Weekly Update

HIGHLIGHTS

Russia – On September 19, U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle opened a one-day conference in Moscow devoted to a nine-year U.S. Agency for International Development-funded CIPE program that is coming to an end. Commenting to participants on the anti-corruption emphasis of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Policy Advocacy Program, Beyrle said, “This is an agenda that the United States very much shares with you.” More than 40 people, including CIPE partners from the Russian regions, CIPE Executive Director John D. Sullivan, Regional Director Andrew Wilson, and Director for Policy Reform Alexander Shkolnikov, took part in the conference’s presentations and discussions. Moscow Office Head Alexander Raevsky and Program Manager Natalya Titova organized the event, which was held in the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Russia – Senior CIPE management held meetings with Russian experts on a range of issues from corporate governance to corruption and public procurement in Moscow. John D. Sullivan, Andrew Wilson, Alexander Shkolnikov, and Russia Program Officer Frank Brown consulted with Igor Belikov, head of the Russian Institute of Directors, Alex Settles, a professor at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics who writes on public procurement questions, and Sergei Leonov, vice president of longtime CIPE partner Saratov Chamber of Commerce and Industry who is a legal expert on corruption issues.

GLOBAL, COMMUNICATIONS, AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Washington, DC – The World Bank cited Director for Policy Reform Aleksandr Shkolnikov and Global Program Officer Anna Nadgrodkiewicz in its Doing Business 2011 report. The report references Shkolnikov and Nadgrodkiewicz’s Economic Reform Feature Service article about the evolution of an Arabic word for “corporate governance.” The citation also appears in the World Bank’s Doing Business in the Arab World 2011 (www.doingbusiness.org/~/media/fpdkm/doing%20business/documents/annual-reports/english/db11-fullreport.pdf,
www.doingbusiness.org/~/media/FPDKM/Doing%20Business/Documents/Special-Reports/DB11-ArabWorld.pdf).
Washington, DC – CIPE published the latest Economic Reform Feature Service article, featuring an interview with Andrew Hughes Hallett and Sonia Ketkar, Co-directors of the Center for Emerging Market Policies (CEMP) at George Mason University. In the article, Hallet and Ketkar discuss what issues are relevant to emerging markets, the rise in popularity of country-specific approaches to reform, and the reasons for founding CEMP (www.cipe.org/featureservice/?p=671).
Washington, DC – On the CIPE Development Blog, Global Program Officer Anna Nadgrodkiewicz analyzes the effects of a law in Peru that protects land rights for the country’s native population (www.cipe.org/blog/?p=9333); and Middle East and North Africa Program Assistant Nate Grubman explains what Libya can learn from Norway in terms of managing oil revenues (www.cipe.org/blog/?p=9367).
AFRICA
Nigeria – CIPE consultant Mrs. Toki Mabogunje and CIPE Field Representative Mrs. Wumi Gbadamosi held a two-day strategic planning seminar for CIPE partner the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). Twenty-three members of MAN’s management staff attended the planning session, which instructed participants how to use the association’s vision, purpose, mission and core values to inform the development of a five-year strategic plan. The participants pledged to develop departmental plans and develop a comprehensive, association-wide plan. This is part of a CIPE program to strengthen the capacity of MAN and its advocacy work on taxation.

Uganda – CIPE partner the Kitara Heritage Development Agency (KHEDA) conducted a two-day mobilization event in the Kibaale District to raise awareness among political and civil district leaders on the role of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing oil and gas policy in the region. KHEDA engaged the Chief Administrative Officer of Kibaale, the Deputy Residence District Commissioner, and the Mayor of Kagasi Town Council. KHEDA also used the event to raise awareness of its project with CIPE to strengthen the business community’s efforts to advocate for policy and regulatory reforms in Uganda’s oil and gas industry.

ASIA
Philippines – The Institute for Corporate Directors (ICD) conducted its ninth Corporate Governance Orientation Program to help corporate executives and senior management gain a better understanding of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development corporate governance principles. Corporate executives and directors who attend these orientation programs can then attend ICD’s Professional Directors Program, where they receive more technical and detailed instruction on corporate governance best practices, and the business value of strong governance practices.

Thailand – Senior staff of the Thai Institute of Directors (IOD) attended a meeting at the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to further discuss the NACC’s recently promulgated anti-corruption law. Officials from the Finance Ministry and the Thai Chamber of Commerce were also in attendance. The NACC has been relying on IOD to communicate the new law to the Thai business community, largely because of IOD’s prominent role in leading the Collective Action Against Corruption campaign, which is the focus of the CIPE-IOD partnership. It was agreed that IOD, the Chamber and the NACC will jointly work on a plan to implement the anti-corruption regulations contained in the new law that pertain to government procurement.

