Come and explore the web of networks of development practitioners, academics, and policy makers.  Find out why these networks are so vital for change agents all over the world in their quest for solutions to the challenging development issues facing our various clients.   Help us understand what makes knowledge exchange successful.

Recognizing that the Bank is just one player in the generation and sharing of development knowledge, we invite participants from other development banks, NGOs, development organizations, practitioners, and the private sector to learn together during a Peer-to-Peer Learning Workshop and Knowledge Share Fair.  We invite you to join us on a “learning journey” as we explore new and different ways to make development knowledge more impactful, and to co-create an on-line report as our journey nears its end in 2013 by incorporating the discoveries and practices gained during these and other events.

Peer-to-Peer Learning Workshop
The Workshop will establish a forum for the global development community to discuss current activities in knowledge production, knowledge sharing and knowledge management, and to share best practices.  It will bring focus to applied knowledge management activities, tools, processes and knowledge products oriented towards connecting knowledge producers (i.e. the development community, not just the Bank) and clients.  The event will be held at the Bank’s headquarters in Washington DC on June 19-20, 2012.

For the workshop, we invite submissions of no more than one page that address one or more of the following four key questions:

• What knowledge products/services do your clients need and how do you convey this knowledge to your clients?
• What are your clients’ principle sources of knowledge?
• How does your organization connect to external expertise and viewpoints and incorporate the latest development knowledge?
• How and when does knowledge flow successfully inside your organization?  What knowledge sharing practices and processes have worked or failed? 

Knowledge Share Fair
The Knowledge Share Fair will complement the peer learning workshop.  We invite submissions of no more than one page for a table and/or poster that will showcase what your organization is doing to share knowledge for development.  The goal will be to make the fair as interactive as possible, with many “take-aways” so that staff and guests come away with a greater awareness not only of all aspects of knowledge for development in action, but with practical solutions to their day-to-day work problems.  The Fair will also provide additional opportunities for networking and interactions with different development organizations. 

On receipt of the submissions for the Workshop and/or the Fair, we will create an agenda that best reflects our goals and incorporates many different types of organizations, particularly from developing countries.  It is possible that submissions will be allocated space/time in either the workshop or the share fair or both.  The event is really organized as a mutual learning event, and we encourage organizations to send attendees.  Please note that there is no reimbursement of expenses to attend the event.   For those who cannot travel to Washington DC, there will be an online component for the workshop.

Important dates:
• Deadline for proposal submission (one page only) for workshop:  March 30, 2012.  Please include name of organization, name(s) and title(s) of presenters, and topic title.
• Deadline for submissions for knowledge share fair (one page only):  March 30, 2012.  Please include content planned for display, potential header for booth, and contact person in charge of the display
• Notification to participants of acceptance/rejection: April 30, 2012
• Draft program available: April 30, 2012

For further information, please contact Lesley Shneier via email to lshneier@worldbank.org, or phone 202-473-3168.

We look forward to receiving your submissions (via email to Lshneier@worldbank.org) and welcoming you in Washington DC later this year.

Best regards