UNDP and its partners in the “Linking Eastern Anatolia to Progress-LEAP” project came together on the 24th of March 2006, in Ankara to discuss the progress and impact of the project, which is being implemented in Eastern Anatolia since 2001 in order to support social and economic development of the region, especially in participatory rural development, rural tourism and local entrepreneurship.

In addition to representatives from Ataturk University, there was a wide range of participants from government organizations (including Ministry of Agriculture, State Planning Organization, GAP Regional Development Agency), NGOs from the region (Erzurum and Bayburt Chamber of Trade and Industry) and international organizations, at the meeting.

After the welcoming speeches delivered by Jakob Simonsen (UNDP Resident Representative) and Prof. Ziya Yurttas (National Program Coordinator), progress in three different components of the project has been presented by the project partners/staff. Ahmet Saltik from Sur-Kal (Sustainable Rural and Urban Development Association) made a presentation on the rural development component, Kenan Bayraktar, Tourism Coordinator, presented the initiatives in rural tourism in Coruh valley and Erol Cakmak, the Project Manager presented the entrepreneurial activities as well as the broader project activities. Following the discussions, external impact evaluation was shared with the Steering Committee members.

The evaluation report findings can be summarized as:

- the project achieved significant success in capacity building; the concept of civil society and the power of collective action were demonstrated through three components
- human capital potential increased
- a number of civil society organizations established or strengthened with the support of the project
- sustainability of the programme activities were ensured especially in rural development component with District Development Councils

The report also addresses a number of lessons learned:

- The focus of LEAP Project has been too broad to maximize impact
- There should have been stronger synergy between the three components
- In the future, the project should engage relevant Ministries more centrally to maximize impact and sustainability

The presentations were followed by a discussion session, where representatives from relevant government agencies and beneficiaries of the project exchanged views on how to increase impact and cooperation with relevant institutions. The participants drew attention to the importance of participatory methods in any development initiative and provision of support for associations and organizational skills is essential for sustainability issues.

The participants also discussed potential mainstreaming of District Development Councils into planning, implementation and monitoring of any rural development initiative. The partners also discussed the experience of Bayburt Chamber of Commerce and natural stone sector as a best practice example of local ownership among partners.

LEAP project began in January 2001 with the aim of supporting social and economic development in the three main areas, which are participatory rural development, rural tourism, and supporting local entrepreneurship. It is funded by the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency, UNDP and Ataturk University and aims to build good models for human centered Sustainable Human Development. LEAP promotes close working relations with central and local government institutions in the design and implementation of project activities. It also co-operates closely with local NGO's and other institutions to encourage strong ownership of the program and to ensure sustainability of the policies and structures developed. The project recently commissioned an independent evaluation to assess the impact of the activities to development of Eastern Anatolia and to provide suggestions for future/similar interventions.