The Doha Business Forum:

United Nations Financing for Development

The Impact of the Financial Crisis & Proposed Roadmaps:

Leveraging Official and Private Sector Resources for Development

November 28, 2008; 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM
La Cigale Hotel, Doha
  BACKGROUND: The Business Sector Steering Committee, with support from the Financing for Development Office of the United Nations and the Government of Qatar, organized the second International Business Forum, which took place on 28 November 2008. Business leaders and their public sector partners presented performance to date, and proposals that serve to implement the Monterrey Consensus objective of mobilizing private sector resources and contribute to widespread development across all developing countries. The Business Forum provided key guidance to leading decision makers in the official sector and development banks on how to further improve private sector participation in development, and enabled candid discussion on critical actions that need to be taken to reach optimal widespread development results.  
 
  DELIVERABLES: The Financing for Development Business Forum was designed to enable leaders of the public and private sectors to design sustainable win-win "Roadmaps for Development" that enable public-private collaboration, mobilization of private sector resources for development, and increase aid effectiveness, leveraging limited ODA.  
 
  PARTICIPANTS: Invited participants included the senior delegations of all country governments from ministries of finance, foreign affairs, and economy/commerce; senior officials of development banks and agencies; and leaders of the private sector, civil society, and foundations.  
 

DOHA BUSINESS FORUM AGENDA
 
 

9:00 am - 9:30am Welcoming Remarks

  • H.E. Sheikh Fahed bin Jassim Al Thani, Minister of Business and Trade, State of Qatar
  • Mr. Mohamed bin Towar Al Kowary, Vice Chair of Qatar Chamber of Commerce
  • Dr. Louise Kantrow, Chair, FfD Business Sector Steering Committee & Permanent Representative to the UN for the International Chamber of Commerce
  • Dr. Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, President, African Business Roundtable & Chairman NEPAD Business Group
  
 

9:30am - 10:30am Opening Plenary: Assessing the Global Financial System and Next Steps for Ensuring Stable Financial Flows for Development

Developing country governments, development agencies, and donors need to understand the dimensions and magnitude of the current financial crisis, and the actions they need to take to increase financial stability and aid effectiveness. Private sector companies need to know how they can manage risk and also contribute as corporate citizens to development. In this plenary, leading authorities will provide their views on the current global financial situation, and actions the public and private sectors can take to increase their capacity to ensure a stable global financial system that delivers development results across all developing countries.

MODERATOR: Dr. Barbara Samuels, President, Samuels Associates; Founder, Global Clearinghouse; Vice-Chair, FfD Business Sector Steering Committee

  • Angel Gurria, Secretary-General of OECD
  • Justin Lin, Senior Vice President and World Bank Chief Economist
  • Avinash Persaud, Chairman, Intelligence Capital Limited; Member, UN Commission on Credit Crunch and Implications for Global Development
  • Henrietta H. Fore, Administrator for the US Agency for International Development and Director of US Foreign Assistance
Discussants: Silvina Vatnick, President, Center for Financial Stability; Uwe Bott, President, Cross-Border Finance

 
 

10:30am – 11:30am Panel One: Proposals for Building a Stable Public-Private Framework for Development

The current global financial crisis underscores the importance of building stable sustainable public-private frameworks for development. In an interdependent world, institutional and policy frameworks must be designed to promote widespread economic growth, and reduce the risks associated with an increasingly complex, interdependent global financial and economic relationships. The Monterrey Consensus set forth critical actions towards this end, through enhanced information, transparency, and analytics for improved risk management and sustainable investment decision-making and private sector consultation. This panel will present specific proposals aimed at improving public-private frameworks for development, increasing the transparency and stability of the global financial system and its underlying economy, and the capacity of both investors and policymakers to access needed information for risk management, investment decision-making, and economic growth.

