The ART Initiative and Local Economic Development

THE ART INITIATIVE AND LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS

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THE ART INITIATIVE AND LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS

Š United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Geneva, 2013

Giovanni Camilleri ART Global Initiative Coordinator, UNDP/Geneva Giancarlo Canzanelli ILS LEDA Coordinator

Editing Fanny R. Carvajal Roche

CONTENTS

7 PRESENTATION 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

13 INTRODUCTION THE ART PROGRAMME APPROACH FOR LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

13 The ART Programme guidelines 15 Analysis of ART Programmes’ results 17 SYSTEMATISATION OF PRACTICES 1. NATIONAL POLICIES

17 Standard Practices 23 Replicable innovative practices

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34 Specific innovative practices

109 4. INTERNATIONALISATION

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109 Standard practices

2. LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

114 Replicable innovative practices

35 Standard practices

121 Specific innovative practices

55 Replicable innovative practices

124 CONCLUSIONS

75 Specific innovative practices 79

131 ANNEX 1

3. LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES

79 Standard practices

LIST OF THE PRACTICES

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95 Replicable innovative practices

ANNEX 2 LIST OF THE INNOVATIONS

107 Specific innovative practices

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PRESENTATION

Most people spend their lives in a geographical area with a radius of no more than 500 kilometers. Within that space, they live, establish families, work, obtain education and health care, use their spare time, and spend their last days.

It is easy to infer that achieving one’s life project depends to a great extent on what happens over time in one’s daily environment, unless people are forced to leave for lack of opportunities, discrimination, persecution, or environmental deterioration.

Indeed, most people are keen on preserving the environment, for themselves and for the next generations. Experience shows that involving local communities is one of the most effective tools to protect the planet’s environment.

This protection can be carried out in combination with sustainable approaches to food security and job creation, whereby people use local and territorial resources and capitalize on the prevalent territorial competitive advantages, typical products and knowledge, and organize effective and efficient scale productions in SMMEs territorial systems accordingly. Likewise, it is also possible to develop social services locally, to fight against poverty and exclusion, by linking the public and private/ social sectors, combining public financial and technical resources with social and economic solidarity channels. Along the same line, governance for development can lead to more democracy, accountability, transparency, and less corruption, if citizen participation in the decision-making process is ensured; indeed, all this can be achieved more effectively at the local level.

Therefore, the local level appears to be one of the most appropriate spheres from where to initiate and build long-term sustainable development strategies and plans addressing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

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In his publication “Local Development, a strategy for times of crisis” (2008), Vazquez Barquero points out that in the framework of globalization, local development is a direct result of the capacity of local actors and society to organize themselves and mobilize their efforts based on their potentialities and cultural matrix, in order to define their goals, explore their priorities and identify their endogenous characteristics, ultimately obtaining greater competitiveness within a context of rapid and far-reaching change.

Under this perspective, then, what would be the ideal linkages between local and national policies and interventions, what are the corresponding roles of the various levels, and what type of relationships and commitments should be expected from the public and private sectors?

1. The intermediate level can better respond to the needs of democratic participation and can level the appraisal of local resources with environmental protection.

It can also contribute to delivering more efficient and effective services by encouraging balanced institutional interactions between the local and national levels.

It can foster improved national planning and implementation, increased GDP —through an adequate use of local resources—, and more effective relationships between the private and public sectors. Last, it can promote the establishment of systems to prioritize socioeconomic services according to local needs and demands while optimizing service delivery as well.

2. Certainly, developing the intermediate level needs specific governance mechanisms that are capable of interlinking local actors among themselves and with national institutions, and of ensuring that plans are translated into concrete actions. If this is achieved, the intermediate level can doubtlessly contribute to better and more sustainable perspectives for micro and small farmers and entrepreneurs, providing them with opportunities to upgrade their businesses and to obtain the needed financial support.

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ART is a global UNDP initiative aimed at improving the capacity of national and local institutions and actors who work locally to complement the achievement of the MDGs and Sustainable Human Development, with a strong focus on enhancing territorial development strategies, plans, capacities and tools.

