The Association of European Business Takes Part in the First Public-Private Partnership Congress in Belarus

The Association of European Business will take part in the first congress on public-private partnership Public-Private Partnership Days in Belarus, which is to be held in Minsk, Belarus on
May 27 – 30, 2014. The congress will discuss relevant practices and recent governmental legal and policy initiatives in the area of public-private partnership by various international finance institutions.

The congress was organized under the joint project of the EU, the UNDP and the Ministry of Economy of Belarus Capacity Development to Support Implementation of Public-Private Partnership in Belarus.

The agenda of the congress covers the most relevant issues in the area of public-private partnership development in Belarus, such as:

·       The future of the infrastructure sectorin Belarus;

·       The role of public-private partnership in providing high-quality infrastructure services to the public;

·       The objectives and the first steps in identifying the demand for infrastructure services;

·       Benefits of the public-private partnership for taxpayers;

·       Keys to successful concession agreements;

·       How public-private partnership laws can guarantee long-term cooperation between the private sector and the state;

·       Securing stable returns on investments in an unstable economy.

The program of the event, which will last three days, includes plenary meetings, roundtables and interactive debate sessions:

Day 1 (May 28): Opening session of the Interministerial Infrastructure Coordination Council and discussion of the national infrastructure plan (President Hotel, VIP Conference Hall);

Day 2 (May 29): PPP forum for business executives and government decision makers (Hotel Beijing, Orchid Conference Hall);

Day 3 (May30): Debate on the legal framework for PPPs, including the draft law On Public Private Partnerships (Hotel Beijing, Orchid Conference Hall).

The event brings together decision makers from the ministries and government agencies, business owners, executives from the major companies, banking, legal and financial sectors, along with academics and NGO leaders. It will also provide a venue for debate and knowledge exchange among the leading professionals engaged in public-private partnership issues from the UK, the Netherlands, China, Russia, Croatia, Switzerland, and other countries.

Information on participation is available until May 26, 2014 by fax +375 17 263 4337, e-mail siarhei.semiantsou@undp.org, or by phone +375 17 263 4337, +375 29 910 9719. The registration for the congress is open until May 26 at the official website of the Ministry of Economy of Belarus http://w1.economy.gov.by/ip/g4p/.