roundtable

COVID-19 online roundtable to examine disease’s impact on international affairs

The Coronavirus and International Affairs Roundtable, taking place 9:30 a.m. Friday, April 17, via Zoom, will bring together experts in law and international affairs from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and the Caribbean to discuss the broader impact of COVID-19.




roundtable

Renewable Energy Roundtable: Production and Investment Tax Policy to be a Top Priority in 2015

The renewable energy industry has come a long way in relatively little time. The costs of renewable technologies continue to go down, while renewable capacities at many utilities continue to go up. Although, in many cases, renewable technology is mature and ready for utility-scale deployment, state and federal production and investment tax policies appear less evolved.





roundtable

Roundtable on Financing Water (Regional Meeting: Asia)

The Roundtable on Financing Water, to be held on 26–28 November 2019 in Manila, Philippines, is jointly organized by OECD and ADB. This is the fifth meeting of the roundtable series and focuses on the Asia and Pacific region.




roundtable

Smart Cities & Connected Communities Roundtable: Cybersecurity

Please join us for our Smart Cities & Connected Communities Think Tank Roundtable on Wednesday, May 19. Clint Vince, Chair of Dentons' US Energy practice and Co-chair of Dentons' Global Energy sector, will moderate this event along with a panel of industry leaders for a discussion on the future of cybersecurity concerns.




roundtable

Remarks by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer at Violent Crime Program Press Roundtable

Assistant Attorney General Breuer highlights the Criminal Division's recent successes in the fight against gangs and his intention to form an Organized Crime and Gang Section by merging the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section and the Gang Unit.




roundtable

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Department of Labor’s Roundtable Discussion on the Job Market

"With your unique insights, and your ongoing engagement, I have no doubt that we can move forward in meeting the goals that we all share: improving public safety; saving precious taxpayer dollars; and ensuring that the millions of Americans who have served their time – and are struggling to rejoin their communities – are able to become productive members of society, to contribute their skills and training to our workforce, to provide for themselves and their families, and to remain crime-free."




roundtable

Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno Delivers Remarks at the Georgetown/OAS/World Bank Roundtable

The Environment Division’s enforcement efforts over the years have achieved dramatic reductions in emissions and discharges of harmful pollutants to the Nation’s air, land and water.




roundtable

21st annual “Wall Street Comes to Washington” roundtable

In the U.S., health care is big business—accounting for nearly one-fifth of the overall economy. And federal health policies often move financial markets. Understanding emerging health care market trends and their implications can provide critical context for federal policymakers. On Tuesday, November 15, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Initiative for Innovation in Health Policy, a partnership […]

      
 
 




roundtable

2004 Brookings Blum Roundtable: America's Role in the Fight Against Global Poverty


Event Information

July 30-31, 2004

On July 30-31, 2004, more than 40 preeminent international leaders from the public, private, and non-profit sectors came together at the Aspen Institute to discuss "America's Role in the Fight Against Global Poverty" and to set out a forward-looking strategy for the United States.

Co-hosted by Richard C. Blum of Blum Capital Partners LP, the Brookings Institution's Poverty and Global Economy Initiative, the Aspen Institute, and Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, the group's aim was to explore the dilemma of global poverty from different perspectives, to disaggregate the seemingly intractable problem into more manageable challenges, and to identify key elements of an effective U.S. policy agenda.

With roundtable participants hailing from around the world and representing diverse experiences and approaches, the dialogue was as multifaceted as the challenge of poverty itself. Rather than simply summarize conference proceedings, this essay attempts to weave together the thoughtful exchanges, impassioned calls to action, fresh insights, and innovative ideas that characterized the discussion, and to set the stage for ongoing collaboration in the struggle for human dignity.

Helping to define the issues, share and encourage what works, and build the intellectual framework for such an enterprise will be the guiding mission of the Richard C. Blum Roundtable in the years ahead.


View the full report »
View the conference agenda »
View the participant list »

     
 
 




roundtable

2005 Brookings Blum Roundtable: The Private Sector in the Fight Against Global Poverty


Event Information

August 3-6, 2005

From August 3 to 6, 2005, fifty preeminent international leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors came together at the Aspen Institute for a roundtable, "The Private Sector in the Fight against Global Poverty."

The roundtable was hosted by Richard C. Blum of Blum Capital Partners and Strobe Talbott and Lael Brainard of the Brookings Institution, with the active support of honorary cochairs Walter Isaacson of the Aspen Institute and Mary Robinson of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative. By highlighting the power of the market to help achieve social and economic progress in the world's poorest nations, the roundtable's organizers hoped to galvanize the private, public, and nonprofit sectors to move beyond argument and analysis to action. Put simply, as Brookings president Strobe Talbott explained, the roundtable's work was "brainstorming with a purpose."

With experts hailing from around the world and representing diverse sectors and approaches, the dialogue was as multilayered as the challenge of poverty itself. Rather than summarize the conference proceedings, this essay weaves together the thoughtful observations, fresh insights, and innovative ideas that characterized the discussion. A companion volume, Transforming the Development Landscape: The Role of the Private Sector, contains papers by conference participants, providing in-depth analysis of each conference topic.

View the 2005 report » (PDF)
View the conference agenda »
View the list participants »

     
 
 




roundtable

2006 Brookings Blum Roundtable: The Tangled Web - The Poverty-Insecurity Nexus


Event Information

Register for the Event

In a world where borders matter less and where seemingly faraway threats can become immediate problems, the fight against poverty is no longer a matter of just doing the right thing – it is a matter of doing the smart thing to ensure security at home and abroad. As seen across the globe, by exhausting institutions, depleting resources, weakening leaders and crushing hope, extreme poverty fuels instability that often leads to armed conflict and can be a breeding ground for terrorists. The reverse is also true: insecurity stemming from conflict and demographic and environmental challenges makes it harder for leaders, institutions and other stakeholders to address poverty. Simply put, poverty is both a cause of insecurity and a product of it.

To explore this tangled web, in August 2006 the Brookings Blum roundtable discussed the challenges and possible solutions with a diverse group of leaders, including policymakers, business executives and academics, and developed recommendations for change.

2006 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Related Materials

2006 Brookings Blum Roundtable Agenda:
  1. Global Poverty, Conflict and Insecurity
  • Susan Rice, The Brookings Institution, "Global Poverty, Weak States and Insecurity"
  • Edward Miguel, University of California, Berkeley, "Global Poverty, Conflict and Insecurity"
  1. Operating in Insecure Environments
  • Jane Nelson, Harvard University, "Operating in Insecure Environments"
  1. Keynote Address: "Achieving Peace in an Inequitable World"
  • James D. Wolfensohn, Chairman of Citigroup International Advisory Board and Former President of the World Bank
  1. The Role of Leadership in Overcoming Poverty & Security in Africa
    Chaired by: Mary Robinson, Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative
  • Robert Rotberg, Harvard University, "The Role of Leadership in Overcoming Poverty & Insecurity in Africa"

Leadership Presentations:

    • Mohammed Ibrahim, Chairman, Celtel International
    • John Kachamila, Former Minister, Mozambique
    • Ketumile Masire, Former President of Botswana
  1. Resource and Environmental Insecurity
  • Colin Kahl, University of Minnesota, "Demography, Environment and Civil Strife"
  • Anthony Nyong, University of Jos, Nigeria, "Resource and Environmental Security"
  1. Keynote Address
  • Kemal Dervis, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme
  1. Youth and Conflict
  • Henrik Urdal, The International Peace Research Institute, "The Demographics of Political Violence: Youth Bulges, Insecurity and Conflict"
  • Marc Sommers, Tufts University, "Embracing The Margins: Working with Youth Amidst War and Insecurity"
  • Jane Nelson, Harvard University, "Operating in Insecure Environments: The Youth Demographic"
  1. Transformational Diplomacy and the Route to Security
  • Jennifer Windsor, Freedom House, "Breaking the Poverty-Insecurity Nexus: Is Democracy the Answer?"

