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The Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association (IIZ/DVV) is working since 1969 on improving adult education in about 50 countries all over the world. The Institute's main aim is poverty reduction by strengthening labour skills, knowledge acquisition and personality building with adult education and lifelong learning programs. These activities are closely linked with enforcement of democratic structures and building up civil societies. In this concept the human being is seen as a complex individual learning not only for work, but also for developing own personality and the personal environment of the whole society. The work of the IIZ/DVV, financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, started in classic developing countries in Africa, South-America and Asia. Activities expanded also in East and Southeast European [SEE] countries following the fall of the iron wall. In Southeast Europe, the first project offices opened in Rumania, Macedonia and Bulgaria, a little bit later also in Albania. In the year 2000 the Adult Education Network in Southeast Europe (EBIS) with representatives and partners in 9 SEE-countries financed by the SEE-Stability-Pact was founded. There are many activities, regular meetings, common seminars, cross-border activities, exchanging experiences, breaking traditional walls between peoples, men and institutions. There is a broad field of different activities increasing employability by vocational education and training, promoting the socially disadvantaged and marginalized groups of the population, encouraging participatory teaching on active citizenship and creating and developing sustainable adult-education institutions. One of the most important and successful activities is promoting the lifelong-learning weeks movement in Southeast Europe. In the region, lifelong-learning weeks started in Slovenia in 1996, initiated by the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (ACS), the Slovenian partner organisation of the IIZ/DVV. So, by initiative of the EBIS-Network, national delegations of the SEE-partner countries were invited to the Lifelong Learning Week in 2000 in Slovenia. The Slovenian Institute started the widening of this movement by organizing training meetings and supporting the neighbouring countries in preparing their national weeks.