_-5_ Project-Financed PHN Research successful example of donor coordination and<sup>co-</sup> financing in the history of Bank operations.

Preparation of the Fourth Population and Health Project was marked by an extensive series of workshops where the issues and priorities were debated. There was, for example, a three-day high level seminar for senior officials from the Bangladesh Planning Commission, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Ministry of Finance. Another three-day seminar permitted field-level staff to articulate their views about issues and priorities. Representatives of donor agencies met in a workshop to coordinate their views about issues and priorities. Finally, yet another three-day workshop brought together donors and government officials to agree on the broad-brush outline of the major approaches and priorities for the five-year implementation period of the Fourth Project. There was a three-day workshop in May 1990 in conjunction with the World Health Assembly where donor representatives and senior government officials discussed the directions and activities to be included in the Government of Bangladesh's Five-Year<sup>Plan.</sup> This process of extensive consultation was greatly facilitated by the availability of a set of 24 extensive studies on various aspects of the population and health sector that had been included in the Third Population and Family Health Project approved in fiscal year 1986. Preparation of the Third Project was not nearly so consultative in nature as was the Fourth Project, and it was recognized at the time that in many areas information needed for jointly planning and setting priorities was incomplete or unavailable. During implementation of the Third Project, the 24 studies were carried out either directly by the External Evaluation Unit of the Planning Commission Oater the Population Development and Evaluation Unit) or on contracts supervised by the Unit. These studies were critical background documents for the various workshops through which the approaches and priorities of the Fourth Population and Health Project were agreed upon.

# _Brazil: Malaria Control_

Project-financed research in Brazil has had a substantial impact in changing malaria control 'irograms, has provided a substantial input to a follow-on project, and has influenced thinking about malaria control strategies world-wide.

When preparation began for the Northwest Region Integrated Development Program Project financed in fiscal year 1982, there was limited interest among Government agencies in including provision for research in the project. However, the division chief concerned had visited research institutes in Brazil and was convinced more operational research conducted by these institutions could improve the effectiveness of the anti-malaria campaigns implemented by SUCAM, the semiautonomous organization responsible for planning and implementing control programs for all the endemic diseases in Brazil. At Bank urging, a research component was included in the project; US$2.8 million of the $37.7 was allocated for "research and evaluation." As the project was implemented, SUCAM, using predominantly project funds, commissioned research at local institutions. The results of this research made it possible to adapt and adjust the SUCAM anti-malarial campaigns to be more specific to particular areas and, thus, more effective.

By 1987, a sizeable body of research on malaria had been financed by project funds. SUCAM, using project funds, sponsored a "Malaria Days" conference in Brazil, which proved to be highly successful. For three days, researchers from all over the country presented the results of their research. The collected papers were later published in a volume which presents one of the more comprehensive views of malaria control operations ever undertaken.

The "Malaria Days" conference was also one of the first steps in the preparation of the followon Amazon Basin Malaria Control Project,<sup>a</sup>