The Milan Congress under the theme “No Longer Left Behind: Mediterranean Rural Communities – National and Regional Policies favouring Neighbours’ Development”. The Congress is a result of GFAR and the Foundation for South North Mediterranean Dialogue (FSNMD) working together over the course of 2014 and 2015 in a series of Mediterranean sub-regional consultations (Greece, Egypt, France, and Morocco) about the current state and future of their rural communities and landscapes.

The Milan Congress brings farmers, entrepreneurs and professionals from both South and North of the Mediterranean (including some countries of the Middle East e.g. Jordan, Lebanon, Syria) to the table at the Milan Expo 2015 on 4-6 October 2015 to identify their desired visions for the future of rural communities and determine the concrete steps required to get there. A GCARD3 regional consultation Middle East North Africa has been included in the program on 5 October.