Presentations:

    • Philip Zelikow, United States Department of State
    • Madeleine Albright, 64th Secretary of State
    • Mary K. Bush, Chairman, HELP Commission
    • Lael Brainard, The Global Economy and Development Program, The Brookings Institution
      
 
 




roundtable

2007 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Development's Changing Face - New Players, Old Challenges, Fresh Opportunities


Event Information

August 1-3, 2007

Register for the Event
From a bureaucratic backwater in the waning days of the Cold War, the fight against global poverty has become one of the hottest tickets on the global agenda. The cozy, all-of-a-kind club of rich country officials who for decades dominated the development agenda has given way to a profusion of mega philanthropists, new bilaterals such as China, "celanthropists" and super-charged advocacy networks vying to solve the world's toughest problems. While philanthropic foundations and celebrity goodwill ambassadors have been part of the charitable landscape for many years, the explosion in the givers' wealth, the messaging leverage associated with new media and social networking, and the new flows of assistance from developing country donors and diasporas together herald a new era of global action on poverty. The new scale and dynamism of these entrants offer hopeful prospects for this continuing fight, even as the new entrants confront some of the same conundrums that official aid donors have grappled with in the past.

On August 1-3, 2007, the Brookings Blum Roundtable gathered representatives reflective of this dynamic landscape to discuss these trends. Through robust discussion and continuing cross-sector partnerships, the conference hopes to foster lasting and widespread improvements in this new field of development.

2007 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Related Materials

2007 Brookings Blum Roundtable Agenda:

  1. Fighting Global Poverty: Who'll Be Relevant In 2020?
  2. Angelina, Bono, And Me: New Vehicles To Engage The Public
  3. Leveraging Knowledge For Development
  4. Social Enterprise And Private Enterprise
    Chaired by: Mary Robinson, Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative
  5. Africa's Economic Successes: What's Worked And What's Next
    Moderated by: Paul Martin, former Prime Minister of Canada
      Panelists
    • Donald Kaberuka, African Development Bank
    • Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, The Brookings Institution
  6. Effecting Change Through Accountable Channels
  7. Global Impact: Philanthropy Changing Development
  8. Keynote Address
    • Former Vice President Al Gore, Generation Investment Management
      
 
 




roundtable

2008 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Development in the Balance - How Will the World’s Poor Cope with Climate Change?


Event Information

August 1-3, 2008

Global poverty and climate change are two of the most pressing challenges for global policymakers today, and require policy prescriptions that address their interrelated issues. Effective climate solutions must empower development by improving livelihoods, health and economic prospects while poverty alleviation must become a central strategy for both mitigating emissions and reducing the poor’s vulnerability to climate change.

2008 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Related Materials

In its fifth annual gathering, led by Lael Brainard and co-chaired by Strobe Talbott and Richard C. Blum, the Brookings Blum Roundtable addressed the challenges of climate change and development and convened leaders from both the development and climate change communities from August 1-3, 2008, to discuss and debate policy ideas that could benefit both fronts. By examining common challenges—accountability, effective deployment of resources, agenda-setting, mobilizing the public and financial resources, and achieving scale and sustainability—the Roundtable established a solid foundation for collaboration among the climate change and development communities and fostered ideas for policy action.

Keynote Sessions

Keynote Panel: “Noble Nobels: Solutions to Save the Planet”

  • Steven Chu, University of California, Berkeley
  • Al Gore, Generation Investment Management; 45th Vice President of the United States

Keynote Panel: Legal Empowerment of the Poor

  • Mary Robinson, Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative
  • Madeline Albright, The Albright Group; Former U.S. Secretary of State

Keynote Panel: “How Do We Achieve Climate Justice?”

  • Kumi Naidoo, CIVICUS and the Global Call to Action Against Poverty
  • Mary Robinson, Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative

      
 
 




roundtable

2009 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Climate Crisis, Credit Crisis - Overcoming Obstacles to Build a Climate Resilient World


Event Information

July 30 - August 1, 2009

In the midst of a global economic downturn, the world’s climate change negotiators will descend on Copenhagen in December to craft a post-2012 climate regime. But with the timing and impacts of climate change still uncertain—not to mention the ongoing transitions brought about by globalization and the increased cost of capital investment due to weak financial markets—tensions across countries are evident. Policy-makers must now think creatively to realize their goal of revitalizing the global economy through low carbon growth models.

2009 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Related Materials

In its sixth annual gathering, led by Kemal Derviş and co-chaired by Strobe Talbott and Richard C. Blum, the Brookings Blum Roundtable convened leaders from the climate change and global development communities from July 30 through August 1, 2009 to discuss and debate policy options to stimulate green, pro-poor growth. By examining the challenges and opportunities policymakers face, the roundtable forged sustainable solutions to solve the climate crisis in a way that revitalizes the global economy and lifts the lives of the poor.

Lunch Briefing: 

“Towards a Global Climate Agreement: Key Insights from Project Catalyst”

    Keynote Sessions:

    “A Blueprint for Transatlantic Climate Cooperation”

      “Compounding Crises: How Can and How Are the Poor Protecting Themselves?”

        “Greening Business: Engaging the Private Sector in Climate Change Solutions”

        • Hal Harvey, ClimateWorks Foundation
        • Thomas Heller, Stanford Law School
        • Moderator: William Antholis, Brookings
        • John Podesta, Center for American Progress
        • Cem Özdemir, German Green Party
        • Moderator: Timothy Wirth, United Nations Foundation
        • Ernest Aryeetey, University of Ghana and Director, Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings
        • Helen Clark, United Nations Development Program
        • Raymond Offenheiser, Oxfam America
        • Moderator: Karen Kornbluh, Center for American Progress
        • Meg McDonald, Alcoa Foundation
        • Jane Nelson, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
        • Glenn Prickett, Conservation International
        • Mark Tercek, the Nature Conservancy
        •       
           
           




          roundtable

          2010 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Development Assistance Reform for the 21st Century


          Event Information

          August 4-6, 2010

          From high-profile stabilization contexts like Afghanistan to global public health campaigns to a renewed focus on sustainable food security and the looming impacts of climate change, development effectiveness is a central and hotly debated issue. As traditional donors make progress in the international aid effectiveness dialogue, they must increasingly take into account the changing global development landscape and the slew of new actors, including emerging donors, multinational corporations, mega philanthropists, high-profile advocates, and a vocal and energized global public.

          2010 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Related Materials

          The seventh annual Brookings Blum Roundtable, led by Kemal Derviş and co-chaired by Richard C. Blum and Strobe Talbott, convened over 40 exceptional international thought leaders, entrepreneurs and practitioners to explore the relationship between efforts to promote aid effectiveness and the anticipated shape of the global development agenda over the next decade. The roundtable discussions provided an opportunity to look beyond questions of increased resources for anti-poverty services to the effectiveness of different approaches and to systemic issues associated with the delivery of development outcomes. The high-level group of participants explored opportunities for new commitment in engaging the private sector and multilateral actors, as well as the increasingly important role of climate assistance and operations in instable arenas. Over separate meal conversations, Dr. Donald Kaberuka, president of the African Development Bank, and Dr. Rajiv Shah, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), reflected on the current and future roles of their organizations, and how they could each act on the suggestions put forward at the roundtable.

                
           
           




          roundtable

          2011 Brookings Blum Roundtable: From Aid to Global Development Cooperation


          Event Information

          August 3-5, 2011

          Aspen, Colorado

          Register for the Event

          The context for aid is changing. Globalization has spurred economic convergence, upending the twentieth century economic balance and creating a smaller world where both problems and solutions spill across national borders more readily. This has given rise to a legion of new development actors, including emerging economies, NGOs, private businesses, and coordinating networks, who have brought fresh energy and resources to the field while rendering the prospect of genuine donor coordination ever more difficult. Global integration and competition for resources has raised the prominence of global public goods, whose equitable and sustainable provision requires international collective action. Meanwhile, poor countries are demanding a new form of partnership with the international community, built upon the principles of country ownership and mutual accountability.