EURASIA
Kazakhstan – The Kazakhstan Institute of Directors (KID) held its final session of the first Corporate Governance seminar for 21 faculty members from across 9 universities in Almaty. The seminar gave university faculty throughout Almaty tools to successfully convey the principles of Corporate Governance to students and peers. At the conclusion of the seminar, faculty created new syllabi that make Corporate Governance a key component of their teaching curriculum.

Kosovo – The Riinvest Institute for Development Research conducted interviews with representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the national telecom company as part of a CIPE-supported program focused on reforming the public procurement process in Kosovo.

Kyrgyzstan – The Development Policy Institute (DPI) and the Kyrgyzstan Stock Exchange Press Club (KSEPC) held a joint press conference in anticipation of the upcoming International Conference on Financial Literacy and Economic Journalism being organized by DPI on October 6-7. Seventeen government representatives, members of the press, and entrepreneurs attended the press conference to discuss the program’s goals and objectives.

Russia – The first group of students taking part in the Youth Entrepreneurship Program of 2011 have started classes in Vladikavkaz, where a CIPE partner, the Vladikavkaz Institute of Management (VIM) is administering a National Endowment for Democracy-funded project. The 19 students, all graduates of local technical schools and vocational institutes in the Republic of North Ossetia, are studying practical business skills as well as democratic principles. In the final step of the program, students will develop business plans, the best of which will be eligible for government support. 

SOUTHEAST EUROPE AND THE CAUCASUS

Azerbaijan – The Entrepreneurship Development Foundation (EDF) held its second seminar on democratic governance and free markets for a group of students and young professionals, based on CIPE’s Development Institute. Participants continued their discussion of Douglass North’s lecture on the role of institutions in economic growth. Seminar participants requested that EDF organize such seminars every week, instead of every second week as originally planned.

Moldova – The network of business organizations supporting Moldova’s National Business Agenda organized a roundtable discussion regarding the construction sector. Ten representatives from business associations in the construction-sector identified advocacy priorities for improving this sector, including reform of the procurement process and new certification standards. Participants plan to meet again this year to finalize a position paper of recommendations.

Serbia – CIPE Regional Office in Romania Program Director Camelia Bulat traveled to Serbia. Bulat met with the Serbian Association of Managers (CIPE partner) to discuss the implementation strategy of a new project focusing on strengthening the public-private dialogue between the business community and decision-makers. Bulat also visited the towns of Valjevo, Nis, and Pozarevac and met with three regional chambers that are partnering with SAM to engage in pro-business advocacy at the national level. Bulat also discussed with the chambers their strategies for transitioning to voluntary membership scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2013.
LATIN AMERICA

Argentina – The Center for the Implementation of Public Policies promoting Equity and Growth (CIPPEC) presented several of its Memos for the President at events throughout the week. CIPPEC worked with Brookings Institution in Washington to organize a closed-door meeting to discuss the challenges for Argentina’s next administration. Twenty-five experts and academics from Argentina, including the Argentine ambassador to the US and the governors of Salta and Misiones provinces attended, as did CIPE Regional Director John Zemko. Prior to the events in Washington, CIPPEC met privately with one of the presidential candidates in Argentina to discuss the contents of the Memos for the President; the candidate expressed great interest and promised to incorporate some of CIPPEC’s ideas into his proposals. Additionally, CIPPEC presented the Education Memo at Torcuato di Tella University, with commentary provided by former Minister of Education Juan Llach, as well as the former Minister of Education of the City of Buenos Aires. More than fifty people attended this event, including some of the foremost experts on education in the country.

Bolivia – Fundación Milenio released its 115th economic analysis bulletin, featuring an analysis of the local economy of Santa Cruz. Milenio distributed the bulletin to key journalists, as well as to more than 780 subscribers to Milenio’s electronic database. This bulletin analyzes examines GDP, GDP per capita, various sectors of Santa Cruz’ economy, and makes recommendations that would allow the economy of Santa Cruz to grow even more. The report is available for download in Spanish on Milenio’s website.

MIDDLE EAST / NORTH AFRICA
Egypt – At an event in Cairo on September 21, CIPE, together with Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS) and the Federation of Economic Development Associations (FEDA), released a publication entitled Governance Guidelines for Egyptian Associations. The guide assists membership-based associations in applying democratic governance principles to build organizations that are independent and mission-driven, have a broad membership base, are responsible financial stewards with sound membership services, and effectively represent their members in the public policy process. Nearly 100 prominent figures representing Egypt civil society leadership attended the launch of the guide and shared their thoughts on how to apply good governance in public institutions and associations. The guide is available in English and Arabic.

