Based on country experiences, FAO aims at further developing the concept of integrated community development for Europe and Central Asia. FAO established an informal regional technical network on community development in 2019. The 2022 workshop should help revitalize the technical network and strengthen partnerships with key regional and national actors.
On June 22,2022, SWG Secretary General, Mr. Boban presented the SWG work on Area based development (ABD) approach in the Western Balkans.
The Area Based Development (ABD) is a regional tool which facilitates sustainable growth in small and socially cohesive rural areas in decline, often characterized by common tradition and identity. Since its introduction, the ABD approach has proven to be an efficient type of action for facilitating a bottom-up approach to regional rural development and for fostering integrated economic growth in rural cross-border regions of WB.
This success comes from the fact that the approach is people-cantered, based on understanding the realities of the rural population and on the principle of their participation in determining priorities for intervention. It applies a holistic method, as it is non-sector oriented and it recognizes multiple actors, strategies and outcomes. Its activities are devoted to different dimensions of sustainability such as environmental, economic and social.