          2011 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Related Materials

          From G-20 meetings and the upcoming High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Korea to unfolding events in the Middle East and North Africa, leadership from the United States is crucial, placing pressure on the Obama administration to deliver on its promise of far-reaching reforms to U.S. global development efforts. And amidst this shifting global landscape is the issue of effectively communicating the importance of global development cooperation to both a national and global public, at a time when budget pressures are being felt across many of the world’s major economies

          At the eighth annual Brookings Blum Roundtable, co-chaired by Kemal Derviş and Richard C. Blum, 50 thought-leaders in international development came together to discuss a new role for global development cooperation, one that employs inclusive and innovative approaches for tackling contemporary development problems and that leverages the resources of a large field of actors.


          Roundtable Agenda

          Wednesday, August 3, 2011

          Welcome: 8:40 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
          Open Remarks
          • Richard C. Blum, Blum Capital Partners, LP and Founder of the Blum Center for 
          Developing Economies at Berkeley
          • Mark Suzman, Global Development Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
          • Kemal Derviş, Global Economy and Development, Brookings

          Statement of Purpose, Scene Setter, Comments on the Agenda
          • Homi Kharas, Brookings

          Session I: 9:00AM - 10:30AM
          Reframing Development Cooperation
          In almost any discussion of international development, foreign aid takes center stage. But while 
          aid can certainly be a catalyst for development, it does not work in isolation. Participants will 
          discuss the key objectives of development cooperation, consider what measures of development 
          cooperation are most valuable for recipients, and explore an effective balance of roles and 
          responsibilities - including both public and private players - in today’s evolving development 
          landscape.

          Moderator
          • Walter Isaacson, Aspen Institute

          Introductory Remarks
          • Owen Barder, Center for Global Development
          • Donald Kaberuka, African Development Bank Group
          • Ananya Roy, University of California, Berkeley
          • Elizabeth Littlefield, Overseas Private Investment Corporation

          Session II: 10:50AM - 12:20PM
          The G-20's Development Agenda
          Last year’s G-20 meeting in Seoul marked the first time the group formally took up the issue of development. There they announced the Seoul Development Consensus for Shared Growth and the Multi-Year Action Plan for Development: two far-reaching policies which are expected to guide the G20’s future agenda. What is the G-20’s comparative advantage vis-à-vis development, and how can the group’s development efforts be strengthened and supported?

          Moderator
          • Mark Suzman, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

          Introductory Remarks
          • Alan Hirsch, The Presidency, South Africa
          • Suman Bery, International Growth Centre
          • Homi Kharas, Brookings

          Dinner Program: 6:00PM - 9:00PM
          A Conversation with Al Gore and Mary Robinson

          Topic: "Energy Security and Climate Justice"

          Moderator
          • Kemal Derviş, Global Economy and Development, Brookings


          Thursday, August 4, 2012 

          Session III9:00AM - 10:30AM 
          The Road to Buscan
          In November, participants from over 150 countries, including ministers of developing and developed countries, heads of bilateral and multilateral development institutions, and civil society representatives, will take part in the fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, South Korea. The forum is intended to take account of the development community’s progress in achieving greater impact through aid and to redefine the aid effectiveness agenda to adjust to a changing global landscape. What would constitute success or failure at Busan?

          Moderator
          • Raymond Offenheiser, Oxfam America

          Introductory Remarks
          • J. Brian Atwood, Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development, 
          Development Assistance Committee 
          • Wonhyuk Lim, Korean Development Institute
          • Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, World Bank 
          • Steven Radelet, U.S. Agency for International Development 

          Session IV: 10:50AM - 12:20PM 
          Lessons from the Middle East on Governance and Aid
          Popular protests across the Middle East against authoritarian regimes have prompted reflection 
          on the role of aid to non-democratic and poorly governed countries. Some critics believe that aid 
          should only be given to relatively well-governed countries where it is more likely to be effective, 
          but for others, this amounts to collective punishment for the people who suffer under such 
          governments. Do aid allocation models need to change and what role can the development 
          community now play in supporting peaceful, democratic reform in the Middle East?

          Moderator
          • Madeleine K. Albright, Albright Stonebridge Group

          Introductory Remarks
          • Ragui Assaad, University of Minnesota
          • Sheila Herrling, Millennium Challenge Corporation
          • Tarik Yousef, Silatech

          Lunch Program: 12:30PM - 2:00PM
          A Conversation with Thomas R. Nides, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources

          Moderator
          • Richard C. Blum, Blum Capital Partners, LP and Founder of the Blum Center for Developing Economies at Berkeley


          Friday, August 5, 2012 

          Session V: 9:00AM - 10:30AM
          Implementing U.S. Development Reforms 

          The end of 2010 saw the completion of two major policy reviews in Washington concerned with 
          international development: the Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development and the 
          Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review. Progress on implementation has been 
          significant in many respects and meager in others. Additionally, despite directives to deliver on 
          many valuable priorities for improvement, essential components of fundamental reform are still 
          in need of address. Casting a shadow across the exercise, or alternatively serving as a spur to 
          focus, the budget environment has soured.

          Moderator
          • Jim Kolbe, German Marshall Fund of the United States

          Introductory Remarks
          • Rajiv Shah, U.S. Agency for International Development
          • Samina Ahmed, International Crisis Group
          • Robert Mosbacher, Jr., Mosbacher Energy Company

          Session VI: 10:50AM - 12:20PM
          Communicating Development Cooperation
          Public interest in and support for aid matter. Yet in many aid giving countries, there is 
          widespread cynicism as to what end aid programs serve and ignorance as to what activities they 
          actually involve. What are the best examples of development efforts which have been 
          communicated successfully and what can we learn from this to shore up support for 
          development cooperation now and in the future?

          Moderator 
          • Liz Schrayer, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition

          Introductory Remarks 
          • Steven Kull, Program on International Policy Attitudes
          • Joshua Bolten, ONE
          • S. Shankar Sastry, University of California, Berkeley
          • Jack Leslie, Weber Shandwick

          Closing Remarks: 12:20PM- 12:30PM
          • Richard C. Blum, Blum Capital Partners, LP and Founder of the Blum Center for 
          Developing Economies at Berkeley
          • Kemal Derviş, Global Economy and Development, Brookings

          Public Event: 4:00PM - 5:30PM
          Brookings and the Aspen Institute present “Development as National Security?”: A Conversation with Rajiv Shah, U.S. Agency for International Development; Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Richard J. Danzig, Center for a New American Security; and Susan C. Schwab, University of Maryland.

          Moderator
          • Jessica Tuchman Mathews, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

          Welcome and Introductions
          • Kemal Derviş, Brookings

          Hosts
          • Richard C. Blum and Senator Dianne Feinstein

                
           
           




          roundtable

          2012 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Innovation and Technology for Development


          Event Information

          August 1-3, 2012

          Aspen, Colorado

          On August 1-3, 2012, Brookings Global Economy and Development hosted the ninth annual Brookings Blum Roundtable on Global Poverty in Aspen, Colorado. The year’s roundtable theme, "Innovation and Technology for Development", brought together global leaders, entrepreneurs and practioners to discuss how technology and innovation can be seized to help solve some of the world's most pressing global development challenges.

          2012 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Related Materials

          Global development challenges are of massive scale: 61 million children out of school and many more failing to learn basic literacy and numeracy skills; 850 million facing hunger; 1 billion living in slums and 1.3 billion without access to electricity. Yet remarkably little is understood about successful strategies for designing scalable solutions, the impediments to reaching scale, or the most appropriate pathways for getting there.

          However, a batch of new technologies offers the promise of a breakthrough by encouraging innovative business models, pushing down transaction costs and disintermediating complex activities. Mobile money could realistically reach over 1 billion poor people in the next decade and directly connect millions of rich individuals with millions of poor people. Real-time data can allow resources to be better targeted and managed. New media can sharpen accountability and reduce waste and overlap.