Iraq – In a September 15 Baghdad meeting with DC-based CIPE Program Officer Maura O’Brien-Ali and Iraq Country Director Ahmed Gutan met on September 15 with Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq to brief him about CIPE’s work its recently-released 2011 Iraqi Business Survey. Al-Mutlaq spoke with CIPE about an initiative he is leading to improve access to capital for small- and medium-sized enterprise entrepreneurs in order for them to more easily grow their businesses, and CIPE offered him a number of suggestions from its provincial business agendas.

Iraq – On September 16, CIPE Program Officer Maura O’Brien-Ali and Iraq Country Director Ahmed Gutan met with the Iraq Ministry of Interior’s Inspector General in Baghdad and showcased CIPE’s Destructive Beast video. The video, which focuses on the costs of corruption to Yemeni society, was used to train Yemeni police cadets. The Iraqi Ministry of Interior is interested in developing similar training for their police academies to help combat corruption from the start of police officers’ careers.

Iraq – On September 19, CIPE held a follow-on event in Baghdad to its June Democracy that Delivers for Women conference in Washington. The Baghdad event, which included eight representatives of civil society organizations currently focusing on issues that affect Iraqi women in the private sector, explored how to improve CIPE’s and its partners’ programming for women entrepreneurs and business owners. The discussions explored issues currently facing private sector women in Iraq and developing new approaches to better address their needs in advocacy efforts and capacity building programs and for more robust representation in parliament, business associations, and banking institutions. 

Iraq – On September 21, Iraq Country Director Ahmed Gutan and Iraq Program Manager Muna Zalzala met with four members of the Iraqi parliament. CIPE briefed the members of parliament on CIPE’s efforts to enhance the business community’s voice in democratic debate in order to advance market-oriented reforms. The MPs, working on education, health, human rights, and provincial issues, highlighted gaps in legislation and information MPs need to forward more effective reforms. They also expressed their desire to be integrated into many of CIPE’s programs including its provincial business agendas.

Turkey – On September 22, the Corporate Governance Association of Turkey (TKYD) held a half-day seminar in Istanbul bringing together over 90 Turkish business journalists to discuss reporting on corporate governance issues. The event, which was organized in conjunction with the Business Journalists Association of Turkey (TEJA), featured two panels. One panel comprised leading businessmen and women discussing their expectations for journalists reporting on corporate governance, and the other comprised journalists discussing the current state of corporate governance reporting in Turkey. TKYD also introduced two new publications that they produced to help journalists strengthen their reporting on corporate governance issues in Turkey. Entitled The Business Journalist Handbook and Corporate Governance Guidelines for Business Journalists, the publications will be used in a series of TKYD-organized workshops and training seminars held in Turkey over the next year. Both publications are currently being translated into English and will be made available by CIPE in the coming weeks.

SOUTH ASIA
Afghanistan – CIPE Afghanistan organized six business proposal writing competitions at high schools in Bamiyan province participating in CIPE’s Tashabos entrepreneurship course. More than 90 students participated in the event which encourages students to develop practical business plans using the knowledge gained from the Tashabos coursework. Another competition was held in Kabul at Chehilsotoon Girls’ High School in which 20 students participated. The top students from each school will compete in a final event at the end of the year.

Afghanistan – CIPE conducted a seminar this week for members of the Provincial Council of Bamiyan. The seminar covered topics on fighting corruption as well as discussing the role of the provincial council members in supporting the implementation of the Afghanistan National Business Agenda.

Pakistan – CIPE Pakistan partnered with Dawood Global Foundation in an initiative to encourage women entrepreneurship. Under this initiative, Dawood Global Foundation's Ladies Fund organized a conference to recognize leading women entrepreneurs in Karachi. The event attracted over 100 participants including diplomats and business community leaders. More information on the event can be found at the Daily Times (www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C09%5C18%5Cstory_18-9-2011_pg12_6).

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Sept 25             March to raise public awareness of corruption – Bangkok, Thailand (Anti-Corruption Network; Thai Chamber of Commerce)

Sept 25             Corporate governance policy paper – second seminar for stakeholders – Karbala, Iraq (Karbala Chamber of Commerce; Center for Strategic Studies and Economic Research)

Sept 25             Transparency and accountability policy paper – second seminar for stakeholders – Erbil, Iraq (Kurdistan Economic Development Organization (KEDO))

Sept 26 – 28      Workshop on responsible corporate citizenship practices in Development Financing Institutions – Bangkok, Thailand (Association for Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP))

Sept 26 – 27      Iraq partners strategy session – Erbil, Iraq           (CIPE)

Sept 28             Freedom of information draft law release – Egypt           (CIPE)

Sept 29             Provincial business agenda – official handover ceremony Karbala, Iraq     Karbala Chamber of Commerce; Center for Strategic Studies and Economic Research

The CIPE calendar is online at www.cipe.org/calendar. Have questions about CIPE events? Contact Caroline Scullin by e-mail (cscullin@cipe.org) or phone (202-721-9200)