Press release
Our Rural Future: Ireland to host major OECD International Rural Development Conference in 2022
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has today announced that Ireland will host the 13th OECD International Rural Development Conference in 2022.
The Conference will bring more than 250 delegates including Ministers, policy-makers and practitioners from right across the OECD region to Ireland to consider the theme of ‘Building Sustainable, Resilient and Thriving Rural Places’.
It is the first time that Ireland has hosted such a conference and follows on from the publication of the Government’s rural development policy, Our Rural Future.
Announcing the Conference, Minister Humphreys said:
“Ireland is fully committed to sustainable and inclusive rural development and hosting this significant International Conference in next year is a further demonstration of Ireland’s leadership in this area.The publication of ‘Our Rural Future’ earlier this year was a milestone moment for rural development in Ireland. It situates rural development as being central to our national economic, social and environmental wellbeing. This Conference is an opportunity for Ireland to host discussions between OECD Members on how to advance our shared ambitions for rural areas, sharing Ireland’s experience and learning from others across the OECD region".
Welcoming Ireland’s decision to host the Conference, the Deputy Secretary General of the OECD Yoshiki Takeuchi said
“I warmly welcome Ireland's decision to host the 13th Rural Development Conference on Building Sustainable, Resilient and Thriving Rural Places in 2022. As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to ensure that all people and places, including rural regions, benefit from the recovery. The Conference is a unique forum for policy makers to engage in dialogue and exchange best practices for rural development.”
More details about the Conference, including registration related information, will be available early in 2022.
The event is intended to be held in person subject to prevailing public health guidelines.
ENDS
Our Rural Future
Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It represents a new milestone in the approach to rural development policy for Ireland and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.
The policy’s objectives will be achieved through the delivery of more than 150 commitments to be implemented across a range of government departments and agencies.
OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental economic organisation with 38 Member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade.
It is a forum of countries committed to democracy and the market economy, providing a platform to compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practices and coordinate domestic and international policies of its members.
OECD Rural Conference
The OECD Rural Conference is a high-profile international policy and political forum for OECD Member countries to discuss rural development in a holistic manner, with each conference having a specific thematic focus. The OECD has organised 12 conferences thus far, most recently in Korea in 2019 which focused on Rural Well-being.
The Conferences typically attract in the region of 300 delegates with target participants being Ministers and other senior policy-makers from OECD member and partner countries, as well as practitioners from national, regional and local levels, international experts and representatives from the private sector and from civil society.