           

          Roundtable Agenda

          Wednesday, August 1, 2012

          Welcome: 8:40AM - 9:00AM
          Brookings Welcome
          Strobe Talbott, Brookings

          Opening Remarks
          Richard C. Blum, Blum Capital Partners, LP and Founder of the Blum Center for Developing Economies at Berkeley
          Mark Suzman, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
          Kemal Derviş, Global Economy and Development, Brookings

          Session I: 9:00AM - 10:30AM
          Framing Session: Translating Technological Innovations into Transformational Impact
          In this opening discussion, participants will explore the overarching questions for the roundtable: If the poor can readily be identified and if they have access to financial services and participate in technology-driven communication networks, how does this change the development paradigm? How can effective partnerships be forged to combine the efforts of different international and local actors (businesses, governments, foundations, NGOs, and universities) in propagating solutions? Can scalable technologies raise the profile and potential of new business models, approaches and partnerships?

          Moderator
          Homi Kharas, Brookings

          Introductory Remarks
          • Thomas A. Kalil, White House Office of Science and Technology
          Michael Kubzansky, Monitor Group 
          • Lalitesh Katragadda, Google India
          • Smita Singh, Independent

          Session II: 10:50AM - 12:20PM
          Mobile Money and Mass Payments
          Participants will explore the following questions for the rountable: Is the rapid uptake of mobile money/payment technology throughout the developing world assured and if not, what (or whom) are the impediments? What is required to enable successful mass payments systems that employ mobile money technology? What is the optimal role of government, non-profits and private actors in supporting mobile money services? How can mass payments systems be used to implement national safety nets?

          Moderator
          Gillian Tett, Financial Times

          Introductory Remarks
          Neal Keny-Guyer, Mercy Corps
          Mwangi Kimenyi, Brookings
          Mung Ki Woo, MasterCard Worldwide Group Executive Mobile

          Dinner Program: 7:30PM - 9:15PM
          Aspen Institute Madeleine K. Albright Global Development Lecture


          Featuring
          Rajiv Shah, Administrator, United States Agency for International Development

          Click here to read Rajiv Shah's remarks »


          Thursday, August 2, 2012 

          Session III: 9:00AM - 10:30AM 
          Mass Networks: Leveraging Information from the Crowd
          Participants will explore the following questions for the rountable: What are the most promising examples of using social media, crowdsourcing and “big data” to advance development and humanitarian outcomes? How can traditional foreign assistance make use of virtual networks to support transparency, democratic governance and improved service delivery? How can technologies be used to understand clients, promote beneficiary feedback and learning to fine tune business models in base of the pyramid markets?

          Moderator
          Walter Isaacson, Aspen Institute

          Introductory Remarks
          Anne-Marie Slaughter, Princeton University
          Juliana Rotich, Ushahidi
          • Robert Kirkpatrick, UN Global Pulse Initiative
          Rakesh Rajani, Twaweza

          Session IV: 10:50AM - 12:20PM
          Innovation and Technology for Green Growth
          Participants will explore the following questions for the rountable: How advanced is green growth technology vis-à-vis the scale and urgency of the global climate challenge? What is the role of pricing and intellectual property and push and pull mechanisms in speeding up propagation within developed and developing markets? How can the goal of “sustainable energy for all” be achieved, and is it feasible in all countries?

          Moderator
          Al Gore, The Climate Reality Project

          Introductory Remarks
          Mary Robinson, Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice
          Helen Clark, United Nations Development Programme
          • Arthur Njagi, International Finance Corporation
          Viswanathan Shankar, Standard Chartered Bank

          Lunch Program: 12:30PM - 2:00PM
          Partnering with Academic Research Institutions
          This discussion will explore partnerships between public sector development institutions and academic research institutions to support global development goals. Topics will include the constraints to research; how to make research more relevant to developing country problems; issues around incentives for scientists and universities; and relationships between universities, financiers and implementers.

          Moderator
          • Javier Solana, ESADE

          Panel
          Richard C. Blum, Blum Capital Partners, LP and Founder of the Blum Center for Developing Economies at Berkeley
          Luis Alberto Moreno, Inter-American Development Bank
          Shankar Sastry, University of California, Berkeley
          Alex Deghan, United States Agency for International Development


          Friday, August 3, 2012 

          Session V: 9:00AM - 10:30AM
          Business Solutions and Private Sector Development
          Participants will explore the following questions for the rountable: What role can the new breed of socially conscious private actors (e.g., social enterprises and impact investors) play in overcoming finance and delivery constraints and scaling up development impact? Where is the need for investment finance most acute, and who or what can fill these gaps? How are management approaches evolving to suit base of the pyramid markets? What are the impediments to the adoption or adaptation of scalable technologies by developing country enterprises, and are southern innovations being efficiently spread? What is constraining private sector development in Africa, and is technology a key bottleneck?

          Moderator
          Laura Tyson, University of California, Berkeley

          Introductory Remarks
          Rob Mosbacher, Mosbacher Energy Company
          • Mathews Chikaonda, Press Corporation Limited
          Elizabeth Littlefield, Overseas Private Investment Corporation
          Amy Klement, Omidyar Network

          Session VI: 10:50AM - 12:20PM
          Delivering U.S. Leadership: Role for the Public Sector
          Participants will explore the following questions for the rountable: What is an appropriate role for the U.S. government in promoting technological solutions for development and scaling these up? How should the government leverage new private sector players? What are the best examples of, and lessons learned from, earlier and on-going public private partnerships? How can the U.S. government work more effectively to support local innovation and technology in developing countries?

          Moderator
          Sylvia Burwell, Walmart Foundation

          Introductory Remarks
          • Rajiv Shah, Administrator, United States Agency for International Development
          Sam Worthington, InterAction
          Henrietta Fore, Holsman International

          Closing Remarks: 12:20PM - 12:30PM

           Richard C. Blum, Blum Capital Partners, LP and Founder of the Blum Center for Developing Economies at Berkeley
          Kemal Derviş, Global Economy and Development, Brookings

          Lunch Program: 12:30PM - 2:00PM
          A Conversation with Michael Froman and Thomas Nides
          This conversation will focus on the politics and finance of the US government’s efforts on global development, including its specific initiatives regarding technology and innovation for development.

          Moderator
          Madeleine K. Albright, Albright Stronebridge Group

          Live Webcast Event: 4:00PM - 5:30PM
          Brookings and the Aspen Institute Present: "A Conversation with Former World Bank President Robert Zoellick"

          Global Economy and Development at Brookings and the Aspen Strategy Group will host Robert Zoellick, who recently stepped down as president of the World Bank after serving in that office for the past five years. Mr. Zoellick has held several senior positions in the U.S. Government, including deputy secretary of state and U.S. trade representative under President George W. Bush. This event will be webcast live on the Brookings website. Click here for more details.

          Introduction
          R. Nicholas Burns, Director, Aspen Strategy Group and Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics, Harvard Kennedy School of Government

          Moderator
          Strobe Talbott, President, Brookings

                
           
           




          roundtable

          2013 Brookings Blum Roundtable: The Private Sector in the New Global Development Agenda


          Event Information

          August 4-6, 2013

          Aspen, Colorado

          Lifting an estimated 1.2 billion people from extreme poverty over the next generation will require robust and broadly-shared economic growth throughout the developing world that is sufficient to generate decent jobs for an ever-expanding global labor force. Innovative but affordable solutions must also be found to meet people’s demand for basic needs like food, housing, a quality education and access to energy resources. And major investments will still be required to effectively address global development challenges, such as climate change and child and maternal health.  On all these fronts, the private sector, from small- and medium-sized enterprises to major global corporations, must play a significant and expanded role.

          On August 4-6, 2013, Brookings Global Economy and Development is hosting the tenth annual Brookings Blum Roundtable on Global Poverty in Aspen, Colorado. This year’s roundtable theme, “The Private Sector in the New Global Development Agenda,” brings together global leaders, entrepreneurs, practitioners and public intellectuals to discuss how the contribution of the private sector be enhanced in the push to end poverty over the next generation and how government work more effectively with the private sector to leverage its investments in developing countries. 

