WBI News March 2009

The World Bank Institute e-newsletter (WBI News), issued monthly, provides a concise selection of WBI news with related links. Let us know what YOU would find most useful for us to include in upcoming issues of WBI News by sending an email with "Comments" in the subject line to: wbinews@worldbank.org. If you would like to request information, please include "Info Request" in the subject line of your email.

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1. Corporate Social Responsibility for Sustainable Business and Development Program in East Asia, March 17-19, 2009

Under the current financial and economic crises many companies in both developed and in developing countries are being forced to revisit their business strategies: “sustainability” issues have become even more important. Increasingly companies need to integrate their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities into their core business strategies to remain competitive in the global economy.

The CSR for Sustainable Business and Development Program addresses these challenges and provides a space for private sector practitioners and public sector representatives from Ease Asia to share their experiences and engage freely in a South-to-South /South-to-North dialogue on how corporate responsibility can be a tool for promoting sustainable business development in the region.

Event details: http://www.jointokyo.org/en/programs/catalogue/csr_asia_course/

2. The World Bank Institute will host a Global Dialogue:   Turning Crises into Opportunities through Regulatory Reforms,  Washington DC, March 19-20, 2009

As policymakers grapple with the global economic crisis, regulatory reforms offer important levers to drive growth recovery and help protect economies from the effects of the slowdown. This global workshop will link 50 practitioners from East and South Asia, Europe, Africa, and Central and South America, to discuss and distill lessons from past crises and reforms.

Event Details: http://www.investmentclimate.org

Contact: Mauricio Leyva at mleyva@worldbank.org

3. Preferential Trade Agreements for Development: Issues and Implications, Washington DC, May 11-15, 2009. Registration deadline: March 15, 2009

In recent years, preferential trade agreements have proliferated in the developing world. This multiplicity often results in inconsistent rules across agreements and in administrative complexity.

The course will address the standard conceptual issues concerning regional integration, as well as some of the implementation and design challenges to developing-country regional integration, including practical problems that prevent effective regional trade).

Event details: http://go.worldbank.org/S7VD9GRKD0

4. Anti-Corruption Competitions for Practitioners and Students and Young Professionals. Submission deadline: April 24, 2009

The World Bank Institute and partners are hosting two competitions as part of its Executive Development Program: "Fighting Corruption through Collective Action in Today’s Competitive Market-places."

Practitioners, young professionals, and students are asked to:

- Describe how the private sector can play a constructive role in fighting corruption using multi-stakeholder approaches.

- Propose innovative ideas and solutions that support multi-stakeholder anti-corruption efforts.

Sponsored by the Belgian government, the main prizes include participation in and travel expenses to the Executive Development Program which will be held at the World Bank Head Quarters in Washington DC from June 8 to 11, 2009.

Competition details:

http://info.worldbank.org/etools/antic/anticorruption_competition.asp

5. Executive Development Program on Inclusive Agribusiness: Fighting Poverty, Hunger and Malnutrition. Washington DC, April 6-10, 2009. Registration deadline: March 10, 2009

This innovative program offers world class insights into agribusiness strategies that promote business opportunities in low-income markets and that address the urgent need to reduce poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. The program will bring together business executives and public sector leaders from around the world at a critical point in time for the global food system—as it faces the impacts of the food price, water, energy, and environmental crises. 

Participants will learn about new strategies for engaging with the four billion people at the Base of the Pyramid as potential business partners and consumers, drawing on innovative, real-life examples.

Program website: http://info.worldbank.org/etools/edp/agribusiness.htm

WBI is hosting a series of dialogues via videoconference for practitioners and experts from around the world to exchange information and analysis on the national and international effects of the global economic slowdown. Participants discuss policy and program responses to address the impact of the global financial crisis, as well as the continuing volatility in food and fuel prices.

This ongoing 'Global Dialogues' series delivers practical knowledge and guidance to client governments’ policymakers, and is intended to help policy analysts and leaders in different countries and regions learn from one another, and to brainstorm on possible policy responses and innovations. The dialogues explore impacts across the following four dimensions of the World Bank’s engagement with countries: Macroeconomic and Financial Policy, Trade Policy, Social Safety Nets, and Subnational Finance.

Read about the Global Dialogue series: http://go.worldbank.org/60BGONNKL0

Watch videos of the discussions: http://go.worldbank.org/302L5TPUE0

Also check the Poverty and Growth Blog for regular and timely updates on this and other poverty-related issues: http://pgpblog.worldbank.org

7. Emerging Country Officials Show Confidence Despite Growth Slowdown

Senior economic and central bank officials from emerging market countries who participated in a February 12th World Bank video conference on the global economic crisis said that despite falling trade volume and slowing GDP growth, their financial systems and international reserves remain strong, in contrast to the crises of the late 1990s.

To read about the event, access podcast and videos, visit: http://go.worldbank.org/60BGONNKL0

Read past newsletters at   WBI News Archives