Mercy Corps Scotland Hosts World Conference

Mercy Corps International
Friday, 16 June 2000

Field directors and senior staff from 25 countries will gather in Edinburgh, Scotland next week for Mercy Corps' world conference. The focus of the conference will be on developing the agency's strategy of social entrepreneurship and honing its problem-solving approach to international crises and the needs of countries in transition.

"This is a remarkable opportunity to share lessons learned," says Mercy Corps CEO Neal Keny-Guyer, "Our goal is to ensure that our programs both achieve measurable results and lay the groundwork for addressing the root causes of poverty and conflict."

The conference theme, E = MC2000, reflects the dynamism of the agency, which has tripled in size over the past three years. At the same time, Mercy Corps has maintained an excellent record of stewardship. More than 94% of the agency's resources are allocated directly to programs that help those in need. Mercy Corps currently works in 25 countries and has an annual budget of more than $100 million.

The conference is being hosted by Mercy Corps Scotland, the Edinburgh-based European headquarters of Mercy Corps. Mercy Corps Scotland was formerly known as Scottish European Aid (SEA), an agency founded in 1990 to assist children in Romanian orphanages. In 1992, SEA started work in Bosnia, assisting in relief, recovery, and infrastructure rehabilitation as a key UN partner. In 1996, SEA and Mercy Corps merged, ultimately creating Mercy Corps Scotland.

Together Mercy Corps' US and European headquarters offices manage programs serving 3 million people in countries in crisis or transition, such as Kosovo, Lebanon, Mongolia and North Korea.

The world conference will be held on the University of Edinburgh campus on June 21-25, followed by regional meetings focusing on the Balkans and Central Asia.

For more information, or to contact Mercy Corps International, see their website at: www.mercycorps.org