¼ percent in 2011. Relative to the April 2010 World Economic Outlook (WEO), this represents an upward revision of about ½ percentage point in 2010, reflecting stronger activity during the first half of the year.

New York: The Asia-Pacific region - home to two-thirds of the world's one billion malnourished people - must see growth in agricultural investment to tackle the hunger challenge, a senior United Nations official has stressed.

New York: Several countries have volunteered to implement the Global Jobs Pact designed by the United Nations labour agency last year to guide national and international policies to stimulate economic recovery, create jobs and protect working people and their families.

New York: The targeting of civilians, sexual violence and the denial of humanitarian access remain widespread in armed conflict, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council, urging greater efforts to end impunity for such acts.

New York: The United Nations agency tasked with promoting universal education has warned that a lack of adequate funding is undermining efforts by African countries to have an estimated 32 million children who are currently out of school back into classrooms.

New York: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released a report on lessons learned while working with the Chinese Government to address the environmental impact of the devastating earthquake that hit the country's Sichuan province in May of 2008.

New York: The United Nations and its partners have released an important tool to help the 25 million children who are living in conflict-affected areas and are missing out on primary education.