Core course : Mediterranean development forum 1997 conference

The 1997 conference of the Mediterranean development forum, which comprises the World Bank and a number of partner institutions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), was held in Marrakech, Morocco, during the period May 12-17, 1997. The conference had a number of objectives, including the sharing of 'best practice' approaches to development in the region, and the creation of a dialogue involving senior government officials, the development community and the private sector within the region. The conference consisted of 12 core workshops and a large number of other events on a broad range of specialized topics, such as financial market development, water management, education reform, economic journalism and telecommunications. The conference was attended by over 650 participants. The evaluation of the conference, which was conducted by the Economic Development Institute (EDI) evaluation unit, focused on a number of key issues: whether conference participants had learned new information and best practices which they could use in their work; the extent to which regional networks had been fostered by the conference; the lessons which could be learned from the wide diversity of approaches followed in the 12 workshops; and other lessons concerning the organization of regional conferences.