Bishkek hosted a meeting, "Doing Business 2009. Comparing business regulation in 181 economies," which discussed key findings of the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) report "Doing Business 2009" with a focus on Kyrgyzstan.

The meeting involved numerous governmental and ministerial officials and representatives of international and non-governmental organizations working in Kyrgyzstan, as well as the country''s President, Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

According to this report, Kyrgyzstan is a global leader in regulatory reforms to make doing business easier.

The country reformed in three of the 10 areas studied by the report between June 2007 and June 2008. It ranked third among the global top 10 regulatory reformers.

Its overall rank on the ease of doing business rose to 68 from 99.

Kyrgyzstan strengthened investor protections by amending a law to allow minority investors to take legal actions as shareholders. The country also eased business start-ups by simplifying registration procedures. Kyrgyzstan also introduced a one-stop shop for obtaining construction permits, merging the functions of several agencies.