Aid-for-trade workshop - "Transformation and promoting rural economy"

Rural development is integral to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. In least developed, and in many other developing countries, most people still live in rural areas, face limited economic opportunities and encounter a high incidence of poverty. Limited access to backbone services such as power, water, transport, digital connectivity and finance are among a range of constraints that reduce possibilities for value addition in the rural economy and productivity growth in agriculture. Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, youth and women also face specific issues in the rural economy, including in least developed countries.

Rural development and transformation is a policy priority for developing countries and their development financing partners. The 2019 Aid-for-Trade Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) exercise captures valuable insights on partners' and donors' rural development policies. The M&E exercise highlights progress made in agricultural export diversification and obstacles that continue to inhibit progress in the agricultural sector, and for the development of the rural economy more broadly. The Workshop seeks to further develop insights captured in the 2019 M&E exercise, including in relation to agricultural and rural economic empowerment.

The Workshop will discuss the role that Aid for Trade can play in promoting transformation and rural economy through capacity building, financing programmes, and multi-stakeholder dialogue. It will explore experience of rural development, discuss policy perspectives, and exchange experiences at the national and regional level.