Stephen Baker to speak at The Small Countries Financial Management Programme

Stephen Baker is to speak on the subject of ’Practical Examples on Corrupt Politicians, Methods of Looting and Examples of Recovery’ at The Small Countries Financial Management Programme.

This annual two-week executive education programme is conducted by the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and will be held at the International Business School in the Isle of Man. Up to 25 officials from ministries of finance, financial regulatory bodies, and central banks of developing countries with populations of less than 1.5 million, with up to five officials from fragile post-conflict states, will be taught by leading professors from Oxford and other outstanding universities, as well as experienced practitioners and experts from international financial institutions and other small states which have best practice to share. The programme is supported by the World Bank, the Small States Network for Economic Development, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and the Government of the Isle of Man, which has committed £1 million ($1.4 million) over five years towards the anticipated overall cost of $3.5 million.

Additional funding through a World Bank-managed multi-donor trust fund is being sought from the official development assistance budgets of governments with an interest in capacity-building for these small and fragile countries. The programme aims to improve management of the government financial sector and the quality of regulation, including anti-money laundering. The programme, which will run for the first time in September 2009, is timely in light of the challenges these countries face from the global financial crisis and the weakness in the fight against the illicit transfer of funds that is represented by some small jurisdictions. The G20 Summit in April 2009 placed many of these small jurisdictions in the spotlight. A three-day negotiation component will be included as the concluding portion of the programme.