Weekly Program Highlights
Indonesia – Indonesia Business Links conducted a radio
program on corporate citizenship in conjunction with
SmartFM, and was an interview with the CEO of Gigoko (an IBL Corporate
Partner). IBL conducted similar interviews with the DNet and DHL on July
22 and July 24, respectively. The interviews will be broadcast throughout
Indonesia.
Philippines – On July 19, the Institute for Solidarity
in Asia (ISA) briefed the Mayor of Baguio City
on the Governance Pathway and the reforms needed to access the capital
market. Baguio is being considered as one of nine cities that can comprise
the sixth batch of Public Governance System (PGS) cities whose initiation
begins in August 2008.
Philippines – On July 19, the Multi-Sectoral Governance
Council of San Fernando Pampanga staged a Solidarity
Forum, in which the city’s mayor reported on the City Scorecard.
The report was compiled for inclusion in the
mayor’s State
of the City address.
This mechanism was introduced in the city in
its effort to institutionalize the Public Governance
System (PGS).
Philippines – The Institute of Corporate Directors
(ICD) held a successful governance retreat
for Global Business Power Corporations. The retreat included short
lectures and a working session on a scorecard based on International
Corporate Governance Network guidelines, hands-on exercises for participants
to create and test their own charter statement and corporate strategy
map, and a discussion of the governance pyramid.
Philippines – On July 25, ICD held a working session
with the monetary board of the Central Bank
of the Philippines. The session addressed the results of the 2007 Corporate
Governance Scorecard project with respect to banks, the latest guidelines
from ICGN and the OECD, and the different stages of the corporate governance
improvement pathway.
Background and Overview
Asian countries present an interesting mixture of political and economic
systems, from established democracies in Japan and South Korea to precariously
balanced market systems in Vietnam and China to corrupt business sectors in the
Philippines and Indonesia. As viable democracies continue to grow throughout the
Asian region, their development is often marred by civil strife, natural disasters,
and fraudulent elections. As the democracies tentatively move forward, economic
change becomes an increasingly important goal for Asia.
In the past year, Asian governments and economies have moved strongly towards a
liberal, free market environment. Such movement included significant changes in
a number of countries, including: a relaxation of strict government controls on
media and free speech in Vietnam; a growing understanding of the importance of
good governance practices at all levels of society in the fight against government
corruption in the Philippines; and, perhaps most significantly, the amending of
China’s constitution to include recognition of private property ownership and human
rights. CIPE programs in Asia identify areas of need and attack the problems at their roots.
CIPE's priorities in Asia vary widely in both democratic and economic development
and present a variety of challenges for partners in the field. In transition economies,
such as China and Vietnam, CIPE will continue to support economic reform initiatives
and efforts to strengthen democratic values. Across the region, especially in Southeast
Asia, much work still remains to address the long-standing problems of corruption,
cronyism, and lack of transparency and accountability in governance. Also, corporate
governance is likely to remain as one of the key issues of concern for business leaders
and policymakers across the region.
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