Annual Meetings  Boards of Governors OCTOBER 1998
			International Monetary Fund World Bank Group WASHINGTON, D.C.

	1998 Program of Seminars Seminar Schedule
	Last updated 10/2/98

	Sunday, October 4, 1998
	9:00 - 11:15	Countries in the News - Briefings The briefings are a new component of the program, aimed at providing the latest news from policymakers and experts on developments relevant to foreign investment. Speakers will highlight the issues and initiatives, and the moderator will open the floor for questions and discussion.
		9:00-10:00    China — Policy Reforms and Emerging Role Discussion Leader Xiang Huaicheng, Minister of Finance, China Moderator C. Fred Bergsten, Director, Institute for International Economics, USA
		9:00-10:00    Ecuador — A New Beginning Discussion Leaders Jamil Mahuad, President of Ecuador Alvaro Guerrero, President of the National Modernization Council (CONAM), Ecuador Fidel Jaramillo, Minister of Finance, Ecuador Moderator David Lipton, Undersecretary of the Internataional Affairs, U.S. Treasury
		9:00-10:00    South Africa — Economic Reforms and Regional Opportunity Discussion Leaders Trevor Manuel, Minister of Finance, South Africa Maria Ramos, Director General, Department of Finance, South Africa Moderator Gautam Kaji, former Managing Director for Operations, World Bank
		10:15 - 11:15    Indonesia — Challenges and Prospects Discussion Leaders Syahril Sabirin, Governor, Bank Indonesia   Dr. Sabirin's statement Bambang Subianto, Minister of Finance, Indonesia Moderator Paul Wolfowitz, Dean, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University, USA
		11:30 - 12:30    Malaysia — Steps to Reviving Growth Discussion Leaders Mustapa Mohamed, Second Finance Minister and Minister of Entrepreneur Development, Malaysia   Mr. Mohamed's statement Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Deputy Governor, Bank Negara Malaysia Moderator Gautam Kaji, former Managing Director for Operations, World Bank
		11:30 - 12:30    Brazil — Economic Update for Investors Discussion Leader Pedro Malan, Minister of Finance, Brazil Moderator David Mulford, Chairman International, Credit Suisse First Boston, United Kingdom

10:15-11:00 African Policy Reform - Workshop

African governments are tackling policy challenges with new agendas and instruments, supported - among others - by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group.

• What are the status of macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform programs?
• What are "second generation policy reforms" and their expected impact?
• What institutional reforms are required to sustain growth?

Discussion Leaders

Anupam Basu, Deputy Director, African Department, International Monetary Fund Alan Gelb, Chief Economist and Sector Director for Economic Management and Social Policy, Africa Region, World Bank

11:15 - 12:30 Unleashing Africa's Business Opportunities

Recent reforms in many African countries have created new opportunities for the private sector. Second generation reforms, such as judicial reform and regulation, are expected to encourage further investment and growth.

• Why are foreign capital and know-how essential to the development of African businesses?
• What factors are inhibiting businesses that service their domestic markets?
• What can be done to quickly enhance the professions on which formal business activity depends?
• What impact is regional integration having on business development?

Discussion Leaders	Henri Bonpun, President, Africa Business Group, Unilever Corporation, United Kingdom Valentine Chitalu, Chief Executive, Zambia Privatization Agency, Zambia Rose Mazula, Managing Director, Zimbabwe Progress Fund, Zimbabwe Marcel Zadi Kessy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Société de Distribution d'Eau de la Côte d'Ivoire and Chairman, Compagnie Ivoirienne d'Electricité, Côte d'Ivoire
Moderator	Ken Ofori-Atta, Executive Chairman, Databank Financial Services, Ltd., Ghana

2:00 - 3:30 Building Financial Systems for Growth in the Middle East and North Africa

Many Middle Eastern and North African countries have been reforming their financial systems to enhance economic performance and promote growth. There is notable progress in three areas: improving regulations, transparency, and supervision; broadening the array of financial services to increase private investment and employment; and integrating into global financial markets.

• What steps need to be taken to improve the soundness of the banking system in the region, particularly in light of lessons from East Asia?
• What are the emerging regional trends in financial products and services, and financial markets expansion?
• What can be done to enhance the financial system's role in increasing investment, improving the allocation of resources, and mobilizing savings?
• How open should the region's economies be to international capital markets?

