Deputy Director Jean Rogers attended the 3rd Working Group meeting of the UN Global Compact’s 10th Principle on anti-corruption.  The meeting was hosted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UN Global Compact Office in Vienna, Austria. The overarching goal was to identify priority issues that will form the basis of a two-year work plan for the 10th Principle.  Participants included Multi-National Corporations that are members of the Global Compact and experts such as CIPOE’s Jean Rogers. 

HIGHLIGHTS

Deputy Director Jean Rogers attended the 3rd Working Group meeting of the UN Global Compact’s 10th Principle on anti-corruption.  The meeting was hosted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UN Global Compact Office in Vienna, Austria. The overarching goal was to identify priority issues that will form the basis of a two-year work plan for the 10th Principle.  Participants included Multi-National Corporations that are members of the Global Compact and experts such as CIPOE’s Jean Rogers.

Pakistan – CIPE and its partners the Institute of Corporate Governance and the Institute of Chartered Accountants Pakistan launched the Corporate Governance Guide for Family-Owned Companies.  With this, Pakistan becomes the first country in Asia to have such a guide.  At a gathering of more than 100 leading private sector business owners, Mr. Razzak Dawood, Chairman of the Pakistan Business Council said, “Corporate governance is necessary for the creation of human, intellectual, and financial capital.  I am a strong believer that good corporate governance is not a cost but rather a value addition, an investment in the future of the company.”  Gregg Willhauck, CIPE’S Government and Congressional Affairs Officer, also participated and presented a report on trends in corporate governance worldwide.

USAID’s Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid met in Atlanta under the theme of “Promoting Peace, Prosperity and Partnerships: Atlanta’s Contribution to Global Development.”

Presentations on partnerships were made by CARE, Microsoft, the Centers for Disease Control, and Georgia State University.  CIPE’s Executive Director, John Sullivan, chairs the ACFVA.

The CIPE calendar is online at www.cipe.org/calendar.

Have questions about CIPE events? Contact Caroline Scullin by e-mail ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ) or phone (202-721-9200).

GLOBAL/KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Global Program Officer Sarah Siegel and Congressional Liaison Director Gregg Willhauck traveled to Pakistan this week.  Sarah Siegel met with newly-formed women chambers of commerce from Peshawar, Punjab, Islamabad, and Karachi, as well as visited the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Women Resource Center.  Siegel and Willhauck also attended the Youth Conference on Entrepreneurship Development in Islamabad, facilitating a breakout group on improving internship programs in Pakistan.  This was the final event in a series of youth conferences conducted as part of CIPE's global youth program. 

AFRICA

Liberia – CIPE Program Officer Bronwyn Bruton, along with consultant Michael Olson, held a two-day workshop in Monrovia, “Developing Model Governance Structures,” in cooperation with the Liberia Chamber of Commerce. The workshop is designed to enhance the governance of business associations in Liberia, addressing needs identified from diagnostic assessments of Liberian business associations completed in 2007. CIPE is currently partnering with business associations in Liberia to build the capacity of the private sector to promote entrepreneurship and policy reform.

Zambia – On Wednesday, June 4, CIPE partner the Institute of Directors of Zambia (IODZ) held a seminar on corporate governance for cooperatives in Lusaka, Zambia. The seminar targeted 20 directors and senior managers of the Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF). Specific topics addressed in the seminar include an introduction to corporate governance, financial management, and the policy, legal, and regulatory environment for cooperatives. The program concluded with a discussion among the participating directors on strategies to address the challenges facing governance in cooperatives. With CIPE support through a USAID grant, IODZ is providing education and assistance to cooperative leaders at the national, provincial, and district level to improve governance practices in Zambian cooperatives. 

Ethiopia – CIPE partner, Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations (AACCSA) has launched a new series of tax education radio programs on FM 91.7 to provide members of the business community with up-to-date information on tax related proclamations and regulations as well as their implementation. The program, which is broadcast twice a week, was developed by curriculum experts and will be on air through April 2009.

ASIA

Philippines -- the Institute of Corporate Directors conducted a Corporate Governance Orientation Program with 26 participants. The second day of the program was designed for bank directors.  Also this week, ICD met with representatives from the Central Bank regarding its proposal to conduct a Corporate Governance Working Session with its Monetary Board. The working session is intended to inform the Monetary Board about the corporate governance scores of the participating commercial banks and how to improve them.

