In 1995, CSD employed 37 staff members of which 20 were professional and 17 were support staff. The high quality and dedication of all its staff certainly made possible the results achieved. Proper financial management and accurate recordkeeping contributed to the Center's overall efficiency and control. In its effort towards good governance and transparency, the Center underwent its first external audit in 1992-1993. This audit was sponsored and commissioned by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and carried out by Coopers & Lybrand.

The external audits for 1994 and 1995 were assigned to Price Waterhouse; their independent opinion and CSD's financial statements for 1995 follow.

The Center places particular emphasis on its organizational structure and internal communications. Because of its diverse activities and areas of research, CSD believes that streamlined administrative and management procedures are an important prerequisite for the efficient implementation of its projects.

Senior staff and project coordinators meet on a weekly basis. Monthly and weekly lists of regular and special activities and highlights are prepared and distributed.

The financial and administrative regulations, drafted in 1994, assist management and staff in their daily operational tasks.

Some improvements to the premises that host the Center were made during 1995 such as the renovation of the library and book storage facilities, the acquisition of audio equipment for simultaneous interpretation for the conference room, and the refurbishing of the CEELI/ABA offices and the garden.

Management consultancy for capacity building, sponsored by a USAID project grant, was carried out by Mr. Pasquale Ferraro, Deputy Director and Head of Administration and Finance of the International Development Law Institute (IDLI), Rome. Mr. Ferraro, an expert on management of non-profit organizations, implemented his consultancy during a series of four visits to the Center, the latest one of which in May 1995, advising on structure and governance, financial planning and accounting, control and audit procedures and fund raising. Particular attention was devoted to methodologies concerning internal communications in order to enhance information sharing and staff motivation.