04 April 2007

Report from Wilton Park conference on post-conflict investment now available

The German Foreign Office convened an international high-level meeting in Wilton Park, UK on 11-13 January 2007. The conference, entitled "Risk and Opportunity: Spurring Private Investment in Post-Conflict Economies", brought together representatives from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to discuss strategies for supporting private investment in post-conflict economies. GPPi supported the Federal Foreign Office with the organization of this event by conceptualizing the conference and identifying participants and speakers.

The goal of the event was to explore the best ways for companies to manage risk in environments where stability, security, and basic infrastructure are not yet fully guaranteed. The conference thus aimed to analyze the current practices of companies working in precarious post-conflict settings, and the institutionalized mechanisms created by governments or international bodies to help companies deal with risk. Moreover, participants assessed the effectiveness of these strategies and tools and identified future areas of improvement, for example, the potential role of innovative public-private partnerships in risk management. The discussions were complemented by five case studies of post-conflict situations in Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kosovo and Sri Lanka in order to more closely analyze business investment experiences on the ground. 

Overall, participants concluded that more research and data are needed on the dynamics of conflicts and that more successful examples from post-conflict regions regarding investments and enabling environments are required. In addition, it was agreed that the role of the private sector in post-conflict settings is to take risks and conduct its core business in responsible ways. Moreover, partnerships are valuable in both reducing or managing risks in post-conflict settings as well as passing on experience. Lastly, a basic regulatory framework is a prerequisite for attracting investment and building a suitable business environment without excessive red-tape and excessively high expectations.

Click here to download the conference report.

Click here to visit the project page.

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