Philippines -- On June 2, the Institute for Solidarity in Asia together with a working group of the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) came up with an inventory of indicators that can be used to gauge a city or province's competitiveness relative to their peers in the country and in the region. The NCC plans to convene a summit of local chief executives later this year in which key cities and provinces will be “diagnosed” using these indicators.

On June 3, ISA had a working session with the Coordinating Body for Good Governance of the Nursing Profession (CBGGNP) to finalize the program design for the stakeholders’ assembly that took place two days later. On June 5, 18 nursing organizations along with the Board of Nursing had a full-day of strategy review. Feedback from the participants was enthusiastically positive. The profession is vying for PGS-Proficiency by August this year.

EURASIA

Russia – The Saratov Region Coalition of Business Associations, one of 17 Coalitions formed under CIPE’s USAID funded “SME Policy Advocacy Project”, scored a major victory in the fight against corruption.  By June 2008 all 42 municipalities of the Saratov region have adopted the Anticorruption municipal program developed by the Saratov Coalition.  The Saratov Chamber of Commerce and Industry has acted as the coordinator of the Coalition and will help to train experts to analyze municipal legislation for corruption potential.   The level of corruption will be significantly reduced throughout the region through the elimination of “holes” in legislative and statutory acts that encouraged the growth of corruption.  The municipal programs are a result of an October 2007 CIPE workshop that trained legal experts for all 17 regional CIPE supported Coalitions in the methodology of examining statutory acts. 

Ukraine – CIPE partner the Ukrainian Center for International Integration (UCII) held a seminar in the heart of Ukraine’s industrialized Donbas region to highlight the benefits of Ukraine’s recent WTO membership for domestic small- and medium-sized enterprises.  The event attracted 120 entrepreneurs and business owners and was covered by journalist’s representing nearly 30 different media outlets.  UCII has since received multiple invitations from other regions of Ukraine to hold similar seminars. 

Moldova - CIPE partner the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives held the final round of working group meetings that focused on drafting the National Business Agenda. After four weeks of meetings, the five working groups have analyzed the barriers for doing business and developed policy proposals based on the priorities set up by the business community earlier in the project.

Azerbaijan – On May 30 CIPE partner the Entrepreneurship Development Foundation (EDF) participated in a video conference at the World Bank that focused on improving the investment and business climate in five countries Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Russia (Stavropol region) and Tajikistan. EDF invited leaders of business associations to the event who raised the concerns of the private sector.  Sabit Bagirov from EDF moderated the Azerbaijan session.

Balkan Regional - CIPE’s Regional Center for Organization Management is a World Bank contractor in the project “Enhancing ICT Competitiveness in Bosnia Herzegovina”. As part of this project the Center organized two seminars in Bosnia Herzegovina, in Sarajevo (June 3rd) and Banja Luka (June 5th), focusing on raising competitiveness through public-private dialogue. Carmen Stanila, Deputy Director RCOM and Corina Dragomirescu, Consultant, The Advocacy Academy, traveled to Bosnia Herzegovina this week.

Balkan Regional - The Regional Center for Organization Management has finalized the CD “Public Policy with High Impact on Romania ICT Sector Competitiveness”, supported by World Bank with funding from the Spanish Government. The ICT sector is one of the most dynamic and competitive sectors within the Romanian economy. The strength of this industry is the result of a unique public-private partnership, a fortunate combination of entrepreneurial, hard-working, dedicated, knowledgeable business people, and visionary, supportive public officials. This CD acknowledges the joint efforts of both groups in promoting public policies with an impact on the ICT industry, and presents stories on some of the initiatives undertaken in the past decade. The CD will be used as a best practice resource in the Balkans and Ukraine. The leading representatives from Ukrainian ICT associations will travel to Bucharest for a launch event to take place June 12th.

SOUTH ASIA

Pakistan – CIPE organized a youth conference this week with the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  A total of 116 young entrepreneurs and university students attended the event.

Bangladesh – CIPE partner the Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry met with officials of finance, commerce and industry to discuss different issues facing women entrepreneurs and strategies for promoting women’s entrepreneurship through public-private partnerships.