This paper describes 141 practices and innovations on Local Economic Development (LED) supported by the ART Framework Programmes in 10 countries. It tackles various aspects of LED such as relevant national policies, territorial strategies, Local Economic Development Agencies, and how to capitalize and share LED experiences internationally. Furthermore, another added value of this paper is that many of these practices are replicable to other contexts, provided the necessary adaptations are made; it also addresses the role that international cooperation can play in promoting LED. Finally, these practices show that optimal results can be achieved through the LED approach and that it is not only theoretically sound, but also feasible and applicable.

OLAF KJORVEN Director of Bureau for Development Policy (BDP), New York.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This document responds to the need to systematise the many practices that the UNDP ART Initiative has been carrying out to promote and sustain local economic development, both within the ART Framework programme and at the international level.

The systematisation follows an analysis of practices undertaken through a structured questionnaire compiled by the management of each program. This information was provided with the help of several inputs from UNDP country offices and ART ILS LEDA).

Special thanks go to all who contributed to the finalisation of this work, particularly to our UNDP Offices and ART Teams: Franco Jimmy Torres (Dominican Republic), Rita Cassisi and Vincenzo Milio (Mydel-Central America), Alessandro Preti and Mauricio Katz (Colombia), Julio Portieles and Matilde Fresa (Ecuador), Enrique Gallicchio (Bolivia), Fernan Pons (Uruguay), Luigi Cafiero, Estevan Ikonomi, and Mirela Koci (Albania), Francesco Bicciato and Teodora Hristoforova (Lebanon), and Giovanni Camilleri, Lurdes Gomes and Andrea Biswas Tortajada (ART Coordination at the UNDP Office in Geneva). Equal thanks go to Rosaria Bisceglia and Gabriele Di Stefano (ILS LEDA), Hugo RodrĂ­guez (Adelco) and Deepthi Lamahewa (Rueda-Sri Lanka).

GIANCARLO CANZANELLI ART Senior Advisor, ILS LEDA Coordinator

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SYSTEMATISATION OF PRACTICES

INTRODUCTION THE ART PROGRAMME APPROACH TO LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

THE ART PROGRAMME GUIDELINES The ART Initiative (Articulation of Territorial and Thematic Networks of Cooperation for Human Development) is a global initiative for local and regional development championed by UNDP. It supports and promotes the implementation of an operational, administrative, and programming framework to facilitate communication between the various international cooperation actors interested in supporting the national human development processes. ART Framework Programmes at the country level are characterised by 5 key features: 1. Promoting the alignment of international cooperation with national/local priorities and development plans.

2. Implementing, planning and coordinating processes for aid effectiveness at the local level.

3. Promoting innovation, capacity development, best practices and knowledge-sharing via South-South, South-North and North-South partnerships.

4. Promoting local economic development within the Framework Programmes.

5. Mobilising partnerships with decentralised cooperation between actors and networks, in line with national/local priorities.

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ART’s main objective is to enhance the capacity of national and local institutions and actors, working as complements at the local level, for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and sustainable human development.

One of the goals of ART Programmes, therefore, is to promote local economic development (LED) for the primary purpose of strengthening a territory’s ability to generate employment opportunities and improve local well-being.

In accordance with a socially and environmentally sustainable development approach and the Millennium Development Goals, ART provides space for dialogue and relations between local, national and international actors.

In order to foster local economic development, ART Programmes articulate initiatives in four areas: national policy, territorial development strategies, promotion of territorial agencies for socio-economic development (commonly referred to as LEDAs), and internationalisation of local economies.

The standard ART Programme guidelines regarding economic development are:

National Policy ART supports national governments, principally through national working groups (composed by various government entities, NGOs and civil society representatives), to tackle poverty and marginalisation more effectively and to promote national competitiveness. This involves the development of small businesses and the communication of territorial and sectoral social, economic, and environmental needs as well as policies.

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ART in particular:

• Supports greater intergovernmental coordination, following various measures and initiatives undertaken by each national actor (incentives, subsidies, projects, provision of support services, infrastructure, etc.) to create synergies for territorial development.

• Promotes exchanges with other global regions and actors regarding LED strategies.

• Facilitates national coordination among local initiatives including the creation of national territorial and thematic networks, and the creation and strengthening of Local Economic Development Agencies (LEDAs) and their networks, credit systems, and the internationalisation of local economies.

