Recent Events

Working Group meeting on Corporate Governance in Asia

The Working Group Meeting of the OECD Asian Roundtable on Corporate Governance  took place in Kuala Lumpur on May 25 and 26, 2010. At the meeting, senior policymakers and market practitioners from Asian countries, multilateral agencies and regional associations discussed strategies in developing a new roadmap for Asia’s corporate governance landscape. The main  purpose was to identify priority areas for the update of the 2003 White Paper on Corporate Governance in Asia. eStandardsForum attended the meeting and presented the findings of a regional survey it had been conducting measuring progress in meeting the 36 recommendations of the White Paper as well as identifying the remaining obstacles and key issues. 

Mitigating Risks in the International Financial System

On February 26, 2010 eStandardsForum attended the seminar Mitigating Risks in the International Financial System sponsored by the G20 Chair the Ministry of Finance and Strategy, Korea and organized by the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee. This seminar was part of RBWC’s G20 seminar series, launched in 1999. The meeting examined one of the Korean G20 Chair’s priority topics: the concept of a "global financial safety net" to insure against risky capital flows in emerging markets and help mitigate global imbalances in trade and development. Issues discussed included: alternatives to self-insurance policies, regional monetary arrangements, reserve pooling, reserve diversification, the management of capital flow, and the use of the international financial market by governments to insure against shocks.

The Parameters of the International Financial Architecture Post Crisis

On December 10-11 of 2009, eStandardsForum participated in a workshop titled, The Parameters of the International Financial Architecture Post Crisis organized by the Central Bank of Austria, Ministry of Finance Austria, and the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee. The meeting in Vienna provided an opportunity for an open exchange of views with prominent personalities from Europe and Asia to strengthen the intercontinental dialog in the economic and monetary sphere. The seminar is part of a project launched by the RBWC to assess ways in which the international monetary and financial system can adapt to the post-crisis environment. The first roundtable of this initiative took place in Cusco in cooperation with the Central Reserve Bank of Peru, the second in Istanbul, co-organized with the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey.

10th Meeting of the Latin American Corporate Governance Roundtable

On December 1^st and 2^nd of 2009, eStandardsForum participated in the 10^th Latin American Roundtable in Santiago de Chile. Participants of the Roundtable agreed to deepen its work to support effective boards of directors and corporate governance-related enforcement issues, and to explore the launching of a Latin American network on corporate governance of state-owned enterprises. The Roundtable took the occasion to review progress by companies in implementing corporate governance, and accomplishments of regulatory agencies in further enforcing corporate governance standards. Andreas Grimminger presented the findings of a survey on the framework for enforcement practices in six Latin American countries eStandardsForum had conducted over the course of this Fall for the Roundtable. The synopsis paper can be downloaded here.

2009 World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings

eStandardsForum attended the recent IMF/World Bank Annual meetings in Istanbul Turkey.  Among the events in Istanbul was a conference organized by the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee and the Central Bank of Turkey entitled:" Where is Global Finance Heading? Role and Responsibilities Of Emerging Economies in the Global Monetary System." 

The Keynote address was delivered by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director, IMF.   The full address can be downloaded below.

International Cooperation in Times of Global Crisis: Views from G20 countries

eStandardsForum (ESF), Financial Standards Foundation was invited to participate at the "International Cooperation in Times of Global Crisis: Views from G20 countries," conference held in Delhi on the 14th and 15th of September, 2009. The main sponsors of the conference were the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), Bruegel (Belgium), CEPII (France), Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (Germany).  The conference brought together various academics, policy makers, and think tanks from the G20 countries.  The conference organizers are expected to publish an outcome document shortly that will be presented at the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh.  Silvina Vatnick from the Center for Financial Stability in Argentina (a partner organization of ESF) outlined the views of ESF in her presentation.  Mrs. Vatnick reiterated the mission of ESF in reestablishing the private sector to lead economic development/growth with an enhanced commitment towards fiduciary obligations and accountability to stakeholders.  The conference agenda and a policy brief outling the conference conclusions can be downloaded below.

Second Annual Globalization Conference

eStandardsForum hosted its Second Annual Globalization Conference on June 18, 2009.  The one day event brought together all of our affiliated partners to discuss current issues and plans for the coming year.  The agenda can be downloaded below.

United Nations Follow-Up Meeting to the Doha Financing for Development Conference

On April 17, working with the United Nations , the Financial Standards Foundation/ eStandards Forum (FSF/ESF), in conjunction with its partners the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), presented to G77 group representatives to the United Nations to engage their respective governments and business groups on data collection and dissemination and technical assistance programs. The meeting was part of FSF/ESF’s, ICC’s, and CIPE’s follow-up implementation initiatives to the 2008 Doha Financing for Development Conference to review Millennium Challenge goals.

The Financial Crisis: Restoring the Health of the International Economy

On March 30, 2009 eStandardsForum participated in the conference "The Financial Crisis: Restoring the Health of the International Economy" in Paris, France.  The agenda of the conference can be downloaded below. 

2008 Latin America Corporate Governance Roundtable

The Financial Standards Foundation participated in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2008 Latin America Corporate Governance Roundtable in Mexico City December 2-3 of 2008. The meeting provided an opportunity to take stock of recent corporate governance-related developments in Latin America, particularly in the wake of the current global financial turmoil. The Corporate Governance Roundtables assist private and public sector decision-makers in their efforts to improve corporate governance by providing a forum for continuing dialogue in the regions. The objectives of the event were to promote better governance in the regions; improve the understanding and assist in developing policy responses; promote an ongoing dialogue on experiences between private and public sectors; monitor and evaluate progress in the regions; identify possible needs for technical assistance and match supply and demand; and inform the international community about national and regional reform initiatives.