The Annual conference was jointly organized by the PNoWB, the French National Assembly and the World Bank Group; in close cooperation with the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA); and with the support of the French Government; the French Bilateral Development Agency AFD; the International Monetary Fund; and the German Marshall Fund.

This gathering provided a platform for open dialogue and debate on major development and poverty issues among legislators from around the world, heads of development agencies, and other development actors. 260 MPs and development leaders from across the world had the opportunity to hear from, and interact directly with amongst others French Minister for the Economy, Industry and Employment Christine Lagarde, World Bank President Robert Zoellick, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Nobel Economics Laureate Michael Spence.

The conference sought to provide participating MPs with practical knowledge, conceptual tools and other resources to address central issues on the international agenda, including climate change, the food crisis and how to make development aid more effective, fostering development at the country and regional level. 

PNoWB Annual Conference in Paris was also the opportunity for the association to conduct its general assembly and elect a new Board of 12 members with a gender and geographical balance. Hugh Bayley from the UK House of Commons was re-appointed Chair by the new Board.

Paris conference took place during the EU-Presidency of France, less than a week after the November 15 summit of the G20 to address the financial crisis; one month after the Annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group; two months after the Accra High-Level Forum; and one week prior to the Financing for Development conference in Doha set to review the implementation of the Monterrey consensus.

All the pictures, the list of participants and the contacts of the speakers will soon be available online.