The Regional Thematic Forum is a meeting place for representatives of civil society, government, and the private sector from Latin America to come together, promoting dialogue around issues of mutual interest from their varied perspectives. The first Regional Thematic Forum took place in October of 2001 in Mexico and addressed the issue of the empowerment of poor peoples. The second of these forums took place in Peru and focused on governability as a means to achieve empowerment. The third forum was held in Brazil and dealt with issues of integration with equality. The lessons learned at these events can be viewed at: www.worldbank.org/laccs

This fourth forum will deal with the issue of rural development and has three specific objectives:

1. To learn about the context and conditions for sustainable rural development.
2. To share and exchange lessons and experiences among actors on mechanisms to address key areas in rural development.
3. To explore opportunities for key stakeholders to assume a more effective role in advancing the mechanisms for sustainable rural development.