MODERATOR: Dr. Khalil Hamdani, Special Adviser on South Business Forum, South Centre

  • Proposed Changes to Global Finance Regulation: Uwe Bott, President, Cross Border Finance
  • The Economics of Ecosystems " Biodiversity: Herman Mulder, Vice-Chair, Business Sector Steering Committee " Independent Advisor
  • Maximizing Effectiveness of Development Finance Institutions: Dynamics for Engaging the Private Sector and NGOs: The Honorable Carole Brookins, Managing Director, Public Capital Advisors, LLC and former US Executive Director, World Bank
  • Launching New Initiatives to Unleash Sovereign Wealth Funds for Development: Thomas Karol, President " CEO, Sovereign Investment Council
  • Scaling Up the Public-Private Partnership with the Global Compact: Habiba Al Marashi, Chairperson, Emirates Environmental Group
  • Times of Panic: Generating Knowledge in Latin America: Laura Gabriela Uzquiza, Director, Latin American Trade Network
  • Launch of FfD Tool "Development Finance Portal"; Country delegations can sign-up to broadcast country investment-enabling information to investors worldwide: Dr. James Mutende, Senior Executive Officer, Uganda Investment Authority " Mitch Strohminger, Director of Operations, Global Clearinghouse
Discussants (Discussion of proposals & how to implement): Robert Bestani, President, Martin Consulting; former head, Private Sector, Asia Development Bank; Ufo Eric-Atuanya, Managing Partner, Rimsom Associates; Carl Linaburg, Founder, Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, Inc.

 
 

11:30am – 1:30 pm Prayer Break / Lunch

  
 

1:30pm – 3:00pm Panel Two: Proposals for Building Business-Enabling Environments and Enhancing Donor Effectiveness

The foundation for all growth resides in the capacity of governments to create a business- enabling environment. The Accra Agenda for Action states the need for strengthening country ownership, effective partnership, and accounting for development results. This panel will present specific proposals that increase the capacity of developing country governments to work on an ongoing daily basis with their private sector and civil society to create sustainable national development plans, and reduce investment impediments to enable wide-based economic growth and job creation. These organizing frameworks also increase the capacity of donors to align their activities in support of national and regional development, enhancing aid effectiveness.

MODERATOR: Dr. Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, President, African Business Roundtable & Chairman, NEPAD Business Group

  • Innovative Funding Strategies to Meet the Millennium Development Goals: Robert Filipp, Head of Innovative Financing, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria
  • Proposed National Social Development Councils: Roadmaps for Increasing the Capacity of National Governments, the Private Sector and Civil Society to Create a National Framework for Sustainable Development: Herman Mulder, Vice Chair, Business Sector Steering Committee & Independent Advisor
  • Proposed National Investor-After Care Networks and National Multi-Donor Funds: Roadmaps for Increasing the Capacity of National Governments to Create Business-Enabling Environments: Javier Chamorro, Executive Director, ProNicaragua Investment Promotion Agency
  • Proposed Regional Integration Networks " Multi-Donor Funds: Roadmaps for Increasing the Capacity of Governments and the Private Sector to Advance Regional Integration: Mercedes de Mena, Director, Central America Tourism Secretariat, Central American System for Integration (SICA)
  • Which Policies can Reduce the Cost of Capital for Latin American Enterprises? Martin Grandes, Executive Director, Center for Financial Stability
  • Launch of Financial Standards Foundation/eStandardsForum Investor Information and Technical Assistance Network: Dr. Damon Morris, Director of Policy Studies, Financial Standards Forum/eStandardsForum
  • Launch of FfD Tool "Government-Investor Networks": Country delegations can sign-up for free subscription service: Morena Mercado, Coordinator of the Central American Government-Private Sector Tourism Network, Central American Integration System & Lucy Valenti, President, National Tourism Chamber of Nicaragua; Executive President, Gray Line Tours Nicaragua
Discussants: Dr. James Mutende, Senior Executive Official, Uganda Investment Authority Investment; Dr. Michael Gestrin, Senior Economist and Program Manager, Global Forum on International Investment, OECD; John Sullivan, Executive Director, Center for International Private Enterprise; Dr. Ashraf El-Rabiey, Minister Counselor " Head of Trade " Economic Office, Egyptian Embassy, Washington, DC " Chairman of the International Cotton Advisory Committee

 
 

3:00pm – 4:30pm Panel Three: Proposals for Leveraging Limited ODA with Private Capital: Proposals for Advancing Infrastructure, Domestic Capital Markets, and Venture Capital

The current global economic downturn underscores the urgent need to increase aid effectiveness by leveraging responsible private sector resources. The Accra Agenda for Action states the need for more effective partnerships, and accounting for development results. The FfD World Economic Forum Report "Building on the Monterrey Consensus: The Untapped Potential of Development Finance Institutions to Catalyse Private Investment" states that today multilateral development banks have enough resources to use risk mitigation services to harness over $US 500 billion of private capital for infrastructure projects. This panel sets out specific proposals for development agencies and governments to more effectively mobilize private sector resources for infrastructure projects and other critical development needs.

