June 08, 2006
Bill Clinton, Hernando de Soto, Nicholas Negroponte to speak at IDB conference, June 12-13
At launching of Building Opportunity for the Majority initiative for low-income people in Latin America and the Caribbean
President Bill Clinton, development economist Hernando de Soto and technology innovator Nicholas Negroponte will be among the keynote speakers at the June 12-13 Building Opportunity for the Majority conference organized by the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C.
The event, which will take place in the IDB Conference Center (1330 New York Ave, NW), will mark the launching of the Building Opportunity for the Majority initiative proposed by the IDB’s new president, Luis Alberto Moreno.
Under this plan, the IDB will work more closely with the private sector and civil society to bring the benefits of economic progress to people living below or just above the poverty line in Latin America and the Caribbean. The conference’s panels will highlight cases of companies and nonprofit organizations that are successfully meeting the needs of low-income people in areas such as housing, microfinance, public services, infrastructure, employment and technology.
Moreno, Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez of Honduras, Telmex Chairman Carlos Slim and De Soto, president of the Liberty and Democracy Institute (ILD) of Lima, Peru, will speak at the opening of the conference, scheduled for 9 a.m. on Monday, June 12.
De Soto, known internationally for his work on the underground economy in developing nations, will present the results of an ILD investigation on informality and “dead capital” – assets such as unregistered businesses and land – in 12 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Jamaica’s new prime minister, Portia Simpson Miller, will deliver remarks at Monday’s luncheon (at 1 p.m., by invitation). Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of the One Laptop per Child foundation, will speak at 2:45 p.m., preceding a panel on access to information and communication technologies.
Pres. Clinton is scheduled to deliver his remarks at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 13. At 10:15 a.m. Jonathan Lash, president of the Washington, D.C.-based World Resources Institute, will present a study on the market power of low-income people in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The IDB conference will also feature a technology fair where companies and nonprofit organization will show how they are providing access to water, electricity, healthcare, housing and financial services to low-income people in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The fair will be held in the atrium of the IDB’s main building (1300 New York Ave, NW) on Tuesday, June 13 and Wednesday, June 14.
Voice of America will transmit live and taped portions of the conference via satellite to Latin America and the Caribbean. The following are the satellite coordinates:
NSS 806 319.5º East
Transponder: 14A/14A
U/L Frequency: 6205.5 MHz
D/L Frequency: 3980.5 MHz
FEC: 3/4Symbol Rate: 17.8 MSym/s
Network ID: 2
D/L Polarization: Right-Hand Circular
Typical LO Frequency: 5150 MHz
Typical L-band IF: 1169.5 MHzVideo Format: NTSC
Also available in: Português, Español
© 2006 Inter-American Development Bank