          Roundtable Agenda

          Sunday, August 4, 2013

          Welcome: 8:40AM - 9:00AM MST
          Brookings Welcome
          Strobe Talbott, Brookings

          Opening Remarks
          Richard C. Blum, Blum Capital Partners, LP and Founder of 
          the Blum Center for Developing Economies at UC Berkeley
          Julie Sunderland, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
          Kemal Derviş, Global Economy and Development, Brookings

          Session I: 9:00AM - 10:30AM MST
          Framing Session: Reimagining the Role of the Private Sector
          In this opening discussion, participants will explore the overarching questions for the roundtable: How can the contribution of the private sector be enhanced in the push to end poverty over the next generation? What are the most effective mechanisms for strengthening private sector accountability? How can business practices and norms be encouraged that support sustainable development and job creation? How can business build trust in its contributions to sustainable development?

          Moderator
          Nancy Birdsall, Center for Global Development

          Introductory Remarks
          • Homi Kharas, Brookings Institution
          Viswanathan Shankar, Standard Chartered Bank
          Shannon May, Bridge International Academies


          Session II: 10:50AM - 12:20PM MST
          Private Equity
          Participants will explore the following questions for the roundtable: What are the constraints to higher levels of private equity in the developing world, including in non-traditional sectors? How can early-stage investments be promoted to improve deal flow? How can transaction costs and technical assistance costs be lowered?

          Moderator
          Laura Tyson, University of California, Berkeley

          Introductory Remarks
          Robert van Zwieten, Emerging Markets Private Equity Association
          Runa Alam, Development Partners International
          Vineet Rai, Aavishkaar

          Dinner Program: 6:45PM - 9:15PM MST
          Aspen Institute Madeleine K. Albright Global Development Lecture


          Featuring
          Dr. Paul Farmer, Chief Strategist and Co-Founder, Partners in Health


          Monday, August 5, 2013

          Session III: 9:00AM - 10:30AM MST
          Goods, Services and Jobs for the Poor
          Participants will explore the following questions for the roundtable: In what areas are the most promising emerging business models that serve the poor arising? What are the major obstacles in creating and selling profitable, quality, and beneficial products to the poor and how can they be overcome? What common features distinguish successful and replicable solutions?

          Moderator
          Mary Robinson, Mary Robinson Foundation

          Introductory Remarks
          • Ashish Karamchandani, Monitor Deloitte
          • Chris Locke, GSMA
          • Ajaita Shah, Frontier Markets
          • Hubertus van der Vaart, SEAF


          Session IV: 10:50AM - 12:20PM MST
          Blended Finance
          Participants will explore the following questions for the roundtable: Can standard models of blended finance deliver projects at a large enough scale? How can leverage be measured and incorporated into aid effectiveness measures? Should governments have explicit leverage targets to force change more rapidly and systematically?

          Moderator
          Henrietta Fore, Holsman International

          Introductory Remarks
          Elizabeth Littlefield, OPIC
          • Ewen McDonald, AusAID
          Laurie Spengler, ShoreBank International 

          Tuesday, August 6, 2013 

          Session V: 9:00AM - 10:30AM MST
          Unlocking Female Entrepreneurship
          Participants will explore the following questions for the roundtable: How is the global landscape for female entrepreneurship changing? What types of interventions have the greatest ability to overturn barriers to female entrepreneurship in the developing world? Who, or what institutions, should lead efforts to advance this agenda? Can progress be made without a broader effort to end economic discrimination against women?

          Moderator
          • Smita Singh, Independent

          Introductory Remarks
          Dina Powell, Goldman Sachs
          Carmen Niethammer, IFC
          Randall Kempner, ANDE

          Session VI: 10:50AM - 12:20PM MST
          U.S. Leadership and Resources to Engage The Private Sector
          Participants will explore the following questions for the roundtable: How can U.S. foreign assistance be strengthened to more effectively promote the role of the private sector? How can U.S. diplomacy support private sector development in the emerging economies and multinational enterprises investing in the developing world? What can the US do to promote open innovation platforms?

          Moderator
          George Ingram, Brookings

          Introductory Remarks
          • Sam Worthington, InterAction
          John Podesta, Center for American Progress
          Rajiv Shah, USAID

          Closing Remarks
           Richard C. Blum, Blum Capital Partners, LP and Founder of the Blum Center for Developing Economies at Berkeley
          Kemal Derviş, Global Economy and Development, Brookings

          Public Event: 4:30PM - 6:00PM MST
          Brookings and the Aspen Institute Present: "America's Fiscal Health and its Implications for International Engagement"
          Global Economy and Development at Brookings and the Aspen Institute will host the 66th U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development Rajiv Shah for a discussion on the current state of the U.S.'s fiscal health and its impact on American diplomatic and development priorities. Moderated by Ambassador Nicholas Burns, Director, Aspen Strategy Group.

          Moderator
          Nicholas Burns, Director, Aspen Strategy Group

          Panelists
          Condoleezza Rice, 66th United States Secretary of State
          Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development

           

          Event Materials

                
           
           




          roundtable

          2014 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Jump-Starting Inclusive Growth in the Most Difficult Environments


          Event Information

          August 7-9, 2014

          Aspen, Colorado

          The start of the 21st century has been an auspicious period for global economic development. In the 1990s, a mere 13 emerging economies succeeded in growing at a speed at least twice that of the OECD countries, enabling rapid convergence on Western living standards. By the first decade of the 2000s, this number had mushroomed to 83. Accelerated rates of economic growth lay behind many of the recent success stories in global development, not least the fulfilment of the first Millennium Development Goal to halve the global poverty rate, five years ahead of the 2015 deadline. Yet in a number of places, growth has failed to take off, has undergone periodic reversals, or has benefited a few while leaving the majority short-changed.

          On August 7-9, 2014, Brookings Global Economy and Development is hosting the eleventh annual Brookings Blum Roundtable on Global Poverty in Aspen, Colorado. This year’s roundtable theme, “Jump-Starting Inclusive Growth in the Most Difficult Environment,” brings together global leaders, entrepreneurs, practitioners, and public intellectuals to discuss what strategies exist for promoting inclusive economic growth in settings where standard prescriptions are not feasible or sufficient as well as what the comparative advantages are of different actors seeking to improve the prospects for inclusive growth and how can they most effectively collaborate with each other to increase their impact. 

          This event is closed, but you can follow along on Twitter using #Blum2014.



          Roundtable Agenda


          Thursday, August 7, 2014

          Welcome - 3:30-4:00 p.m.:

          • Strobe Talbott, Brookings Institution

          Opening Remarks:

          Session I - 4:00-5:00 p.m.: How Can Multinationals Engage With Governments to Support Economic Development?

          Multinational corporations are increasingly recognized as key partners for governments in development planning. Corporations are brought into discussions at various levels: around individual projects and their impact on affected localities; on sector performance, regulation and competition; and on country-level issues such as the business environment, infrastructure, jobs, and skills.

          What motivations do multinationals have to participate in government engagement? Do discussions work better under formalized and multilateral structures, such as business councils, or on an ad-hoc bilateral basis? How does engagement differ in poor and weakly governed countries?    

          Moderator:

          Introductory Remarks:

          • Jane Nelson, Harvard University
          • Tara Nathan, MasterCard Worldwide
          • The Honorable Amara Konneh, Government of Liberia

          Aspen Institute Madeleine K. Albright Global Development Dinner & Lecture - 7:00-9:30 p.m.:

          The Aspen Institute Madeleine K. Albright Global Development Lecture recognizes an exceptional individual whose vision has provided breakthrough thinking to tackle the challenges of global development.