MODERATORS: Tom Watson, Project Manager, World Economic Forum and Barbara Samuels, President, Samuels Associates & Vice-Chair, Business Sector Steering Committee

  • Leveraging Limited Official Development Aid with Private Capital: Tom Watson, Project Manager and Global Leadership Fellow, World Economic Forum and Dr. Barbara Samuels, Vice Chair, UN Financing for Development Business Steering Committee; Founder, The Global Clearinghouse for Development Finance; and President, BC Samuels Associates LLC
  • Proposed Measures to Increase Effectiveness of Development Banks: Dr. Nick Rischbieth, Executive President, Central American Bank for Economic Integration
  • Launch of Project Finance League Table for Development Finance Institutions: Rod Morrison, Editor, Reuters Project Finance International
  • Africa Financing Partnership: Preeti Sinha, Private Sector Department, African Development Bank
  • Launch of FfD Tool "INFRADEV" to Mobilize Finance for Infrastructure; Country delegations, development agencies, and donors can sign-up to advance access to private capital: Bob Sheppard & Tom Cochran, Co-Chairs, Infrastructure Experts Group/INFRADEV
Discussants: Richard Carey, Director, Development Cooperation Directorate, OECD; Robert Bestani, President, Martin Consulting & Former Head Private Sector, ADB; Diana Smallridge, President, International Financial Consulting; Pradeep Singh, Vice-Chairman, Infrastructure Development Finance Company; The Honorable Carole Brookins, Managing Director, Public Capital Advisors, LLC & Former US Executive Director, World Bank; Majid Sabbagh Kermani, Senior Economic Adviser, Islamic Corporation for the Development of Private Sector

 
 

4:30pm – 6:00pm Panel Four: New Paradigms for Development Finance:

The Monterrey Consensus underlines the importance of mobilizing finance for small and medium sized companies, and increasing access to finance for the poor. New priorities also need to be added to the Monterrey Agenda, in particular climate and water challenges and promoting an aligned business paradigm that enables business to be responsible, sustainable, and complimentary to government, as an engine for sustainable development. This panel sets forth actionable proposals for developing country governments, development agencies, and the private sector that enable greater success in meeting these emerging challenges.

MODERATOR: Herman Mulder, Vice-Chair, Business Sector Steering Committee & Independent Advisor

  • Integrating SMEs into the Value Chain: Ricarda McFalls, Managing Director, Development Focus Area, World Business Council for Sustainable Development
  • Proposal for Sustainable Finance: Jason Goldberg, Executive Director, Edge-Leading Explosive Growth
  • New Business Development Concepts for the Indian Poor: Nachiket Mor, President, ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth
  • Yes, We Can: Youth, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability: Poonam Ahluwalia, President, Youth Employment Systems
  • Innovative Funding for Digital Development: Kamran Elahian, President, Global Catalyst Partners
Discussants: David Elliot, Afghanistan Small and Medium Enterprise Development, USAID; Julie Cheng, Blue Orchard; Dr. Umaru Mutallab Con, Chairman, First Bank Nigeria Plc

 
 

6:00pm – 7:00pm Conclusion:

All stakeholders are asked to propose how best to follow-up with FfD to insure broad based development results. What is an optimal framework for FfD Follow-Up and what action steps are required of developing country governments, development agencies and the private sector to enable successful FfD Implementation?

Summary of FfD Business Follow-Up Proposals: Dr. Louise Kantrow, Chair, FfD Business Steering Committee & Dr. Ahmed Sheta, Secretary General, Qatar Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Q & A: An open discussion led by the Chair and Vice Chairs of the Business Sector Steering Committee: Dr. Louise Kantrow, Herman Mulder, and Dr. Barbara Samuels