A review of the 5th World Forum Convergences 2015

-By Development Network- From the 19th -21st September 2012,    The 5th edition of the World Forum Convergences 2015  brought together over 5,000 participants: 4,000 decision-makers and experts from the public, private, and solidarity-based sectors were present + 1,000 youths ready to get involved + 300 international speakers who came to share their solutions + 200 journalists invited to reflect upon the role of the media > Over 5,000 participants at the Forum: we achieved a global and intersectoral mobilisation! * With over 4,000 professionals, the World Forum brought together key actors from the public, private and solidarity-based sectors committed to the fight against poverty,as well as over 1,000 youths involved in the movement "Youth We Can", and 200 journalists who attended the evening event "Can the media change the world?". >Find highlights of the 3 days online Over 50 workshops, round tables, conferences and grand debates were held at the Palais Brongniart and Paris City Hall. Over the 56 sessions, experts and decision-makers from the public, private and solidarity-based sectors shared experiences, exchanged their viewpoints, and addressed strong messages. Grouped into 17 thematic focuses, these discussions dealt with issues as diverse as the social impact of microfinance, technical innovation in the agricultural sector, and the role of banks.  >Watch and listen to the Forum's sessions. 300 international decision-makers and experts The Forum was host to prestigious speakers such as Michel Barnier, Simon Compaoré, Antoine Frérot, BenoîtHamon, Anne Hidalgo, Martin Hirsch, Jeremy Hobbs, Nicolas Hulot, Alain Juppé, Stéphane Richard, Michel Rocard, Louis Schweitzer, François Villeroy de Galhau, andmany more... > Find the 300 prestigious speakers in the Forum's Who`s Who. A Professional Marketplace: joining forces to create innovative partnerships in the fight against poverty! At the heart of the Palais Brongniart, the Professional Marketplace offered over 50 stalls for the Forum's 5,000 participants. It brought together professionals from the private (Unilever France, KPMG, ...), public (City of Paris, European Commission, ...) and solidarity-based (Agence Française de Développement, Vision du monde, ...) sectors. The 2012 edition of the Forum demonstrated the potential of the Professional Marketplace to act as a true platform of exchanges, mobilisation and synergiesin order to create innovative partnerships to fight poverty! The laureates of the 2nd Convergences 2015 Awards: Entreprendre pour Humaniser la DépendanceandPrakti Design In partnership with the City of Paris, Le Monde, the European Commission and FACTS, the Convergences 2015 Awards reward innovative partnerships towards poverty alleviation through creative and viable projects. The 2nd edition of the Convergences 2015 Awards gave the France Award to the projet « Vie Grande Ouverte » of Entreprendre pour Humaniser la Dépendancein partnership with Habitat et Humanisme and the Université Catholique de Lyon and theInternational Awardwas given to the social enterprise Prakti Design in partnership with Skillmech.       >Have a look at the Presentation of the Convergences 2015 Awards (in French). > Commit to the Global Appeal for responsible microfinance and  to the New Paris Appeal for the future Millennium Goals The Global Appeal for responsible microfinance Following the "Paris Appeal for responsible microfinance", launched during the 4th edition of the World Forum Convergences 2015, the 5th edition of the Forum renewed, reinforced and widened its call for microfinance to serve poverty reduction and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals through the "Global Appeal for responsible microfinance". To increase the impact of microfinance, all actors - microfinance institutions, regulators, policy makers, investors, researchers, and financers, must play their part. Support this Appeal and join the 500 organisations and 1,000 individuals who have already signed it on www.appeldeparis.org. The New Paris Appeal for the future Millennium Goals for Sustainable and Equitable Development 3 years to the Millennium Development Goals deadline, the 5th edition of the Convergences 2015 Forum launched a New Paris Appeal for the definition of new Millennium Goals for Sustainable and Equitable Development. For these goals to stem from the experience of the past decades, and to be as inclusive as possible, all actors - governments, businesses, associations, local authorities, civil society, must be mobilised in a co-construction approach. Only then can the objectives meet the requirements of universality, inclusiveness, adaptation, appropriation, operationality, balance and rationality. -For more Articles and Information:  http://www.developmentnetwork.co.nr/