CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE ENTERPRISE

Weekly Update for October 22, 2010

HIGHLIGHTS
Washington, DC CIPE released its latest publication, Strategies for Policy Reform, Volume 2, which reveals how local reformers in partnership with CIPE have transformed their countries to enhance democratic governance and the business climate. Through 15 case studies of successful reform strategies, this volume illustrates the power of engaging diverse representatives of the private sector in policy advocacy to bring local solutions to local challenges. The book is available from the CIPE Bookstore (www.cipe.org/publications/bookstore/) and Amazon.com (www.amazon.com/dp/0982857705). View the e-platform at http://cipe.advomation.com/books/strategies2.html.

GLOBAL PROGRAMS, COMMUNICATION, AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

United Arab Emirates Director for Policy Reform Aleksandr Shkolnikov delivered a presentation on CIPE's anti-corruption programs at a conference on fighting corruption in Afghanistan organized by the Smith Richardson Foundation in Dubai. The conference brought together representatives of government agencies, donor community, civil society, academia, and the private sector in order to explore the root sources of corruption in Afghanistan, highlight successful programs and approaches, and formulate a strategy for combating corruption in the country.

Vietnam On October 20 and 21, 2010, CIPE, Transparency International (TI) USA, and Towards Transparency (national contact of Transparency International in Vietnam) held two joint private sector consultation sessions in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The consultations focused on the implementation of the APEC Government Procurement Transparency Standards in Vietnam and were attended by representatives of companies operating in Vietnam. This meeting was a part of a larger CIPE-TI project on evaluating public procurement transparency in select APEC countries. The meeting was organized in cooperation with the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City chapters. Global Program Officer Anna Nadgrodkiewicz attended. Similar consultations were conducted earlier this year in Mexico and Peru, and the final one will take place next week in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Washington, DC Destructive Beast, CIPE's documentary on corruption in Yemen, was the top item on TrustLaw, a global hub for free legal assistance, news, and information on anticorruption maintained by the Thomson Reuters Foundation (www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/video-yemenis-fight-back-against-corruption/). The Wall Street Journal’s new Corruption Currents blog also linked to a clip from the documentary this week (http://blogs.wsj.com/corruption-currents/2010/10/19/high-tide-from-a-new-kosovar-party-to-us-treasury-pressuring-irans-neighbors/).

Washington, DC On the CIPE Development Blog, Global Program Coordinator Oscar Abello comments on how important it is for SMEs to understand the applicable laws and processes for starting a business (