Budapest, Hungary March 26-28, 2002

The Europe and Eurasia Bureau, Office of Market Transition welcomes you to its conference on competitiveness, anti-corruption and corporate governance.

The unifying theme of this conference is country competitiveness-how countries can position themselves better to compete in the global market place and increase economic growth through reducing corruption and improving corporate governance. Central to achieving this objective is gaining a reputation for equity, fairness, transparency, accountability and responsibility. These factors are vital for crafting effective governance practices in government and in commerce. Surviving globalization requires meeting the emerging international standards of conduct in governance of both public and private sector institutions. Corruption and poor corporate governance flourish in closed, non-transparent societies where citizens' access to information is limited and property rights are not clearly defined.

This three-day integrated event will address the linkages between globalization, technology, competitiveness and transparency, and the process of building partnerships between the public and private sector necessary for effective reform in reducing corruption and improving corporate governance. The conference will present the most current views of practitioners involved in competitiveness, anti-corruption and corporate governance and address the challenge of building public-private partnerships. They will also provide a review of current programs and formulation of capacity-building strategies in a practical manner. Sessions during the first two days will present the most current views of practitioners involved in competitiveness, anti-corruption and corporate governance. Examples from the Region will be analyzed. The final day will address the challenge of building public-private partnerships and the institutional foundations. The conference will conclude with a specific session for USAID staff to synthesize the deliberations made during the preceding sessions and on designing program interventions.

The conference targets high level participants from both NIS and CEE regions. It will convene approximately 130 top-level local stakeholders/practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, USAID Staff, other U.S. Government Agencies and the international donor community. The conference is brought to you in close collaboration with J.E. Austin Associates and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE).