Speaker Series

• Chief Kola Daisi, National President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA)
  Chief Kola Daisi, National President of NACCIMA and President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry addressed presidential candidates General Olusegun Obasanjo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Chief Oluyemisi Falae of the All Peoples Party (APP) on the subject of economic reform and its role in building democracy and prosperity in Nigeria.

• View & Perspective: The Rise Of China's Private Sector and Its Importance in U.S.-China Relations
  Voice of America in Asia interviewed CIPE's Executive Director, John D. Sullivan and Professor of Sociology at University of California, Berkeley, Tom Gold. The interview was translated and broadcast in Mandarin on July 28, 2001.
  Listen to the interview in Chinese | English
  
  
• Transparency and Corporate Governance
  Mark Baird, World Bank's country director of Indonesia, spoke at CIPE's conference on Freedom of Economic Information for Effective Governance in Jakarta, Indonesia. Baird discussed the significance of corporate governance, how a lack of transparency and corporate governance procedures contributed to the financial crisis in Asia, and the important role the media has played in advancing reform in Indonesia.

• Reconstruction Trends and Challenges in Kosova
  On Tuesday, April 11, Dr. Muhamet Mustafa of the Riinvest Institute for Development Research, spoke at US House of Representatives International Relations Committee Hearing on the situation in Kosova. Dr. Mustafa's testimony provided an account of the current economic situation in Kosova and recommendations for broader Kosovar participation in the reconstruction process.
  
  
• Economic Reconstruction in Kosovo: A Kosovar Prospective
  An address by Muhamet Mustafa, President of the board of Riinvest, before the US Chamber of Commerce, September 14, 1999. Riinevst's mission is to promote the modern economic development of Kosovo based on entrepreneurship. Founded in June, 1997 with the help of CIPE, despite the very unfavorable environment at the time, Reiinevst has been a pioneer in developing modern concepts of entrepreneurship in Kosovo.

• A CIPE Exclusive interview with Veselin Vukotic, October 1999
  The president of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Prognoses in Podgorica, Montenegro, Veselin Vukotic spoke to CIPE about free market reform, currency reform and the political and economic future of Montenegro.
  
  
• Ivan Miklos, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs
  On October 28, 1998 Ivan Miklos was appointed Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs in the new reform-minded government of the Slovak Republic. A Minister for Privatization in the short-lived 1994 government Dr. Miklos developed and headed the MESA 10 policy institute in Bratislava. During the Meciar years the institute developed a reputation for providing an alternate forum for economic and social policy development. During a recent visit to Washington DC, Dr. Miklos participated in CIPE's Fifteenth Anniversary speaker's series, and provided an insight into the economic and political challenges facing the new government.
  
  
• Dr. Zef Preci, Director, Albanian Center for Economic Research (ACER)
  Dr. Zef Preci is the Director of the ACER, an independent economic policy institute dedicated to promoting democratic and market-oriented reforms in Albania. In recent years ACER has established itself as the leading independent think tank in Albania, providing policy analysis and reccomendations primarily targeted at reducing the informal sector and combating corruption. During his recent visit to CIPE Dr. Preci participated in our Fifteenth Anniversary speakers series, and provided his insights into the extent of informal economic activity in Albania, and the challenges the government faces in dealing with this issue.

• Political and Economic Insecurity: Civil-Military Relations in Venezuela
  Venezuela's political and economic prospects were the topic of a joint meeting held recently by the National Endowment for Democracy and the Center for International Private Enterprise. The nature of the Hugo Chávez regime, its relationship with the military and civil society, and its foreign policy incursions were among the key topics addressed by the Venezuelan panelists (Hernán Castillo, Laura Rojas de Perez, Vilma Petrásh) who spoke at the meeting.
  
  
• Building Sound Corporate Governance for Global Competitiveness
  CIPE's Executive Director spoke to the Colombian Confederation of Chambers of Commerce in Cartagena, Colombia. In his presentation, Dr. Sullivan explores why and how achieving first-class corporate governance is a necessary step toward energizing Colombian businesses to compete vigorously in a global economy.
  
  
• Mr. Soto-Priante of The Mexican Employer's Confederation (COPARMEX)
  The Mexican Employer's Confederation (COPARMEX) was Mexico's first truly private and independent business organization. Since its foundation in 1929, the organization has had voluntary membership and fought for a more open political and economic system. In its early days, this put the organization in direct opposition with the all powerful Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and also set them apart from all the other business organizations. Today, COPARMEX has grown to an organization with over 36,000 members and 48 chapters throughout Mexico. Mr. Soto-Priante shares his perspective regarding: the current political climate and how Mexico's political system is evolving and the reduction of presidential privileges, and what these changes mean to the civil society and specifically COPARMEX in adapting advocacy efforts towards Mexico's first democratic congress.

• Israel/Palestine Center for Reseach and Information (IPCRI)
  With CIPE support, IPCRI has been addressing commercial law issues to create a legal infrastructure to encourage private sector development and economic cooperation. In this talk, co-directors Dr. Gershon Baskin and Dr. Zakaria al Qaq describe the impact that the stalled peace process has had on Palestinian governance and economic development and the prospects for peace in this environment.

• Russia's Business Climate-Today and Tomorrow
  Thomas J. Donohue, President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and CIPE
  This speech opened a September 21 CIPE roundtable held in Moscow that was cohosted by the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation. The roundtable was composed of leading Russian economists and the audience of businessmen, representatives of chambers of commerce and business associations, think tanks, and the media.
  
  
• Dr. Alexander Chesnokov
  Dr. Alexander Chesnokov, Vice President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry gives the business viewpoint in discussing the Russian economy. He made this address to the CIPE Board of Directors in April, 1999.

• Bribery and Corruption in the OSCE Region Testimony by John D. Sullivan, Executive Director, CIPE
  
  
• Corporate Governance: Transparency Between Government and Business
  John D. Sullivan, Executive Director, CIPE