• Supports training of local development actors, particularly with university-level courses.

Local Economic Development Strategies The goal is to establish strategies for competitive and sustainable economic development in order to steadily and permanently increase employment and income for the population, by incorporating competitiveness, social equity and environmental protection. This integrated strategy is based on harnessing endogenous potential and the creation of territorial value chains, bringing together micro and small enterprises and cooperatives.

ART in particular:

•• Strengthens local partnerships that include the public and private sectors, the community, and civil society; through seminars, workshops and meetings, to create strong social capital based on shared development goals.

• Supports these partnerships with the analysis of existing and potential territorial resources, identifying those that have strategic potential; and in the creation and strengthening to establish new businesses or new institutional frameworks where they are missing.

• Supports local partnerships by developing strategies and local economic development plans, identifying impact projects and raising project funds.

• Participates in the elaboration of territorial marketing and social inclusion strategies.

Local Economic Development Agencies ART Programme’s aim is to establish a public-private, self-sustaining and integrated system of technical and financial services for socio-economic and human territorial development, for the benefit of the population (especially the most disadvantaged segments), and local businesses and institutions.

ART particularly supports Territorial Working Groups and LEDAs’ promoting groups in the designing and writing of statutes, the preparation of multiannual business plans, the organisation of services and the start-up phases of the LEDA, including technical and financial assistance and training.

Internationalisation The goal is to foster relationships and pursue joint projects with actors from different countries in order to implement initiatives for trade, technology and knowledge exchange.

ART particularly facilitates pairing of international partners, giving priority to local authorities and various forms of local partnerships (LEDAs, territorial pacts, local action groups, local development committees, etc.). Exchanges among LEDAs increase awareness about LED issues and foster capacity building and training, and facilitate international networks.

ANALYSIS OF ART PROGRAMME RESULTS ART Programmes generally follow the aforementioned guidelines (standard practices), while each programme holds its own distinctive practices, activities, and initiatives. While some Programmes introduce significant innovations that are replicable elsewhere, others adopte specific innovations that are not easily replicable.

In this study, an innovative practice is one that has introduced new elements, either for international cooperation programmes or for the country where it was applied, in accordance with available knowledge.

The main body of this document presents the analysis results of ART Initiative practices and innovations in four aspects which impact local economies-national policy, local economic development strategies, LEDAs,

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and internationalisation of local economies). Standard practices, replicable innovations, and irreplicable innovations from each area are reported.

This analysis concerns Albania, Bolivia, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Mozambique, Dominican Republic, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, and Uruguay, all countries where ART Framework Programmes have operated for at least two years and helped operationalize LED programs.

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This study’s methodology involved collecting information via questionnaire delivered to each ART Programme, and utilising documentation available at the ART Geneva office and ILS LEDA office in Brussels, as well as the respective websites: http://www.art-initiative.org and http://www.ilsleda.org).

The final section reports the conclusions of this analysis, based on 141 assessed cases.

SYSTEMATISATION OF PRACTICES 1. NATIONAL POLICIES STANDARD PRACTICES All ART Programmes establish links or agreements with national governmental institutions to strengthen local economic development strategies.

In the case of the ART-REDES Programme in Colombia, LED strategies and LEDAs have been incorporated into the National Development Plan 2010-2014 “Prosperity for All”, which acknowledges “the importance of formulating a local development policy that helps the local authorities go beyond their role of providing services to become managers of their own development strategies, spaces, and tools such as local economic development agencies”.

The LED approach and the National Network of Agencies (ADELCO), supported by ART-REDES, were also incorporated into the “Alliance for Rural Development,” a national Programme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, aimed at tackling poverty, promoting rural economy, and improving the living standards of the rural population.

In the case of Uruguay, many bilateral agreements were signed with national governmental and public institu-

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tions, to contribute to local development, as illustrated in this study’s initiatives section.

