Liberia's Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs, Amara Konneh is representing the country at a high-level meeting of international partners convening at the 2010 Brookings Blum Roundtable in Aspen, Colorado.

According to a Media Advisory from the Ministry's Communications Office, this year's roundtable will convene international thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and practitioners to focus on development assistance reform for the 21st century in an informal setting.

Minister Konneh, who is among a select group of individuals from the around the world, was highly recommended when organizers were reviewing potential participants with leading voices from developing countries.

According to the organizers, the Liberian Executive is one of the most anticipated guests, which is no small feat among this group that includes former Vice President Al Gore, Donald Kaberuka President of the African Development Bank, Madeline K.

Albright former US Secretary of State, the World Bank Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, UNDP Administrator Helen Clarke and current USAID Administrator Raj Shah.

Liberia's perspective is an important component of the planned discussion especially for the session on U.S. development policy reform, which includes Minister Konneh on the agenda. His participation in the intensive discussions will offer valuable opportunities for him to engage potential partners in an effort to identify concrete actions for reforming development policies and international assistance, and to keep Liberia on the front burner in the international community.

A high-level group of U.S. and international participants at the Roundtable will consider how efforts to promote aid effectiveness can better reflect current realities and the anticipated shape of the global development agenda over the next decade and beyond.

The sessions will serve as a prime opportunity to discuss new approaches by the U.S. government within the broader shifting development landscape.

The discussion will also be a valuable precursor to upcoming international meetings on improving development effectiveness.

Before leaving for the roundtable, Minister Konneh assured his staff that he will attempt to provide a "reality check on aid effectiveness in Liberia and Liberia's progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals", the theme for world leaders convening at the UN in September.

Richard C. Blum, founder of the Blum Center for Developing Economies at Berkeley, and Strobe Talbott and Kemal DerviÅŸ of the Brookings Institution will co-host the conference. Walter Isaacson of the Aspen Institute and Mary Robinson of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative will serve as honorary co-chairs.

The roundtable will consist of three half-day sessions from August 4-6, 2010 and conclude with a joint dinner with the Aspen Strategy Group on Friday, August 6, hosted by Richard Blum and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.

The Brookings Blum Roundtable is an annual forum for global leaders to discuss innovative ideas and advance groundbreaking initiatives to alleviate global poverty.

Roundtable participants have convened each August to explore timely subjects ranging from the emergent new players in the international donor community to the poverty-insecurity nexus.

Through these valuable dialogues and connections, the Brookings Blum Roundtable is taking promising steps forward in shaping the policy debate and affecting broad changes on the ground in the fight against global poverty. The Brookings Blum Roundtable chairs include Richard C. Blum, Walter Isaacson, Mary Robinson, and Strobe Talbott.

Minister Konneh is championing the development of Liberia's Aid Policy along with Finance Minister Augustine K. Ngafuan and other stakeholders as the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs along with the Governance Commission begins crafting Liberia's long-term vision and development strategy that aims to make Liberia a middle income country by 2030.

The policy, when concluded and approved by Cabinet, will improve aid effectiveness in Liberia by upholding the principles of the Paris Declaration.