26 March, 2007 — A new project of UNDP is aimed at improving private sector environment by developing and facilitating dialogue between the state and business.

The “Improving the administrative and economic environment for private sector development by facilitating private–public dialogue” project will be implemented within three years by the Council for Enterprise Development in direct partnership with business associations and private sector organizations, Ministry of economy, Ministry of Taxes and Duties, Ministry of Statistics and Analysis and other government and public authorities.

“We have to admit today that the existing business associations are not coordinated, whereas the acute business problems require consolidation of the efforts and coordination of the activities,” said Georgiy Badei, Chairman of the Kunyavskiy Business Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers. “The project has an important role to play in this regard. It provides key avenues of cooperation, and serves as a framework for setting up expert–analytical groups to do research on entrepreneurship and put forward proposals on draft legislative acts. Thus the project implementation will facilitate improvement of the entrepreneurship environment in Belarus, and will help make the state–business dialogue more efficient.”

The main project objectives are:

• Strengthen business community expertise in elaborating and promoting legal and policy proposals affecting the state of the business and regulatory environment;
• Increase transparency of the decisions and rule making processes affecting the private sector;
• Improve monitoring of small business trends in Belarusand increase public awareness of its role and contribution to socio–economic development.

UNDP Programme Associate, Ludmila Istomina, believes that the project outcomes will spur the regional entrepreneurship development, and contribute to the successful implementation of UNDP projects on enhancing the small town employment and self–employment, development of eco–tourism in recreational zones, and socio–economic rehabilitation of the regions hit by the Chernobyldisaster.

The project will be implemented in close collaboration with other international organizations and in coordination with other assistance projects. Work on reducing administrative barriers to business will build upon the findings and recommendations sponsored by International Financial Corporation (IFC).

The Business Communities Advisory and Steering Conference will be a venue for joint discussion and decision–making on matters of strategic importance and for ensuring adequate project monitoring.

For additional information please contact the project manager Alexandra Bobrobskaya, at 234–42–64, or UNDP Communications Associate, Vladislav Khilkevich, at 227–38–17, e–mail: .

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