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Media Advisory No. 0048.15 Contact: United States Hosts OECD International Conference on Rural Development with Leaders from 34 Countries U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Leads American Delegation at 10th OECD Conference in Memphis, TN, May 19-21 WASHINGTON, May 13, 2015—NEXT WEEK, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will host the 10th rural conference of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The Conference will focus on international strategies to address rural development in the 21st century, including job creation, rural service delivery, urban-rural linkages and diversified rural economic investments. The theme of this year's conference is National Prosperity Through Modern Rural Policy: Competitiveness and Well Being in Rural Regions. The conference is supported by the United States, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Mexico’s Secretariat for Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development. Secretary Vilsack will join OECD Deputy Secretary-General Mari Kiviniemi, ministers from many of the 34 OECD countries, and over 300 leading international policymakers and rural stakeholders. As part of the Conference proceedings, Secretary Vilsack will deliver a keynote speech at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tenn., and will participate in panel discussions about successful and emerging strategies to invest in rural communities for the 21 century. Since 2009, the Obama Administration with Secretary Vilsack’s leadership has invested in affordable housing, energy efficiency, roads and bridges, internet access, and provided financial support to rural businesses, helping to attract and retain a talented rural labor force, improve connectivity and access to information, move products to market, and make rural communities competitive. Vilsack’s rural strategy, called the Four Pillars of Agriculture and Rural Economic Development, will be discussed at the conference. Agenda is available on the Conference website. Members of the media can register separately for press credentials. WHEN: WHAT: WHERE: #
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