          Featuring: 


          Friday, August 8, 2014

          Session II - 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.: Managing Risks in Conflict Settings

          Ending extreme poverty over the next generation will require inclusive and sustained growth across the developing world. This is a particularly onerous challenge in fragile and conflict-affected states, which account for a growing share of the world’s poor. There is growing recognition that fast economic recovery, and the jobs that go with it, can serve to shore up peace agreements and help countries successfully transition beyond the immediate post-conflict phase.

          What can be done to support investors and entrepreneurs weighing up the risks and opportunities of starting or expanding business in these settings? What risk-mitigating instruments and strategies work? How can corporations identify, foster and partner with local businesses to support job creation and private sector development?

          Moderator:

          Introductory Remarks:


          Session III - 10:50-12:00 p.m.: Leap-Frogging Technologies

          Weak legal and regulatory frameworks, crime and corruption, deficient infrastructure, and lack of access to finance are common constraints to many developing economies. New leap-frogging technologies offer poor countries the potential to overcome some of these challenges without the cost, capacity or good governance required from traditional solutions. Mobile technology, powered by nearly five billion mobile subscriptions worldwide, provides a platform through which to do business and expand financial services. Off-grid power and the internet offer other examples of how weak infrastructure and missing public goods can be circumvented. Special economic zones and charter cities offer the possibility of forging oases where economic conditions are favorable.

          On what conditions, if any, does successful leap-frogging depend? What type of financing instruments do innovators look for when designing and marketing such technologies? What are the sources of growth in low-income countries and what can they tell us about new growth strategies?

          Moderator:

          Introductory Remarks:


          Session IV - 2:00-3:30 p.m.: Delivering Government Partnerships

          With President Obama’s June 2013 announcement of Power Africa, the U.S. government is demonstrating its new vision for development built on public-private partnerships. Historically, such partnerships have a mixed tracked record.

          How can we make sure that Power Africa, Feed the Future, and similar partnerships deliver to their full potential? What have we learned about structuring effective government-business-donor cooperation?

          Moderator:

          • Dana Hyde, Millennium Challenge Corporation

          Introductory Remarks:


          Saturday, August 9, 2014

          Session V - 9:00-10:30 a.m.: Unlocking Big Deals

          Massive infrastructure gaps in the energy, transport, information and communications technology, water, and urban sectors threaten the long-term competitiveness and prospects for sustainable development across many countries. This realization has spurred interest from countries, donors, regional groups and development finance institutions to devise new ways of overcoming constraints to mega-investment deals, particularly agreements that are cross-border in scope. Identified constraints include a shortage of early-stage project development finance; skilled legal, technology and financial experts; and instruments to attract additional capital from external players like institutional investors and international investment banks.

          How can constraints to big deals be overcome, and what are the ingredients that allow for enduring partnerships to deliver on these projects? Are dedicated pools of financing needed to unlock these deals?

          Moderator:

          Introductory Remarks:

          Session VI - 10:50-12:20 p.m.: Where Can Enclave Projects Take Us?

          Recent discoveries of natural resource wealth in East Africa offer the promise of supercharged growth in one of the world’s poorest regions. A critical challenge is to leverage the capital, skills and knowledge generated from enclave growth to support nascent other industries.

          How can corporations, government, and NGOs support structural transformation away from enclave activities? What sorts of industries present the most feasible small steps away from extractive sector activities?

          Moderator:

          • Smita Singh, Independent 
          Introductory Remarks:

          Closing Remarks:

          Event Materials

                
           
           




          roundtable

          2015 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Disrupting development with digital technologies


          Event Information

          August 5-7, 2015

          Aspen, Colorado

          The emergence of a new digital economy is changing the ways in which businesses and development organizations engage in emerging and developing countries. Transaction costs have been radically driven down, enabling greater inclusion. And technology is driving efficiency improvements, and permitting rapid scaling-up and transformational change.

          On August 5-7, 2015, Brookings Global Economy and Development is hosting the twelfth annual Brookings Blum Roundtable on Global Poverty in Aspen, Colorado. This year’s roundtable theme, “Disrupting development with digital technologies,” brings together global leaders, entrepreneurs, practitioners, and public intellectuals to discuss three trends in particular have the potential to redefine how global development occurs and how efforts will support it over the next 10 years: (1) the growing adoption of digital payments serving people everywhere with near-frictionless transactions; (2) the spread of internet connectivity and digital literacy; and (3) the harnessing of data to better serve the poor and to generate new knowledge.

          This event is closed, but you can follow along on Twitter using #Blum2015.



          Roundtable Agenda


          Wednesday, August 5, 2015

          Welcome and opening remarks - 8:40-9:00 a.m.:

          Session I - 9:00-10:30 a.m.: Realizing the potential of the digital economy

          The digital revolution presents profound opportunities for global development. By integrating poor people into digital networks, the revolution can redefine what it means to be poor, and forge new pathways to prosperity for both individuals and countries.

          What are the challenges in making the digital revolution fully inclusive and scalable—and how can they be lifted? In a full-fledged digital economy, which constraints facing the poor will diminish and which will remain? What risks does the digital economy pose?

          Moderator:

          Introductory remarks:

          • Michael Faye, GiveDirectly, Segovia Technology
          • Tunde Kehinde, African Courier Express
          • Christina Sass, Andela
          • Tariq Malik, National Database and Registration Authority

          Session II - 10:50 - 12:20 p.m.: Global money

          Between 2011 and 2014, 700 million people started a bank account for the first time, representing a giant step toward the World Bank goal of universal financial inclusion by 2020. Meanwhile, the digitalization of payments, spurred in part by 255 mobile money services across the developing world, is pushing the cost of basic financial transactions down toward zero.

          How will an era of global money transform formal and informal business? Which sectors, product markets, and government services have the most to gain and lose from increased market efficiency? What are the consequences for financial regulation?

          Moderator:

          Introductory remarks:

          • Ruth Goodwin-Groen, Better than Cash Alliance
          • Luis Buenaventura, Rebit.ph, Satoshi Citadel Industries
          • Tayo Oviosu, Paga
          • Loretta Michaels, U.S. Department of the Treasury

          Lunch - 12:30-2:00 p.m.

          Cocktail reception and interview - 5:00-7:00 p.m.:

          During the reception, Richard Blum will lead a short discussion with Walter Isaacson and Ann Mei Chang on the topic “Silicon Valley and Innovation for the Developing World,” followed by questions. Remarks begin at 5:30 and will end at 6:15 p.m.

          Thursday, August 6, 2015

          Session III - 9:00-10:30 a.m.: Global connections

          Numerous ventures are competing today to bring internet connectivity to the furthest corners of the planet, while low-cost, user-centered-designed platforms are expanding the spread of digital literacy. Social media and crowdsourcing offer efficient ways for people to share information, solve problems, and act collectively.

          To what extent can internet connectivity overcome isolation and empower poor communities that are socially, economically, and politically disenfranchised? Do the benefits of global connectivity for the world’s poor rely on issues like net neutrality, and what has been learned from recent battles to uphold this paradigm?

          Moderator:

          Introductory remarks:

          Session IV - 10:50-12:20 p.m.: Global knowledge

          The creation of a universal digital network will provide the poor with greater access to the information they need, and generate new knowledge that can be used to serve poor people more effectively. Digital inclusion can expand possibilities for targeting, verification, and analysis, while big data from biometric registries, satellites, phones, payments, and the internet can unlock insights on individual needs and preferences. In addition, open source platforms and MOOCs have the potential to be powerful accelerators for technology and skill transfer.

          What kinds of new personalized services can be developed using improved capacity for targeting and tailoring? How might the reduction of barriers to information affect social mobility and economic convergence? How should big data be regulated?

          Moderator:

          • Smita Singh, President’s Global Development Council

          Introductory remarks:


          Friday, August 7, 2015

          Session V - 9:00-10:30 a.m.: Opportunities and challenges for business

          The digital economy promises to disrupt many existing markets and generate new business opportunities that employ and serve the poor.

