With great expectations we have carried on with the preparations for the International Forum.

Following the recommendations received over the course of this work, the Forum will basically provide an opportunity for open discussion among government officials, political advisors and experts who are involved in issues related to sustainable urban development and cooperation for development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The participants’ accumulated expertise as well as their responsibility in the Forum in terms of the new challenges in sustainable urban development, allow us to guarantee that we will be sharing an event at an international level of excellence. In addition, the interaction we propose will provide an opportunity to identify new avenues for responsible and solidarity-driven action in the promotion of knowledge networks as agents of effective change in the region.

Dr. Roberto Savio, Executive Secretary for the International Development Association, will direct discussions and messages of the political leaders participating at the Forum sessions. The general coordination of preliminary activities will be by Dr. Federico Burone, Executive Director of the Environmental Management Secretariat for Latin America and the Caribbean (EMS/IDRC-Canada). Walter Ubal, Clara Saavedra and María Noel Estrada are the members of EMS/IDRC coordination team.

The majority of participants have contributed to the definition of the structure and working modality; attached you will find the Preliminary Agenda and the List of Participants.

The website for this Forum will be available on Monday, 18 December (http:www.ems-sema.org/forolac). The website will allow access to information on the meeting as well as on the city of Montevideo, the hotel that will host the meeting and accommodate the participants; the weather and other facts of interest to make your trip, participation and stay more comfortable.

A channel for communications -- to interact with the other participants prior to the meeting in Montevideo --will also be available through the website.

Access to the website is limited to participants only. To access, you should enter the following data:

- Username: forolac
- Your password: feb-2001

On 25 January we will get in touch with you again to share a brief, basic document on the discussions and work of the Forum. In the meantime, the Forum director and coordination team will keep in touch with all the participants. We are at your disposal for whatever queries you may have regarding the preparation of your participation.

Please contact:

- Dr. Federico Burone
e-mail: fburone@idrc.org.uy

- Clara Saavedra
e-mail: csaavedra@idrc.org.uy

- María Noel Estrada
e-mail: mestrada@idrc.org.uy

Tel: (598-2) 902-2031/34
(598-2) 902-2037/43
Fax: (598-2) 902-0223|