Lesson Sharing
Since 1998 lesson sharing within the DFID Eastern Europe and Central Asia Department (EECAD) rural livelihoods programme has been promoted through regular cross-country seminars in which SRL project implementers across the EECAD region have participated. Project representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan (Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan up to 2001) and Georgia have met at one of the locations of the DFID livelihoods programme. For example, in Kiev we met to discuss public relation and communication aspects of Agrarian Reform; in Rostov/Russia to learn about the alternative out of court dispute resolution mechanism "Third Party Arbitration Court" (TPAC) for land and property disputes arising during land reform, in Leningrad Oblast and Moldova to review progress on implementation of comprehensive approaches in rural development which support income and employment generation.

Within the DFID Central and Southern Eastern Europe Department (CSEED) regional lesson sharing has been promoted between rural livelihoods and regional programmes in the Baltics, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Albania through joint project meetings and visits. For example the Rural Development Forum in Lubelskie, Poland in March 2002 drew participation from, and shared experiences with, other DFID projects in Poland, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (with Minister Sierkierski giving a keynote address), WB, EU, the UK's Countryside Agency, and staff from DFID offices in Russia and Ukraine. Similar events for the Hungary Regional Development Project were held in Budapest and Brussels. Within the Baltics countries regular meetings take place between the three country project managers to share experiences of the formation of local area partnerships, development of their strategies and action plans, and engagement with national policy makers and the EU.

Donor Partnerships
The potential value of these meetings has been increased by the possibility of involving other donors, such as the World Bank and EU, at a time when their strategies are under review. For example, there is a noticeable shift in the World Bank's perception of rural development in the recently published "Reaching the rural poor. An Updated Strategy for rural development". The Bank is now proposing to work with others in a broad-based global coalition to make reduction of rural poverty a major thrust for this decade.

With specific relevance to the EECAD region, the WB is planning to assist the Russian government with the preparation of a new rural development strategy, which is likely to involve the participation of DFID and their Russian project partners later this year.

In the CSEED region DFID continues to play a key role with the Albanian government, WB and IFAD in preparing its PSRP and rural development strategy, and in supporting implementation of its Mountain Areas Development Programme. In EU accession countries CSEED is supporting rural livelihoods, regional development and partnerships development approaches that are critical to reducing regional disparities and accessing the large volume of structural funds available from the EU. These approaches, and access to these funds, are likely to become relevant to a much wider range of countries currently aspiring to closer links with the EU.

The potential to use DFID programme experience to influence one or more of their main multi-lateral partners provided the rationale for a more substantial lesson learning event, with higher level of participation of regional policy makers than has previously been the case for these learning events.