Discussion Leaders	Mona Aboelnaga, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Siguler Guff & Company, USA Ibrahim Shukri Dabdoub, Chief Executive Officer, National Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait Karim A. Nashashibi, Senior Advisor, Middle Eastern Department, International Monetary Fund Nemat Shafik, Director, Finance and Private Sector Group, Middle East and North Africa Region, World Bank
Moderator	Nasser Saidi, First Vice Governor, Central Bank of Lebanon

2:00 - 3:30 Europe as an International Financial Center

The introduction of the euro in January 1999 will mark the creation of a single European financial market comparable in size to that of the United States.

• What factors can determine whether Europe will become an international financial center comparable to the United States not only in terms of size, but also in scope, depth, liquidity, breadth, and sophistication?
• How are European countries positioning themselves to play major roles in the euro financial market?
• How likely is it that a single country, or a small group of countries, will emerge as a focal point of financial activity in the European Monetary Union?

Discussion Leaders	Alastair Clark, Executive Director, Bank of England, United Kingdom Bernd Goos, Director General, International Relations Department, European Central Bank John Lipsky, Chief Economist and Director of Research, Chase Manhattan Bank, USA Gérard Pfauwadel, Former Director, Marché à Terme d'Instruments Financiers, France
Moderator	Massimo Russo, Special Advisor to the Managing Director, International Monetary Fund

4:00 - 5:30 Valuing Intellectual Capital

The management of intellectual capital is increasingly seen as a key determinant of financial performance, competitiveness, and economic development. Thus, efforts to measure and strengthen this resource are gaining momentum at corporate and national levels.

• How is intellectual capital created?
• What are new approaches to measuring this resource?
• How are corporate initiatives in this realm relevant to national economic objectives?

Discussion Leaders

Leif Edvinsson, Vice President and Corporate Director of Intellectual Capital, Skandia Future Centers, Sweden Pamela Samuelson, Professor, School of Information Management Systems and Co-Director, Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, University of California, Berkeley, USA John Taysom, Director, New Business Ventures, Reuters Ltd., United Kingdom Steve Wallman, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, and former Commissioner, US Securities and Exchange Commission, USA

Moderator

Keith Bradley, Professor of International Management, The Open University Business School, United Kingdom

4:00 - 5:30 Approaches to Debt Relief

The implementation of the joint World Bank Group/International Monetary Fund Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative has attracted considerable interest from debtor governments, creditors, donors, nongovernmental organizations, and religious groups. It has also triggered an intensive debate about the scope and timing of debt relief to the world's poorest countries.

• What progress has been made under traditional debt-relief mechanisms and the HIPC Initiative?
• What should be the link between debt relief and public policies? And between debt relief and aid?
• What is the case for more debt relief versus other forms of assistance?

Discussion Leaders

Anthony R. Boote, Division Chief, Official Financing Operations, Policy Development and Review Department, International Monetary Fund Philippe de Fontaine Vive, Vice President, Paris Club, France Monsignor Diarmuid Martin, Secretary, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, The Vatican Ann Pettifor, Director, Jubilee 2000 Coalition, United Kingdom Ted van Hees, Coordinator, EURODAD, Belgium Axel van Trotsenburg, Manager, HIPC Implementation Unit, World Bank Kevin Watkins, Senior Policy Advisor, Oxfam, United Kingdom

Moderator

Gus O'Donnell, Director, Macroeconomic Policy & Prospects Directorate and Head of Government Economic Service, HM Treasury, United Kingdom

4:00 - 5:30 Latin America: A Steady Ship in Troubled Waters?

The relatively limited impact of the East Asian crisis on Latin America suggests that a decade of reforms has reduced the region's vulnerability to external crises: its economies are more flexible, its banking sectors healthier and its leaders more determined to take swift, decisive action to address the markets' concerns. Nonetheless, some risks remain.

• How are Latin American countries responding to the recent global financial turmoil?
• What are the major risks in the trade and financial sectors?
• How vulnerable is the region to a slowdown in U.S. growth or to an increase in international interest rates?

Discussion Leaders	Eduardo Aninat, Minister of Finance,Chile Ricardo López Murphy, Director, Fundación de Investigaciones Económicas LatinoAmericanas, Argentina Pedro Malan, Minister of Finance, Brazil Guillermo Ortiz, Governor, Banco de México Liliana Rojas-Suarez, Chief Economist for Latin America, Deutsche Bank Securities, USA
Moderator	E. Gerald Corrigan, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs & Co., USA

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