Geneva The Third Session of the UNECE Team of Specialists on Public Private Partnerships (TOS PPP) will be held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva on 18-19 April 2011.
PPPs are complicated to undertake and are therefore unsuccessful due to the lack of capability in the public sector. Governments have realized that professional PPP capability is one of the main prerequisites for successful PPPs. They have therefore, given the TOS PPP a strong mandate to build the capacity of governments in PPPs. Within this mandate, the TOS PPP has prepared guidebooks and modules of a toolkit on PPPs and held many capacity building events in UNECE countries and elsewhere. But members Sates and the private sector have felt that such actions need to be supplemented and have asked UNECE to give advice on how to build up new skills and transfer knowledge.
The meeting will thus discuss a proposal to create an International Centre of Excellence on Public Private Partnerships, which would consist of a hub, established in Geneva under UNECE, and affiliated International PPP Specialist Centres hosted by various countries. Each of these would be dedicated to one sector, such as roads, water, health, food security, prisons and sustainable development etc.
The Center would link the knowledge gathered within the United Nations system, with partners such as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), UNCITRAL and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the expertise of international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Under this framework, countries would benefit from support and advice as well high-level advisory missions helping them on the route to take on the development of PPPs.
Jan van Schoonhoven, head of the PPP Centre of the Netherlands and a member of the bureau of the TOS PPP said: “The PPP world has been waiting for such an initiative for a long time. The current economic climate means many governments are faced with few alternatives than to try and attract private sector financing to improve their infrastructure. From experience, we know that basic information on projects, the skills and knowledge are all in short supply especially amongst transition economies and developing countries. These are the countries that need PPPs the most. This is why we are supporting this badly needed initiative”.
The meeting is expected to attract delegates from over 40 countries. Amongst the Opening Panel high level speakers will be:
- Dr. Enrique T. Ona, Minister of Health of the Philippines
- Mr. Ushkunbek Tashbaev, Minister of Economic Regulation of Kyrgyzstan
- Mr. Loay bin Ahmad Sa'ad Al-Musallam, CEO of the National Water Company of Saudi Arabia
- Mr. Alexander Bashenov, Director, PPP Center, Vnesheconombank, Russia
- Dr. Amer Aladhadh, Head of Qatar PPP Unit
- Mr. Ioan Bala, Director General, National Administration of Penitentiaries, Romania
For further information, please visit: http://live.unece.org/ceci/documents/2011/ppp/session3tosppp11.html
Ref: ECE/ECID11/P01