In Washington, D.C.:
Rebecca Ong
Phone: (202) 458-0434                        
E-mail: rong@worldbank.org

Maria Alexandra Velez
Phone: (202) 458-8789
E-mail: mvelezhenao@ifc.org


Washington, D.C., October 23, 2008—The World Bank and IFC will venture inside the online virtual world of Second Life to launch the Doing Business 2009 report to millions of people in the digital community. The two-hour event will be held on “This Second Island” at 11:00 am EST (8:00 am PST/ Second Life Time) 2:00 pm EST (11:00 am PST/Second Life Time) on Thursday, October 30, 2008.

Second Life is an online, virtual world created by its users, also known as residents. Besides residents from North America and Europe, more than one in five residents logs on to the virtual site from Africa, Asia, or Latin America.

The World Bank and IFC hope to use Second Life to reach business owners, investors, aid donors, and other people interested in the findings of the Doing Business report. The event will be an open forum where policymakers and the public from around the world can ask questions, challenge the findings, and contribute to a global business dialogue aimed at stimulating reforms that help improve the business environment, creating more business startups, job opportunities, and economic growth.

“For the second time we are hosting the virtual launch of the Doing Business report that compares how easy it is for people to start and operate a business in 181 economies. Our message is simple—good rules make for good business,” said Dahlia Khalifa, Senior Private Sector Development Specialist. She also noted that last year’s virtual launch reached more than 1,000 residents from over 100 countries and was very rewarding.

Doing Business ranks economies based on 10 indicators of business regulation that record the time and cost to meet government requirements in starting and operating a business, trading across borders, paying taxes, and closing a business. The rankings do not reflect such areas as macroeconomic policy, quality of infrastructure, currency volatility, investor perceptions, or crime rates.

For more information about Doing Business and the virtual launch, visit www.doingbusiness.org.