          How can businesses employ digital technologies to expand their presence in poor and emerging countries? According to businesses, what is an effective regulatory framework for the digital economy? To what extent can strong digital infrastructure compensate for deficiencies in physical infrastructure or governance?

          Moderator:

          Introductory Remarks:

          • Jesse Moore, M-KOPA Solar
          • Anup Akkihal, Logistimo
          • V. Shankar, formerly Standard Chartered Bank
          • Barbara Span, Western Union

          Session VI - 10:50-12:20 p.m.: Opportunities and challenges for development cooperation

          The U.S. government sees itself as a leader in harnessing technology for global development. Meanwhile, aid agencies have been identified as a possible target for disintermediation by the digital revolution.

          How can development organizations, both government and non-government, accelerate the digital revolution? How might traditional aid programs be enhanced by employing digital knowledge and technologies? Does U.S. regulatory policy on the digital economy cohere with its global development agenda?

          Moderator:

          Introductory remarks:

          Closing remarks:

          Event Materials

                
           
           




          roundtable

          Fostering financial inclusion and financial integrity: Brookings roundtable readout


          How can countries support innovative approaches to facilitating access to and usage of formal financial services among low-income and other marginalized groups while mitigating the risk of misuse within the financial sector?

          As part of the Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project (FDIP), the FDIP team recently hosted a roundtable to examine this central question. The objective of the roundtable was to identify and discuss salient challenges and opportunities for financial services providers, government entities, and consumers with respect to balancing anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance — a critical component of financial integrity and stability — with inclusive financial access and growth.

          We explore several key questions and themes that emerged from the roundtable below.

          Do areas of synergy exist between financial inclusion and AML/CFT efforts?

          • AML/CFT requirements and financial inclusion have sometimes been perceived as being in tension with one another — for example, stringent “know your customer” (KYC) requirements associated with AML processes can restrict formal financial access among marginalized groups who are unable to fulfill the KYC documentation requirements. However, the objectives of AML/CFT (ensuring stability and integrity within the financial sector) and financial inclusion (providing access to and promoting usage of a broad range of appropriate, affordable financial services) can be mutually reinforcing.
          • By moving individuals from the shadow economy into the formal financial system, greater opportunities emerge for introducing underserved populations to a broad suite of formal financial services, and ensuring those services are accompanied by suitable consumer protections. Thus, financial inclusion, financial integrity, and financial stability can act as complementary objectives.
          • The 2012 Declaration of the Ministers and Representatives of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recognized financial exclusion as a money laundering and terrorist financing risk in approving FATF’s 2012-2020 Mandate. This mandate affirmed FATF’s 2011 guidance on AML and terrorist financing measures and financial inclusion, which stated that “[i]t is acknowledged at the same time that financial exclusion works against effective AML/CFT policies. Indeed the prevalence of a large informal, unregulated and undocumented economy negatively affects AML/CFT efforts and the integrity of the financial system. Informal, unregulated and undocumented financial services and a pervasive cash economy can generate significant money laundering and terrorist financing risks and negatively affect AML/CFT preventive, detection and investigation/prosecution efforts.”

          What are key challenges and concerns with respect to balancing financial inclusion with financial integrity?

          • Awareness of financial inclusion issues is not universal among individuals who work in the regulatory, compliance, and law enforcement spheres of the financial ecosystem. Engagement among these groups is critical for promoting knowledge-sharing with respect to financial integrity and inclusion.
          • Although FATF and other standard-setting bodies (SSBs) have increasingly adopted recommendations favoring proportionate, risk-based approaches to AML/CFT (as evidenced by the 2013 FATF Guidance on Financial Inclusion), regulators often pursue more conservative approaches than SSB guidelines recommend. These conservative approaches may constrain access to and usage of formal financial services among marginalized groups.
          • Combating the potential use of low-value transfers within countries and across borders for terrorist financing purposes is a salient concern for the law enforcement community when considering proportionate AML/CFT approaches.

          How does the digital component fit into these issues?

          • As its name suggests, FDIP is interested in exploring the evolving role of digital technology within the financial services ecosystem. As discussed in the 2015 FDIP Report, digitization of financial services can be more cost-effective for public and private sector providers to manage and safer for consumers than carrying or storing cash.
          • For example, a 2013 report found that the Mexican government saved about $1.3 billion annually by centralizing and digitizing payments for wages, pensions, and social transfers. A 2014 report by the World Bank Development Research Group, the Better Than Cash Alliance, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation highlighted several countries, including South Africa, where disbursing social transfers electronically cost significantly less than manual cash disbursement.
          • Digital financial services can also promote women’s economic empowerment, as these services are often more private and convenient to access than traveling to a “brick and mortar” financial service provider. Given that as of 2014 there was a 9 percentage point gap between the number of men and women with accounts in developing economies (with women disproportionately excluded from account ownership), facilitating access to formal financial services among the 42 percent of women globally who do not have an account will be a major factor in advancing financial inclusion.
          • With respect to financial integrity in particular, digital identification mechanisms such as biometric IDs can help lower access barriers to financial services while ensuring that providers have the information they need to promote security and stability in the financial ecosystem. In its June 2011 guidance, FATF recognized the use of non-documentary methods of identification verification — for example, a signed declaration from a community leader coupled with a photo taken by a mobile phone — for advancing access to formal financial services among underserved groups.
          • The Aadhaar initiative in India, which the FDIP team referenced in a previous post, is currently the largest biometric identification program in the world. The unique 12-digit ID enables individuals to meet KYC requirements and has been used as a financial account among those who do not have an account with a financial institution. Another innovative digital initiative is underway in Tanzania, where the government is working in concert with mobile carrier Tigo and UNICEF to provide birth certificates via mobile phones.

          What are critical questions and areas of opportunity for fostering financial inclusion and integrity moving forward?

          • How can regulators and providers ensure sufficient privacy protections are in place for customers when advancing financial inclusion efforts, particularly through digital channels?
          • Through what mechanisms can government entities and non-government financial services providers best mitigate the risks of centralizing sensitive customer data?
          • Could an industry utility that facilitates a common solution to AML systems serve as a feasible solution for harmonizing standards?
          • What is the proper role of private solutions in the AML/CFT and financial inclusion spaces?
          • Could identification verification applications be developed using blockchain technology?
          • In what ways can social networks be leveraged with respect to digital identity initiatives and financial inclusion?

          Authors

          Image Source: © Jorge Cabrera / Reuters
                 




          roundtable

          Internal Displacement and Development Agendas: A Roundtable Discussion with Sadako Ogata


          Event Information

          May 14, 2013
          9:00 AM - 10:30 AM EDT

          St. Louis Room
          The Brookings Institution
          1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW
          Washington, DC

          Around the world today, there are more than 15.5 million refugees and over 28.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) uprooted by conflict, in addition to some 32.4 million displaced in 2012 from their homes due to natural disasters. These displacement crises are not simply humanitarian concerns, but fundamental development challenges. Forced migration flows are rooted in development failures, and can undermine the pursuit of development goals at local, national and regional levels.

          Linking humanitarian responses to displacement with longer-term development support and planning is not a new concern. Beginning in 1999, for example, the “Brookings Process” – under the leadership of Sadako Ogata and James Wolfensohn – sought to bridge humanitarian relief and development assistance in post-conflict situations. But the challenge remains unresolved, and has acquired new urgency as displacement situations are becoming more protracted, and situations such as the Syrian crisis show no signs of resolution.

          The Brookings Global Economy and Development Program and the Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement held a roundtable on these issues on May 14, 2013 with Sadako Ogata, former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, former Director of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, and Distinguished Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Megan Bradley, Fellow with the Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, facilitated the roundtable, which followed Chatham House rules.

          The roundtable addressed several key topics including:

          • The relevance of the concept of human security to addressing displacement and development challenges
          • Displacement as a development challenge in fragile states
          • Protracted displacement
          • Contrasts in the approaches and processes adopted by humanitarian and development actors

          The event report provides a brief overview of the discussion.

