topics

The forum will be forward-looking towards emerging issues of major concern for achieving impact in growth and poverty reduction, and will have a practical focus on improving rural development policies and programmes. It will bring attention to the important economic, social and environmental changes underway in rural areas, and discuss the necessary responses, emphasising operational issues of improving aid delivery and coordination. Its principal (but not exclusive) geographical focus will be on sub-Saharan Africa, which is increasingly seen as the major focus for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

The provisional list of topics is indicated below and the key questions to be addressed under each can be found by clicking on the links below. The topics and questions were selected on the basis of the results of an online poll completed by over 160 participants.

Theme 1
Rural livelihoods in Africa in the face of globalisation

Theme 2
Environmental issues in rural development

Theme 3
Economic and political reforms required to support rural development in Africa

Theme 4
Regional integration in Africa and its implications for rural development

Theme 5
Aid effectiveness, harmonisation and alignment

partners: European Commission. Directorate General Development and Relations with African, Caribbean and Pacific States | Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations | Global Donor Platform for Rural Development | Department for International Development (DFID), UK | Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany | Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France | Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Development Cooperation, The Netherlands | Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Switzerland | Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) | Deutsche Gesellschaft für technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, Germany | InWEnt Capacity - Building International, Germany