The deadline to register for participation in the Conference was 28 February 2010, although it may be possible to accept late registration in some cases. In particular, the DCED is requesting urgent assistance from its members to invite representatives of informal enterprise associations and officials from developing country governments involved in business environment reform. Please click here to find out more.
Confirmation of registration will be sent to those selected for participation by 10 March 2010 (please do not make travel arrangements until your participation has been confirmed). The organisers note that your credit card will not be charged for accommodation until your Conference registration has been accepted. However, you must register for accommodation also at the time of filling in the Conference registration form. For any queries, please contact: Jolandi Ackermann, tel. +27 21 406 6381, fax +27 21 448 6263, Email. Jolandi.Ackermann@uct.ac.za
By
participating in this conference you will enjoy a programme full of knowledge and
insights on how business environment reform can promote the formalisation of
the informal economy. You will hear many stories and experiences from around
the world –– not just from experts, but also from practitioners from all walks
of life. You will have many opportunities to engage in thorough discussions
with all these people. All participants will join in of the process of
preparing guiding principles and recommendations on how business environment
reform can improve the lives and growth prospects of informal enterprises. The
programme involves a three-part process of discovering (Days 1 & 2),
creating (Day 3) and exploring (Day 4).
The programme has been designed to enable participants to
simultaneously undergo a process of learning, visioning and materialising
conference insights. The conference enables participants to undergo a
three-part process of discovering, creating and exploring:
Days 1 and 2 are dedicated to ‘Discovering’: You will share,
discover and learn different insights and experiences in business environment
reform and the informal economy. You will take part in interactive discussions
around major business environment reform experiences. Some conference delegates
will provide discussion inputs in the form of key issues, approaches and
concepts, as well as ideas, experiences, case studies, tools and resources on
the dimensions of informality and business environment reform studies. The
varied programme of these days will make it easy for you to get to know many
other delegates and hear their experiences, as well as engage in debate of a
more conceptual nature should you wish to do so.
Day 3 is about ‘Creating’: You and other conference
delegates will consolidate and assess the observations and insights of the
first day, looking for trends, principles and practices in an interactive
workshop approach. The facilitators will apply the Future Search Conference
methodology allowing you and others to continue sharing your ideas and refine
them in light of the immediate response and feedback from your fellows. You
will elaborate a collective vision as to how business environment reform can
promote the formalisation of informal firms. At the end of this day you will
have designed practical programme interventions and other reform proposals
aimed at improving the business environment in order to enhance opportunities
for formalization, access to new markets and growth.
Day 4 opens room for ‘Exploring’: You will work in Open
Space Technology format with minimal facilitation interference, allowing you to
explore and discuss new ideas and viewpoints, raise matters of importance you
feel might not have been raised so far, and refine your reform proposals
further. Any participant may nominate issues to explore more deeply with
like-minded participants. The conference will end with a presentation of all
major reform proposals.