Singapore, April 30, 2014 — On Wednesday, April 30, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Centre for Public Service Excellence and KPMG convened notable government officials, policy makers, and global leaders to host the 2014 International Development Conference “Leadership and the Challenge of Change” at the UNDP Global Centre for Public Service Excellence in Singapore.
The program featured the Asian launch of the 2013 Change Readiness Index, a unique tool for measuring the key determinants that impact a country’s ability to prepare for, react to, and manage change, and a presentation of key findings from the Developmental Leadership Program, one of the biggest research programs in international development. Siale’ataongo Tu’ivakano, Prime Minister of Tonga, provided the keynote address, and industry thought leaders presented conference sessions on leadership, future challenges and opportunities for governments and the public sector, and reform in development.
Speaking as a panelist on “Surviving and Harnessing Change: The 2013 KPMH Change Readiness Index”, Asia Foundation Chief Economist and Senior Director of Economic Development Véronique Salze-Lozac’h utilized her expertise in private sector development, business environments, and policy reforms to discuss the efficacy, appropriateness and applications of the CRI. “The CRI highlights the areas that need attention if the countries are to enjoy sustainable and broad-based growth and be prepared to future challenges,” said Salze-Lozac’h.
In her remarks, Salze-Lozac’h drew from the Foundation’s economic work to provide feedback and suggestions for the growth and evolution of the index. “Our experience with The Asia Foundation’s Economic Governance Indexes is that there is a big difference between the policies in place and the way they are implemented and, thus, experienced by the business community or the citizens,” Salze-Lozac’h said.
The Asia Foundation has a long history of supporting economic growth across Asia through both public and private channels. The Foundation’s approach is to empower local entrepreneurs with the tools, information, and resources they need to seize business opportunities and to work with government, local authorities, and civil society to improve business environments at the regional, national or local levels.