Meeting with Counterpart Learning Professionals through the learn4dev Network

The CEF attended meetings of the learn4dev Core Group and the learn4dev Organizational Learning (OLEG) Expert Group. As a co-organizer of the 2014 learn4dev Annual Meeting, we shared our experience with this year’s meeting organizers, the European Commission and the UK Department for International Development (DfID). In addition we contributed to the discussion in the OLEG group by presenting our role of a regional knowledge hub and how we do development differently. DfID expressed interest for its staff to attend the CEF training on the art of knowledge exchange.

The planning and preparation process for the 2015 Annual Meeting that will take place in East Kilbride, Scotland, 15-17 June, 2015 are under way. We discussed the progress in preparations and shared our experiences and ideas with the organizers. We also exchanged information about what’s happening in the field of development cooperation and were informed about the current activities of the learn4dev Expert Groups.

Meeting of the OLEG expert group was held back-to-back to the Core Group meeting. The group was set up in September 2014 to enable members to share knowledge, experience and learn more about how organizations learn. The group seeks to understand how organizations have used learning to address challenges, embed a culture of learning and continue to learn. Currently seven bilateral and multilateral donors expressed interest to be active in the OLEG: besides CEF also DfID, European Commission, GIZ, LuxDev, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

The meetings took place in Stockholm on January 28–30, 2015.

About learn4dev:

learn4dev is a joint donors’ competence development network and an open forum for donor agencies and multilateral organizations. Its objective is to promote improved aid effectiveness for poverty reduction by enhancing donor cooperation in the field of competence development and training.

It works with three different components to develop members' competences. Expert Groups concentrate knowledge in specific areas where members want to learn. A Core Group promotes better co-operation by organizing learn4dev's Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting helps the network achieve better communication and development.