On behalf of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, Undersecretary of State Krzysztof Stanowski chaired the informal meeting attended, among others, by the EU Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs, representatives of the European Parliament Marie Michele Roth-Striffler and Louis Michel, who also acts as ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly President.

Among the invitees to the thematic sessions were: the EU Special Representative for Central Asia Pierre Morel, Bert Koenders and Talaat Abdel Malek, Co-chair of the OECD Working Party on Aid Effectiveness. On Thursday, working dinner was held with keynote speaker Minister of Health Haja Zainab Bangura of Sierra Leone who addressed the issue of importance of democracy for development.

Other issues raised included the future architecture of development financial instruments, development strategies of Central Asia and the Pacific, joint programming and aid effectiveness. The meeting’s delegates also discussed the preparations for the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid-Effectiveness, which is to be held between 29 November and 1 December 2011 in Busan.