Rural proofing: Policy Lab highlights report available online
- Rural Pact
- Rural Revitalisation Platform
- Stronger Rural Areas
- Connected rural areas
- Resilient rural areas
- Prosperous rural areas
Rural proofing is not a one-off check, but an ongoing process to ensure rural needs and opportunities are reflected throughout, from agenda-setting to evaluation. A recent Rural Pact Policy Lab explored how rural proofing can be more effectively embedded in policymaking at national and regional levels.
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The Policy Lab of 12 June 2025 emphasised that rural proofing requires strong political will, coordinated responsibilities, robust data, and meaningful engagement of rural communities – read more in the highlights report. The event highlighted the importance of building long-term capacity and embedding ‘rural thinking’ across all levels of governance to ensure fairer, more inclusive policies for rural communities.
The main highlights from the Policy Lab discussions include:
- Political will and commitment are essential: cross-government cooperation, citizen mobilisation, and inspiration from international experiences can help launch and sustain rural proofing.
- A shared vision of rural areas makes implementation easier: rural proofing should focus on both rural opportunities and needs, and be integrated throughout the entire policy design process.
- Clear roles and responsibilities are key: rural proofing must be prioritised in sectors not traditionally focused on rural issues, such as energy, housing, health, and transport.
- Evidence and engagement: better data, qualitative insights, and stakeholder involvement from the start are necessary to uncover hidden impacts.
- Measuring success: even if no policy change occurs, rural proofing helps raise awareness for more informed decision-making, foster cooperation, and increase chances that rural voices get heard.
Browse through the video recordings, speaker presentations and a range of useful background material on the Policy Lab web page.