People living in the rural peripheries, and especially women, shoulder the burden of the world's poverty, particularly in the Least Developed Countries and sub-Saharan Africa. Reducing urban-rural disparities and gender inequalities is a crucial element for any poverty reduction strategy. Mobilizing the potential productivity of rural people and particularly of women is indispensable to achieve the resilient economic growth that will pull people above the poverty line. The RWE Programme aims at promoting a conducive business environment and at building institutional and human capacities that will encourage and support the entrepreneurial initiatives of rural people and women.

Part 1 of this brochure describes the challenges to be addressed, followed by a description of UNIDO's approach, services and methodologies for rural and women entrepreneurship development in Part 2. Project experiences are presented in Part 3, illustrating the results UNIDO has achieved through its technical cooperation projects.