          Event Materials

                
           
           




          roundtable

          Gout & Uric Acid Education Society Hosts Roundtable Exploring Strategies for Elevating the Severity of Gout and Improving Access to Public Education and Treatment - Gout as a Serious Health Issue

          Gout as a Serious Health Issue




          roundtable

          2012 Russian Corporate Governance Roundtable

          Moscow, Russia - 25-26 October 2012 - discussions at this meeting addressed topics related to corporate governance and listing requirements in Russia.




          roundtable

          Leniency for Subsequent Applicants, Competition Policy Roundtable

          Competition authorities widely rely on leniency policies to detect, investigate and prosecute hard-core cartels. Jurisdictions that operate leniency programmes recognize the benefits of rewarding not only the first-in applicant who denounces the cartel but also subsequent applicants who provide useful corroboration or new evidence. This publication reviews the findings from a roundtable discussion held in October 2012.




          roundtable

          Competition and Payment Systems, Competition Policy Roundtable

          This document contains the proceedings of a Roundtable on Competition and Payment Systems held in October 2012. Discussions focused on recent country experiences on developments regarding all non-paper based forms of payment such as debit and credit cards, and E-payments (through internet, mobile phones etc.).




          roundtable

          Vertical Restraints for On-line Sales, Competition Policy Roundtables

          This document contains the proceedings of a Roundtable on Vertical Restraints for On-line Sales held in the February 2013 session of the OECD Competition Committee. Discussions reviewed recent country experiences focusing on how e-commerce affects competition and what are the main vertical restraints competition issues.




          roundtable

          2016 OECD Asian Roundtable on Corporate Governance

          Good corporate governance plays a vital role in underpinning the integrity and efficiency of financial markets. Mr. Rintaro Tamaki, Deputy Secretary General of the OECD, will open the 2016 OECD Asian Roundtable on Corporate Governance on Monday 24 October with Mr. Chang Jae Lee, Vice Minister of Justice in Korea, to address corporate governance standards and practices in Asia.




          roundtable

          Roundtable on the Impact of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention 15 Years On

          This roundtable focused on the impact the Anti-Bribery Convention has had on the global anti-bribery agenda since its entry into force in 1999, as well as what should be done to ensure the Convention's continued relevance going forward.




          roundtable

          2014 G20-OECD High-level roundtable on institutional investors and long-term investment

          Singapore, 4 June 2014: This roundtable focused on how policymakers and investors can facilitate private sector infrastructure financing, as well as issues related to governance for institutional investors and the accounting treatment for long-term investment.




          roundtable

          ILO-OECD roundtable on responsible sourcing in the textile and garment sector

          This roundtable provided a forum for dialogue on building responsible supply chains in the textile and garment sector that contribute to inclusive growth and sustainable development, in line with the OECD and ILO recommendations. The Roundtable also identified challenges and areas for future collaborative action.




          roundtable

          15th Tokyo Roundtable on Capital Market and Financial Reform in Asia

          This roundtable offers a forum for regulators, policy-makers, experts, practitioners, scholars and international organisations to discuss issues relating to capital market reform in Asia.




          roundtable

          2015 G20-OECD High-level roundtable on institutional investors and long-term investment

          Singapore, 28 May 2015: This roundtable will focus on key themes related to G20 work, including how policy makers and investors can facilitate private sector infrastructure financing, the development of infrastructure as an asset class, and issues relating to the regulation of long-term investment.




          roundtable

          2016 G20-OECD High-level roundtable on institutional investors and long-term investment

          Singapore, 25 April 2016: This roundtable focused on key themes related to G20 work, in particular the views of the private sector on current work developed by the OECD for the G20 Presidency toward promoting more diversified and innovative infrastructure financing.




          roundtable

          Roundtable on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the Law

          17 September 2016, Washington DC - This event brought together legal practitioners and experts to focus on how international standards on responsible business conduct are impacting legal practice as well as how legal tools can be used to strengthen ethical business practices throughout global supply chains.




          roundtable

          Roundtable on Corporate Liability for Foreign Bribery

          9 December 2016, Paris: Held on International Anti-Corruption Day, this roundtable provided an opportunity for governments, the private sector, civil society, and the media, to reflect on the liability of legal persons following more than 15 years of work by the OECD Working Group on Bribery to promote its application for foreign bribery.




          roundtable

          Roundtable on 40 years of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises

          19 December 2016, Paris: On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, this roundtable convened a wide range of stakeholders from international organisations, governments, business, civil society, and academia involved in working with the Guidelines.




          roundtable

          Roundtable on 20 years of the Anti-Bribery Convention

          On the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, this roundtable focused on the impact of the Convention 20 years on, the impact of the Convention on major emerging economies not yet party to the Convention, and the detection of foreign bribery.




          roundtable

          2013 OECD-Asian Roundtable on Corporate Governance

          Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - 5-6 June 2013 - This meeting served as an opportunity to better understand the particular features and challenges associated with equity market developments worldwide and in particular, corporate governance policies and practices and their relationship to equity market growth in Asia.




          roundtable

          13th Tokyo Roundtable on Capital Market Reform in Asia

          The implications of the European sovereign debt crisis for Asia, the globalisation of the funding of investments and the contribution of long-term institutional investors to growth were amongst the topics explored at the 2013 Tokyo Roundtable.




          roundtable

          G20-OECD High-level roundtable on institutional investors and long-term investment

          Co-organised by the G20 Russian Presidency and the OECD, this roundtable focused on policy measures to address constraints in long-term investment. It was organised back-to-back with the 2013 OECD Forum and the OECD-Euromoney Infrastructure Summit.




          roundtable

          14th Tokyo Roundtable on Capital Market Reform in Asia

          Discussions at the 14th roundtable focussed on quantitative easing (QE) tapering to Asia, financial regulatory reforms, financial liberalisation and fragmenting growth, long-term investment for infrastructure, financial inclusion and disaster risk financing in insurance and financial markets.




          roundtable

          G20-OECD Roundtable on Financial Consumer Protection

          This event addressed cutting-edge policy issues and research ideas to advance consumer protection globally. Discussions will focus on mobile, online and digital payment systems; behavioural and decision-making insights; and, frameworks for treating consumers fairly.




          roundtable

          2014 G20-OECD High-level roundtable on institutional investors and long-term investment

          Singapore, 4 June 2014: This roundtable focused on how policymakers and investors can facilitate private sector infrastructure financing, as well as issues related to governance for institutional investors and the accounting treatment for long-term investment.




          roundtable

          OECD/Euromoney Roundtable on Long-term Investment Policy

          2014 OECD/Euromoney Roundtable on Long-term Investment Policy: The roundtable provided a unique opportunity for participants to discuss the OECD’s work on institutional investors and long-term financing with senior policymakers and regulators, and to facilitate investment by institutional investors, addressing both potential regulatory obstacles and market failures.




          roundtable

          15th Tokyo Roundtable on Capital Market and Financial Reform in Asia

          This roundtable offers a forum for regulators, policy-makers, experts, practitioners, scholars and international organisations to discuss issues relating to capital market reform in Asia.




          roundtable

          2015 G20-OECD High-level roundtable on institutional investors and long-term investment

          Singapore, 28 May 2015: This roundtable will focus on key themes related to G20 work, including how policy makers and investors can facilitate private sector infrastructure financing, the development of infrastructure as an asset class, and issues relating to the regulation of long-term investment.




          roundtable

          2016 G20-OECD High-level roundtable on institutional investors and long-term investment

          Singapore, 25 April 2016: This roundtable focused on key themes related to G20 work, in particular the views of the private sector on current work developed by the OECD for the G20 Presidency toward promoting more diversified and innovative infrastructure financing.




          roundtable

          18th Tokyo Roundtable on Capital Market and Financial Reform in Asia

          The roundtable offers a forum for regulators, policy makers, experts, practitioners, scholars and international organisations in Asia. This year’s edition will focus on recent developments in capital markets and on capital markets of the future.