Tbilisi, November 29, 2010—A two-day
conference organized by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, in partnership
with the World Bank and the government of Georgia, will focus on how recent
improvements to the business environment in Georgia and other countries,
support private sector growth.
The Conference on Business Environment, which
begins today in Tbilisi, Georgia, is co-hosted the government of Georgia
and senior officials from the World Bank Group. The conference will bring
together more than 100 participants, including senior decision makers from
30 countries across Eastern Europe and Central Asia to share their reform
experiences and challenges, drawing lessons from the design and implementation
of successful reforms. These include establishing one-stop shop for business
licensing, trade facilitation, and tax administration; and strengthening
the rights of creditors and borrowers.
“Our partnership with the World Bank and
IFC in hosting a peer-learning conference in Georgia is exciting, because
Georgia is number one economy among the most improved on the ease of doing
business over the past five years, according to the Doing Business 2011
report,” said Nika Gilauri, Prime Minister of Georgia. “We hope that
all participants will learn from our successful reform experience. We also
want to see what we can learn from others, as we intend to continue reforming
to ensure that our country remains one of the best places world-wide for
doing business.”
“This event provides an opportunity for
IFC and its partners to share the know-how on the reform process that has
accumulated in the region, and particularly in Georgia over the last few
years,” said Snezana Stoiljkovic, IFC Director for Eastern Europe and
Central Asia. “We hope this event will strengthen the network of reformers
across the region who can continue to support each other’s efforts.”
To see the results of Georgia’s reform efforts
in practice, participants will have an opportunity to visit Georgia’s
Property Registry/Business Service Center, a one-stop-shop for construction
permits, tax administration, customs, and the Service Center of the Ministry
of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
About the Doing Business report
series
Doing Business analyzes regulations
that apply to an economy’s businesses during their life cycle, including
start-up and operations, trading across borders, paying taxes, and closing
a business. Doing Business does not measure all aspects of the business
environment that matter to firms and investors. For example, it does not
measure security, macroeconomic stability, corruption, skill level, or
the strength of financial systems.
Its findings have stimulated policy debates
in more than 80 economies and enabled a growing body of research on how
firm-level regulation relates to economic outcomes across economies. For
more information about the Doing Business report series, please
visit www.doingbusiness.org
About the World Bank Group
The World Bank Group is one of the world’s
largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. It comprises
five closely associated institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA),
the International Finance Corporation (IFC); the Multilateral Investment
Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and the International Centre for Settlement of
Investment Disputes (ICSID). Each institution plays a distinct role in
the mission to fight poverty and improve living standards for people in
the developing world. For more information, please visit www.worldbank.org,
www.miga.org,
and www.ifc.org.
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