"Think global, act local. Perspectives for Rural Development"

The rural environment of the northern regions of the peninsula, such as Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country, Navarre, Aragon, La Rioja, Catalonia and the trans-Pyrenean regions have a number of common characteristics and in many cases also face similar internal and external determining factors. For this reason, the CEDERNA-GARALUR Association together with the MENDINET Association and the Association for the Development of the World Rural Forum, have considered the organization of a congress that deals with the challenges that different rural areas affront when absorbed in integrated rural development processes (LEADER, PRODER) to be relevant. The Ist Congress on Rural Development in Navarra, under the title “Think global, act local” will bring together a great number of persons related to the rural world to debate on the Perspectives for Rural Development. Its aim is to enhance an exchange of information on the realities, perspectives of the before-mentioned territories and other territories, from sectors and rural development agents with different Spheres of action. The organizing entities, consider that the analysis of different experiences and the common discussion of the problems of rural territories can be of undeniable value and serve as a source of learning and inspiration for rural development technicians and local people. This debate on the future of the application of the different Structural Funds and its impact on the rural world will take place with the participation of technicians and politicians belonging to different institutions, at world, European, national and regional levels. Those taking part in the Congress will reflect on the influence of sector policies in the rural world and how to optimize them from a territorial point of view. For this purpose, experts from international organizations will provide new information which will foster the advancement of the perspectives for these territories through the application of the new regional and European intervention framework for rural development. There will also be an exposition of experiences of interest on different LEADER and PRODER processes and territories on behalf of local persons and technicians working in this field.