South and South-East Asia Conference

'Knowledge sharing and the way forward':

The South and South-East Asia Conference on Local Economic Development (LED), organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, concluded recently, drawing to a close a very successful two-day conference that saw the participation of more than 170 participants.

The conference was supported by ILO Enter-Growth, ILO International Training Centre, the Ministry of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion, USAID funded CORE Project, The Asia Foundation and the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), all of whom also contributed to the conference program.

In the light of the growing attention of governments and development agencies to LED as a strategy for poverty reduction and eliminating disparities between different parts of a country as well as a response to the current global economic situation, the conference was most opportune in terms of timing and content.

At the conference, LED practitioners in the region shared their experiences, identified key challenges for LED and discussed lessons learnt in different locations. Practical examples of LED approaches and results, such as public-private dialogue, employment creation and decent work, more competitive business and financial services, and how to create a vibrant business environment, were presented and discussed.

LED practitioners and experts from the Philippines, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka presented their experiences while Government, private sector and NGO representatives from almost all regions in Sri Lanka also participated.