2009 Event Series

A series of 9 meetings, from January to October, will bring together company executives, practitioners, policy researchers, government and civil society to share insights from cutting edge experience, facilitate comparisons and learning from contrasting efforts, and enable more effective private sector development.

The series will push the debate forward along three themes

Building stronger and more competitive economies in developing countries is an opportunity for business, not just an obligation - what is good for development is good for the bottom line.
Businesses are moving beyond CSR and using their core business practices for positive development impact. But in the context of the global economic downturn this will require continued commitment, partnership and innovation.
The bottom billion need access to competitive markets as consumers, workers and as entrepreneurs. The engagement of business, governments and donors is needed to make markets work better for the poor.

This series is presented jointly by Business Action for Africa, the Department for International Development and the Overseas Development Institute.

Join the discussion in the Event Series Discussion Forum!

Access issue briefings, meeting summaries, audio and more in the Event Series Resource Centre

Confirmed events in the series (Download Event Series Flyer)

Innovation in a crisis - Private sector strategies for development: access, competition and engagement in a downturn Tuesday, 20 January. What is the role of business in the development landscape? How will this change as the world enters an economic downturn? While it is clear that the private sector drives the economic growth that is critical for development, there is less clarity on how this role is best played. This event is now closed. For event audio and related resources click here.
Core business competencies for development impact: moving beyond CSR Wednesday, 11 February. The shift from philanthropic CSR to using core business for development impact is no longer just an idea. It is being accepted within both the development and business sectors. What are the implications for how we approach investment, ethical trade, new technology and business culture? This event is now closed. For event audio and related resources click here.
How can markets work better for the poor? What approaches deliver impact at scale? Tuesday, 17 March. A growing number of projects are trying to help the poor engage in markets – selling their labour or products, or securing the inputs, finance and services they need. But too often the scale of impact is limited, the output unsustainable. New approaches are exploring how to make markets work for the poor – commercially, systemically and fairly. This event is now closed. For event audio and related resources click here.
Putting market access into practice: reaching the bottom billion through corporate supply and distribution chains Tuesday, 21 April. Businesses are expanding the market access of the poor through new approaches in their supply and distribution chains. What is being learnt from experience so far? This event is now closed. For event audio and related resources click here.
Assessing impacts of business on development: what do alternative frameworks offer? Tuesday, 12 May. For all the talk of enhancing the impact of business on development, there is little measurement of what that impact is – and little discussion of how to measure it. This event is now closed. For event audio and related resources click here.
Getting results from engagement: how should government and business work together to enhance the investment climate and business-driven development? Tuesday, 23 June. Partnerships between businesses, governments and development actors are tackling constraints in the investment climate and helping business to invest responsibly. How can government best support business? And how can business help governments to build capacity and appropriate policy? This event is now closed. For event audio and related resources click here.
Doing business in conflict affected environments: from building the peace to building the private sector Tuesday, 14 July. Peace and economic growth and closely related. How can policy makers maximize the impact of private sector for both peace and development? This event is now closed. For event audio and related resources click here.
Business Power and Politics: creating competitive markets for business and developmentTuesday, 15 September. How do competition, regulation, power and politics affect private sector development in developing countries? This event is now closed. For event audio and related resources click here.
Building Our Common Future: A Partnership with Business Tuesday, 13 October. This final event in the series aims to reflect on the lessons learned and the opportunities identified during the course of the nine-event series, and look at how business, government and civil society can address them. The meeting will also reflect on the UK Government’s White Paper on International Development: “Building our Common Future”, and consider how the key development challenges identified in the Paper: (Economic growth, conflict affected countries and climate change) will influence the business and international development agenda beyond 2009. This event is now closed. For event audio and related resources click here.

For more information on the event series, contact Karen Ellis at the Overseas Development Institute or Richard Gilbert at Business Action for Africa.

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