European Development Days is Europe’s premier forum on international affairs and development cooperation. An annual gathering of the European development community, it is structured as an open and collaborative platform that brings together hundreds of development advocates, decision-makers and practitioners. Political leaders and world-renowned authorities on development have used this Forum as a springboard for their ideas.

The theme of this year’s European Development Days in Brussels, 16 & 17 October 2012 is: Supporting inclusive and sustainable growth for human development. Participants at the European Development Days 2012 will focus discussions on innovative models and new approaches to private-public collaboration that can help create direct economic opportunities for the poor by increasing their participation in the economy in terms of jobs and access to basic social services, infrastructure goods and markets.

EDD participants will also explore the interlinkages in the nexus of inclusive and sustainable growth and debate how to engage the private sector, how to empower people and how to build resilient communities. At this year’s conference, UNCDF will join these important discussions through its participation in seperate events which will take place on October 17, 2012.

1. Making Finance Work for Inclusive Development, a High Level Panel co-organized by the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP), International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC), International Finance Corporation (IFC), United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). The event will showcase how finance can work for inclusive development, highlighting innovative approaches to tackling the needs of specific vulnerable groups and sectors of society in developing countries. It will make specific policy recommendations on what further actions are needed to close the financial inclusion gap. Web Live-stream: http://live.eudevdays.eu/live?video_id=1024199
2. The CleanStart Project Lab, Organized by UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), a technical panel discussion which will focus on actions needed to expand the energy value chain for poor people, with a particular focus on the role of finance, as well as provide insights into the role of the European development community in advancing this important agenda. Please find the details on http://eudevdays.eu/en/event/hlp/clean-start-program