Challenge for economic development agencies

A conference entitled "The challenge of the late 1990s for economic development agencies" will be held in Brussels, Belgium, from 10 to 11 April 1997. The conference is being organized by EURADA, the European Association of Development Agencies.

The EURADA conference will bring together representatives of regional development agencies from all OECD countries (currently 29 countries, including all 15 EU Member States), and will be addressed by speakers from Europe, the USA and relevant international organizations, including the World Bank and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

The programme will include a plenary session which will cover the forthcoming challenges for regional development agencies. Approaches of development agencies in different countries, including the USA and Europe, will be compared. The plenary session will also discuss the role of UNIDO and the World Bank in supporting economic development and, more specifically, SME development. A keynote speech on cooperation between the USA and Europe will be delivered by Sir Leon Brittan, European Commissioner for external relations and trade policy.

Four parallel workshops will cover the following topics:

- Creating a world class workforce;
- Growing small businesses - How development agencies can support innovation in the private sector;
- Development finance - trends in participating regions;
- The role of the information highway and intellectual capital in growing local economies.
For further information, please contact:

EURADA
12 avenue des Arts, Box 7
B-1210 Brussels
Fax +32-2-2184583
E-mail: eurada@compuserve.com