Another fairly common initiative has been the creation or strengthening of LEDAs networks, as in Ecuador (sheet 1), with the support to CEDET (Ecuadorian Committee for Territorial Economic Development); as in the Dominican Republic, where ADELDOM was created involving LEDAs of Bahoruco, El Seibo, Monte Plata, Valverde and Dajabón (sheet 2), which provided technical support for the creation of a new LEDA in the province of Sanchez Ramirez, ADELSARA; as in the case of Uruguay, where RADEL was created (sheet 3), involving the LEDAs of Ribera, Paysandú, Rio Negro, Cerro Largo, Tacuarembó, Durazno, and Florida; as in the case of Colombia, where ADELCO was created, involving 11 LEDAs; and finally as in the case of Mozambique, with support from the REDEL network involving 7 LEDAs (Sofala, Manica, Maputo, Nampula, Delgado, Ibane, Gaza).

In Colombia, the ART Programme provided ADELCO with systematic support in 5 strategic areas: impact on public policy; network strength; management and services for members; a knowledge management model for the positioning of LED and the network in Colombia; and consolidation of a communication strategy for the network (sheet 4).

In the case of Ecuador, action focused on strengthening CEDET, which includes 9 regional development agencies: ADPM (Development Agency of the Province of Manabí); PROIMBABURA (Territorial Development Agency for Imbabura); ADE LOJA (Business Development Agency of Loja); CORPOAMBATO (Civil Corporation for Local Economic Development of Ambato and Tungurahua); CORPOESMERALDAS

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(Territorial Economic Development Corporation of Esmeraldas); CRECER(RegionalEconomicCorporation Business of Riobamba); ACUDIR (Cuencana Agency for Regional Development and Integration); ADE CARCHI (Economic Development Agency of Carchi); and CORPODET (Orense Corporation for Territorial Economic Development).

In Mozambique, the ART-PAPDEL Programme promoted economic fairs, provided the beneficiaries of the District Development Fund (DDF) with national training, facilitated the inclusion of LEDAs in district economic development plans, and supported and established local business incubators. The Vice-Minister of State Administration expressed the willingness of the Government of Mozambique to consider LEDAs as reference structures for providing integrated services to promote long-term and sustainable local economic development, providing the most disadvantaged people with access to economic processes in order to generate wealth and reduce social exclusion.

In the case of Albania, the ART GOLD Programme agreed with the Government (Ministry of Interior for Local Authorities) to support the establishment of selfsufficient agencies for development of counties (ADC), to provide the population and institutions with integrated services, and to implement territorial development strategies, especially regarding improved access the disadvantaged to the labor market and social services.

LEDAs promoted by the antecedent UNOPS-PASARP Programme are being transformed into an ADC. In Central America, the MyDEL Programme systematised knowledge about women entrepreneurship, and supported capacity building for governance and development, and for the inclusion of women in sup-

portive networks. ART seeks to reach these goals by incorporating local-territorial dimensions and potentials; and especially by helping to implement policies that identify women entrepreneurs as catalysts for local economies.

University training courses have been organised in Mozambique on local economic development, gender development, and the participatory development processes. The courses have been organised through the ILO training-at-distance centre; and various public officials, professionals, technicians, and local and national officials have participated.

The objective has been to strengthen local and national development strategies through the promotion of innovation, training, and capacity building of local authorities. The Programme collaborated with universities and training and research institutions in specific areas, such as local development, democratic governance, capacity development, and aid effectiveness.

In Bolivia, the ART Programme signed an agreement with the Ministry of Production for:

•• The development of an institutional framework to support small farmers.

•• The development and promotion of specialised agen•• •• •• •• •• •• •

cies for departmental, regional and local productive development.

A study on the use of the Human Development Index (IDH) for productive growth.

Support in the establishment of a platform regarding productive growth, to promote connections among public institutions and public-private partnerships.

Support in the constitution of a national LEDAs network.

Support the creation of at least one additional LEDA. Support for the legal and regulatory framework for small producers.

Support in the development of a roadmap for sectoral policies at the territorial level, starting with the manufacturing sector.

Proposal for working on themes such as innovation for SMMEs, and South-South cooperation, especially with Brazil.

Practices in more details

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CEDET in Ecuador

CEDET is a network of local economic development agencies that has existed in Ecuador since 2008 and brings together 9 development agencies: •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••

ADPM (Development Agency of the Province of Manabí).

PROIMBABURA (Territorial Development Agency).

ADE LOJA (Business Development Agency of Loja).

CORPOAMBATO (Civil Corporation for Local Economic Development of Ambato and Tungurahua).

