BREST, BELARUS January 28 -- The Belarus government will privatize 50 percent of small-scale enterprises this year, according to Deputy Prime Minister Sergei S. Ling. The announcement was made at a two-day conference on small-scale privatization sponsored by the Belarus Cabinet of Ministers, the State Property Committee, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The conference assembled city and regional officials responsible for small-scale privatization to learn about the successful pilot privatization scheme designed and implemented by the Brest city authorities, with the assistance of IFC. This pilot will serve as the model for small-scale privatization in Belarus. Financial assistance for the pilot program in Brest was provided by the United States Agency for International Development. To assist these officials in meeting the goal set by the Deputy Prime Minister, a manual, developed by IFC, was distributed to all 250 conference participants. This manual provides a step-by-step guide to implementi
ng small-scale privatization. An additional 10,000 will be sent to other officials in all cities and regions in the country. IFC's Vice President for Operations, Wilfried Kaffenberger, stated, "small-scale privatization is an irreversible step on the road to establishing a market economy and I am delighted that IFC has been of assistance to the government of Belarus in such a crucial area of economic reform." During the conference, delegates visited recently privatized stores in Brest and attended the auction of ten small-scale enterprises. The businesses on offer included cafes, restaurants, and shops specializing in household goods. The auction was broadcast on national television. IFC has also provided technical assistance in small-scale privatization to the governments of the Russian Federation and Ukraine. IFC is the private sector arm of the World Bank Group and the largest source of multilateral financing for private sector projects in developing countries. (30)
