In May 2021, Will Take Place the Vth World Forum of Local Economic Development 

The Vth World Forum on Local Economic Development in Cordoba (Argentina) already has final dates: from May 26 to June 1, 2021. Since it was not possible to hold the event in person during 2020, due to the pandemic, and given that the context of the coming months does not allow for the assurance of an in-person forum either, the National and International Committees decided to hold the event virtually, through an innovative format.

This next edition aims to reflect on Local Economic Development as a response to the crisis of COVID-19. Thus, the Forum will be an opportunity to highlight the importance of the territories, in view of the new challenges affecting societies and economies. The Global Forum will facilitate dialogue between local and regional actors from around the world, both with United Nations agencies and with economic sectors. As in previous editions, with the advent of the pandemic, the aim is to make progress in the debate on cooperation policies, but also to strengthen alliances that will help advance local economic development at the local, regional, national and international levels. All of this is in line with the commitment to the 2030 Agenda, which all the Forum's actors agree must be the reference framework for the coming years more than ever.  The Forum thus joins the call of the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, to "accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals". 

In the coming months and up to the date of the World Forum, the Organizing Committee will launch a series of preparatory webinars, to provide interesting information on how LED can address the current crisis of COVID-19. The first seminar will be held on December 17, 2020 and will be entitled "The Role of Development Agencies as Catalysts for Effective and Coordinated Recovery Efforts from a Territorial Perspective". The second webinar, led by ORU-Fogar, will be dedicated to the possibilities of economic development that the digital world offers to the territories and will be entitled "Digital Economy". It will be held on January 28, 2021. The last of these webinars, before the Forum itself, will be held on April 29, 2021, under the title "Local Economic Development and Informal Economies in the Face of the Crisis" and will be organized by ORU-Fogar and the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Here is the schedule of the different webinars planned: 

The Role of Development Agencies as Catalysts for Effective and Coordinated Recovery Efforts from a Territorial Perspective. December 17, 2020.

Digital Economy. January 28, 2021.

Fair Trade: from the Global to the Local Perspective. February 3, 2021.

Alternative Economic Paradigms as Drivers of Transformative Recovery from and through Territories. February 25, 2021.

Local Economic Development with a Gender Perspective for Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery Strategies. March 25, 2021.

Local Economic Development and Informal Economies in the Face of the Crisis. February 29, 2021.  

It should be recalled that the World Forum on Local Economic Development, a meeting place between the United Nations and the local and regional world, has an Executive Committee formed by FAMSI, UCLG, ORU-Fogar, the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Development Plan, UNDP Art. The organizers of the previous forums also constitute a support committee. Thus, Sebrae, which organized the Forum in Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil), the municipality and metropolitan city of Turin (Italy) and the Government of Cape Verde are grouped together. The Vth World Forum has a National Committee formed by the Economic Development Agency of Cordoba (ADEC), the City Council and the Regional Government of Cordoba, as well as the Government of Argentina.