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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Dear AIBEcers, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Here is an announcement about an annual
international essay competition held by The World bank and The Financial
Times. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Big Challenge! Prestigious Award! Take a look
below, if interested.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Best regards, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Anna</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I would like to bring you attention to the second
annual IFC/Financial<BR>Times Essay Competition opened on April 25, 2007. The
theme of the<BR>essay contest is "Private Sector Development: Creating
Markets,<BR>Transforming Lives." The competition closes September 30,
2007.<BR><BR>The competition is a joint initiative by IFC and the <SPAN
id=lw_1179473274_8
style="CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed; HEIGHT: 1em">Financial
Times</SPAN><BR>to solicit action-oriented essays that provide insight into
current<BR>research on private sector development, as well as ways to develop
and<BR>support the implementation of leading-edge initiatives.
Target<BR>audiences include economic and financial policymakers,
the<BR>international financial community, and international
domestic<BR>investors.<BR><BR>The top prize is $20,000 in cash. The judging
panel will also select<BR>winners for 2nd and 3rd prizes, with prize amounts to
be determined.<BR>All winning essays will be published on the IFC external Web
site and<BR>by the <SPAN id=lw_1179473274_9
style="CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed; HEIGHT: 1em">Financial
Times</SPAN> on <A href="http://ft.com/" target=_blank><SPAN id=lw_1179473274_10
style="BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%"><FONT
color=#003399>FT.com</FONT></A></SPAN> .<BR><BR>The first IFC/FT Essay
Competition last year drew more than 500<BR>entries from over 70 countries on
topics ranging from microfinance to<BR>private sector development in
post-conflict environments. The first<BR>prize winner, Professor James Tooley of
Newcastle University in the<BR><SPAN id=lw_1179473274_11
style="CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed; HEIGHT: 1em">United
Kingdom</SPAN>, was recently appointed adviser to a $100 million fund<BR>for
private schools for the poor—the subject of his research and his<BR>essay
submission. Tooley remarked, "The global distribution platform<BR>that IFC and
the <SPAN id=lw_1179473274_12
style="CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed; HEIGHT: 1em">Financial
Times</SPAN> provided gave the concept the needed<BR>profile, enhancing its
credibility."<BR><BR>Commenting on last year's winning essays, Michael Klein,
IFC Chief<BR>Economist and World Bank Group Vice President, Financial and
Private<BR>Sector Development, said, "The outstanding ideas proved that there
is<BR>a rich vein of thinking to mine among diverse professional and<BR>academic
communities. By uncovering these ideas, we can foster<BR>innovative partnerships
between the business and development<BR>communities. As last year's essays
showed, markets can indeed provide<BR>solutions for low-income citizens where
standard state- or<BR>donor-driven approaches may struggle."<BR><BR>For more
information on the competition, please visit<BR><A
href="http://www.ifc.org/competition" target=_blank><SPAN id=lw_1179473274_13
style="BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%"><FONT
color=#003399>http://www.ifc.org/competition</FONT></A></SPAN><BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>