Our Bureau

Kochi , Dec. 29

THE Institute of Small Enterprises and Development (ISED) will be organising a two-day international conference on Local Economic Development and Small and Medium Enterprises on January 18 and 19.

"An appropriate backdrop has come in the form of the World Mayor's Conference to be held at Kochi on January 21-23, which has also adopted Millennium Development Goals as its theme," Mr P.M. Mathew, Director of the Institute, said.

The United Nations as a whole has by now accepted the positive relationship between globalisation and poverty. It is this understanding that has led to Millennium Development Goals of the UN, under which the role of small and micro enterprises have been highlighted, a press release here said.

The conference will deliberate on the implications of Millennium Development Goals in the context of local economic development imperatives of India and other developing countries. Since small and micro enterprises are the major means of triggering local economic development, the conference will focus on various aspects of this sector, against the backdrop of globalisation. In countries such as India, the thinking on local governance is still largely confined to the political aspects of local administration, the release said.

The conference, which will have participation from more than 10 countries, is actively supported by ILO, the Union Ministry of Small Scale Industries, Planning Commission, financial institutions and several academic institutions. Experts from Bologna in Italy will lead a discussion on experience and challenges of industrial clusters

Similarly, experts from the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, will anchor discussions on social capital, poverty reduction programmes and self help groups. The conference is expected to come out with the `Cochin Declaration on Small and Medium Enterprises Development'.

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