Around one hundred chief executives, board members and senior officers of ADFIAP member-DFIs as well as representatives from ADFIAP partner-regional and international organizations convened at the Sokha Angkor Resort Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia from November 17 to 19, 2010 for the annual “by-invitation only” CEO Forum, now on its 7th edition, with the theme “Sustainable SMEs through Value Chain Financing”, organized in cooperation with ADFIAP member, the Rural Development Bank of Cambodia (RDB).
The event was formally opened by H.E. Keat Chhon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance of the Royal Government of Cambodia. The host-bank’s Chairman and CEO, H.E. Son Koun Thor and ADFIAP Chairman and General Manager & CEO of DFCC Bank Sri Lanka, Mr. Nihal Fonseka, welcomed the delegates.

In the inaugural speech, H.E. Keat Chhon said that under the wisest leadership of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia, SMEs in Cambodia have been receiving continued support from the Royal Government especially with the implementation of the "Rectangular Stretegy for Growth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency, Phase II". Most recently, the Royal Government is currently carrying out specific policies and measures aimed at strengthening and building capacity of farmers and farmer communities for paddy production and rice processing for export with the official launch of the Policy Paper on the Promotion of Paddy Production and Rice Export.

H.E. Deputy Prime Minister also emphasized that :

<< Resultwise, these efforts haev contributed, generally speaking and in specific measureable terms for SMEs, to the Royal Government's achievement of an average annual growth rate of 9% within this last decade. According to the United Nations, this miraculous growth rate has catapulted Cambodia to join the ranks of one the 20 countries which could have to potential to achieve the 9 Millennium Goals, in terms of reducing the poverty rate from 47% in 1997 down to 20.7% in 2009 and with the prospect to further decrease to only around 26% in 2010 as compared to the target rate of 19.5% in 2015. This evidence unambiguously confirms the Royal Government of Cambodia's ability to reduce its poverty rate around 1% annual in line with the ambitious Cambodian MDGs. >>

In the concluding remarks of the inaugural speech, H.E. Keat Chhon strongly encouraged all the honored guest and participants in this forum to share their good experiences and seek new lessons and best practices on the topic of the forum. H.E. Deputy Prime Minister also wished the distinguished delegates, all participants of the forum, national and international distinguished guests a nice and pleasurable stay in Angkor, and welcomed the foreign delegates to the Kingdom of Cambodia, the "Kingdom of Wonder".

The host-bank's Chairman and CEO, H.E. Son Koun Thor and ADFIAP Chairman and General Manager & CEO of DFCC Bank Sri Lanka, Mr Nihal Fonseka, welcomed the delegates.

Two pre-Forum events were also held, one on key performance indicators for DFIs, (Click Here for more details- Go to ADFIAP website).

and the other on environmental cooperation for DFIs (ADFIAP-JBIC Joint Program on Environmental Cooperation Framework )

During the Forum proper, invited practitioners and experts made presentations and elicited discussions on topics like new sources of growth in the post financial crisis, value chain financing in agriculture, financing start-ups and franchising, innovative financing strategies and SME best practices and financing models.

Find more a detailed program, Please click here to download (in *.pdf format)

CEO-FORUM-VII-Programme1.pdf

The CEO Forum was also an occasion for the ADFIAP Board of Directors to meet for the second time during the year to approve, among others, the Association’s budget, new members and new initiatives for 2011. The last day was allotted as a fellowship day which has afforded the delegates an opportunity to know each other and savor the local culture and sights in a more relaxing way.

The CEO Forum is an annual event that serves as a venue for chief executives and senior officers from ADFIAP member-institutions and partners to stay abreast of current issues and challenges in sustainable development. The next CEO Forum VIII will be held in Thimpu, Bhutan to be hosted by ADFIAP member-institutions there