Afghanistan - CIPE held a roundtable titled, “The Food Crisis and Afghanistan: Challenges and Solutions”.   Minister of Commerce Mohamed Amin Farhang chaired the roundtable. Fifty persons attended the meeting, including 20 MPs, food sector representatives, USAID staff, WFP Country Director, and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Commerce.

CIPE’s Country Director met Minister of Commerce Farhang. They discussed the ongoing chamber of commerce merger and the minister welcomed CIPE’s assistance. The election for the new chamber’s board of directors will occur on August 5, 2008.

LATIN AMERICA

Colombia – The Political Science Institute (ICP), in conjunction with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the National Association of Financial Institutions (ANIF), and the Private Council on Competitiveness, led the forum “Finding the Path to Collective Prosperity.” Over 200 people attended the event, which featured several Cabinet ministers and former President of Bolivia, Jorge Quiroga. ICP distributed copies of Perspectiva magazine so it could be used for discussion during the forum.

Regional – On May 30, ICP hosted a conference featuring Jung Tzo Liu, a representative of the Taipei Commercial Office, who discussed Perspectiva 16 article “Economic Development and Technology in Taiwan.” The 25 people in attendance each received a copy of Perspectiva and participated in a survey regarding the magazine.

Ecuador – The Ecuadorian Institute for Political Economy (IEEP) held a seminar in Manta, Ecuador entitled “Democracy and Freedom in Latin America: Cases of Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile.” One of the presenters was Pablo Lucio Paredes, one of the delegates at Ecuador’s Constituent Assembly. Nearly 300 people attended the event, including a large number of university students and young representatives of the political parties and political movements.

Ecuador – Dora de Ampuero, Executive Director of IEEP, was a guest on IEEP’s television program Tribuna Liberal. Ms. Ampuero discussed private property as a fundamental right. On radio program Contrapunto Liberal, Dr. Àngel Soto, a professor at the University of the Andes in Chile, spoke on the fragile democracies in Latin America.

Nicaragua – The Superior Council for Private Enterprise’s (COSEP) President Jose Adán Aguerri met with Nicaraguan Vice President Jaime Morales Carazo and President Daniel Ortega’s economic advisors to discuss the Coastal Law, energy and agricultural issues.

Middle East / North Africa

Iraq-  CIPE partner, the Dohuk College University (DCU) published a desk study titled “Reality of the Iraqi Economy and the Effects of the Informal Sector on the Economy”. The results of the study were shared with the Kurdish Region Prime Minister’s Advisor for Investment issues, who after reviewing it,  requested more copies for the Prime Minister, Ministry of Finance, Investment Committee in the region, Ministry of Trade, and other  ministries. The Minister of Trade also requested a copy of the study with the intention of publishing it on the Ministry’s website. A number of academic’s were also interested in the study’s findings and considered it to cover an important period of the Iraqi Economy’s history.

MENA Regional - CIPE and the Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA) will hold an association governance roundtable in Lebanon on June 30, 2008. The event is designed to stimulate dialogue on the management and governance of associations and how to further best practices in association governance locally. The half-day roundtable will include key representatives from Lebanese business associations and chambers of commerce. It will be facilitated by Aleksandr Shkolnikov from CIPE and Majd Abbassi, a regional association governance expert.

Washington D.C. - CIPE Egypt Program Director, Randa Al-Zoghbi is visiting CIPE’s headquarters in Washington D.C. Ms Al-Zoghbi gave a presentation on Egypt’s programs and discussed their impacts with CIPE staff. She will also be meeting with various partners and government agencies as well as attending training on Corporate Social Responsibility as a business strategy, at the World Bank Institute.

Yemen- CIPE partner, the Yemen Polling Center (YPC) conducted the second phase of the training on “Creating Polling Competencies in Business Organizations and Chambers of Commerce” in Sana’a on May 24 and 25. In March 2007, the participants, who came from all over Yemen, were trained on how to do polling, and were asked to conduct them in their cities before attending this training. This phase focused on using the coding system and inputting the collected data by using the SPSS application program, and how to extract the research findings from the SPSS. CIPE’s Program Officer, Mr. Suhaib Al-Barzinji, presented the importance of polling for effective advocacy and policy making and reforms. Seventeen participants attended.