General Tools for Transparency and Good Governance: Corporate Governance and Access to Information - 6/8/2009 Author: lcgtf.org Phoenicia Intercontinental Hotel Tuesday, May 26th 2009   On May 26th 2009, the Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA), in cooperation with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and the American Bar Association (ABA), held a conference on the “Tools for Transparency and Good Governance: Corporate Governance & Access to Information.” The focus of this day-long session was to build a working relationship between the private sector and the access to information draft law initiative being done by the National Network for the Right to Access Information.   The panelists were organized into three sessions. The first session consisted of opening remarks setting the background and importance of Access to Information (A2I) in the Lebanese context while the second was an interactive session with presentations from practitioners from the field and representatives from the private sector. The final panel focused on practical applications of A2I and addressed potential obstacles in implementing the draft law.     The opening session speakers were: Mr. Fadi Saab, Secretary General, LTA, Mr. Gerard Zovighian, Vice-President, LTA; Chairman, LCGTF, Dr. Aleksandr Shkolnikov, Senior Program Officer, Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), Mr. Tom Jacobs, Lebanon Country Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Dr. Fadi Khalaf, President, Beirut Stock Exchange, H.E. Dr. Mohamad Chatah, Minister of Finance – Lebanon     This session kicked off with roundtable discussions ON Building Private Sector Support for Corporate Governance and Access to Information Roundtable :– Mr. Camille Menassa, President RDCL,Mr. Rafic Zantout, President, Lebanese Economic forum, Me. Farid el Khoury, Law Office of Farid H. El Khoury, Board member of the Beirut Bar Association, Dr. Fadi Khalaf, President, Beirut Stock Exchange, Dr. Mowafak El Yaffi, Association of Certified Accountants Auditors Presentations: CG Reference Guidebook for FOEs: Mr. Badri El Meouchi, Executive Director, LTA, Importance of A21: Ms. Gaelle Kibranian, Program’s Director, LTA; on behalf of the National Network for the Right of A2I   The final panel included a diverse group of speakers who have had experience trying to implement A2I measures within the private sector.  It was emphasized that transparency and A2I legislation are tools - and not the final end result to achieving good governance.  Some obstacles toward using this tool were pointed out. The Session was moderated by Me. Aline Matta, Program Director - Lebanon, American Bar Association (ABA) Rule of Law Initiative. Speakers: HE. Jihad Azour, Vice President and Senior Advisor, Booz & Co, A2I as a Tool for Transparency in the Public Sector; Dr. Kamal Shehadi, LTA board member, Chairman of TRA, Improving Regulation through Transparency: TRA's Consultation and A2I; Nassib Ghobril, LTA board member, Head of Research at Byblos Bank, Access to Finance & Governance and A2I in Lebanon; Me. Mohamed Alem, Managing Partner, Alem and Associates, CG Guidelines for Listed Companies. View Count: 751 times