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Lima, Peru, June 1, 2005
— More than 350 public sector leaders, representing municipal, provincial, and national government bodies, attended the first International Congress on Best Practices in Governance, sponsored by the International Finance Corporation’s Technical Assistance Facility for Latin America and the Caribbean, Ciudadanos al Día (a Peruvian NGO dedicated to promoting transparecy and efficiency in governance), AVINA, and the national Public Defender’s office.
The congress was designed to provide public sector leaders with a forum for exchanging ideas and experiences in improving government efficiency and transparency.During the plenary session, Ciudadanos al Día presented the finalists for its annual awards for Best Practice in Governance. The congress also featured workshops on improving transparency in contracting and procurement, public-private partnerships, facilitating access to public information, and enforcing policy compliance.
Simplifying business regulations was another important theme of the congress. According to World Bank’s
Doing Business in 2005
report, excessive red tape at the municipal level represents one of the major barriers to formalizing a business. In Peru, for example, starting a business takes almost 100 days, on average, and approximately 50% of that time is spent complying with municipal business regulations.
In conjunction with the congress, Ciudadanos al Día and IFC hosted a workshop to present guidelines for a National Plan for the Simplification of Municipal Administrative Procedures for Businesses, drafted through a series of meetings with municipal governments and private sector associations from across the country. Participating in the workshop were leaders from 16 major municipalities—including Lima, Callao, Piura, Arequipa, Ilo, and Tacna—as well as representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Presidential Council of Ministries, the Center for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises, the National Confederation of Private Enterprise Institutions, the Peruvian Chamber of Construction, and the Peruvian Association of Exporters.
“Creating competition through events such as this one generates incentives for public sector institutions to improve their governance. The facility’s work with Ciudadanos al Día in promoting the exchange of best practices and fostering dialogue between public and private sector representatives demonstrates the integrated approach IFC is taking in its work on simplifying business regulations,” commented Atul Mehta, IFC director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The mission of IFC (
www.ifc.org
) is to promote sustainable private sector investment in developing and transition economies, helping to reduce poverty and improve people's lives. IFC finances private sector investments in the emerging markets, mobilizes capital in the international financial markets, helps clients improve social and environmental sustainability, and provides technical assistance and advice to governments and businesses. From its founding in 1956 through FY04, IFC has committed more than $44 billion of its own funds and arranged $23 billion in syndications for 3,143 companies in 140 developing countries. IFC’s worldwide committed portfolio as of FY04 was $17.9 billion for its own account and $5.5 billion held for participants in loan syndications.
ABOUT IFC TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FACILITY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
The IFC Technical Assistance Facility for Latin America and the Caribbean
(www.ifc.org/lactafacility)
is a multilateral initiative backed by core IFC funds and program-specific funds from various donors (including Canada, Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland). The facility's work program is focused on improving the business environment, enhancing local benefits from IFC investments, and strengthening the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises. Based in Lima, the facility is operating in six countries (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru) and is exploring opportunities in other countries of the region.
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