CORPOESMERALDAS (Territorial Economic Development Corporation of Esmeraldas).

CRECER (Regional Economic Corporation Business of Riobamba).

ACUDIR (Cuencana Agency for Regional Development and Integration).

ADE CARCHI (Economic Development Agency of Carchi).

CORPODET (Orense Corporation for Territorial Economic Development).

CONQUITO (Corporación for development of Quito).

Its mission is to foster national competitiveness with a bottom-up and territorial perspective, in order to increase employment, production, and investment as key tools for improving quality of life for Ecuadorians.

The general objective is to strengthen the capacity of local economic development managers, linked to the LEDAs, to provide the territories with the capacity to compete in globalised and domestic productive environments, and to facilitate investment attraction, production and employment generation, thus improving the quality of life of the population.

Specific objectives are to strengthen the LEDAs, help formulate and/ or implement public policies that promote local economic development so that LEDAs can achieve goals that would be harder for them to achieve individually and independently, and to disseminate good LEDA practices regarding management and performance.

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the Dominican Network of LEDAs

This perspective is the main reference for the territorial economic development in the Dominican Republic, serving as the reference platform for public-private collaboration to boost competitiveness and build an economy focused on human development.

The initiative’s mission is to promote links between territories that drive local economic development initiatives, and to manage joint initiatives and projects to build capacity and enable actions in a globalised world; all using resources in a sustainable manner, with equity and social inclusion for broad-based improvement in the quality of life in the Dominican Republic.

The general objective is to strengthen the capacities of the LEDAs and of local actors, organised into networks, to develop an envi- ronment of public, private and social action, to facilitate the creation of opportunities, to foster territorial competitiveness, and to improve the quality of life.

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RADEL: the network of LEDAs in Uruguay

In Uruguay there are 10 local economic development agencies (LEDAs), 7 of which are at the intermediate level and 3 at the local level. Local agencies were created in 2000 and the others began their activities in 2004, with the creation by the government of a new institutional framework to address local development activities began.

Subsequently through the ART Programme, new impetus was given to LEDAs, and to new public-private, selfsustainable and human development-oriented approaches.

February 2010 saw the set up of a network of LEDAs in Uruguay (RADEL).

VISION To become: •• A leading organisation for local development, in order to facilitate the implementation of programmes and policies that promote territorial competitiveness and social cohesion.

•• An important organisation providing information and knowledge to the territories about decision-making processes at the national level regarding economic and social development.

•• A strong network, recognised at the national and international level.

MISSION •• To coordinate capacities in order to implement public and private long-term policies.

•• To attract resources, have a budget, technical skills and bargaining power.

•• To be an “uncontaminated” structure, without internal partisan political involvement.

•• To generate confidence.

•• To be accepted by the State and participate in structuring the country’s development policies.

•• To maintain a high sense of identity.

OBJECTIVES •• To create a favourable environment for LEDAs relationships and integration, and a platform for supporting and strengthening the local dynamics of each agency.

•• To create an independent space that strengthens the processes of LEDA creation and consolidation.

•• To become a tool for communication and coordination of guidelines among LEDAs, thus promoting the development of different territories.

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ADELCO: the network of Colombian LEDAs

The ADELCO Network is an organisation that includes Colombian local development agencies, and has the following main objectives: •• To support the achievement of the MDGs through the LEDAs in their territories of influence.

•• To manage resources through partnerships, alliances, contracts, and other mechanisms with the public and private sectors, national and international cooperation agencies.

•• To design, develop and manage plans, programmes and projects for socio-economic, environmental, and cultural development, which can be deployed through ADELCO partners.

•• To appropriate and transfer technological innovations that contribute to the development of the territories where ADELCO partners operate.

•• To encourage the creation of new models of local development in different regions of Colombia.

•• To promote public-private and social-communitarian mechanisms oriented to local development such as LEDAs or similar structures.

•• To foster initiatives that generate a better productive and competitive country environment, facilitate business development, attract investment, and promote public local development policies, plans, programmes and projects.

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•• To develop education and training programmes aimed at strengthening the productive and competitive vocation of the territories, through the LEDAs. •• To incentivise the institutional strengthening of the LEDAs. •• To encourage and promote loan funds, investment and risk capital programmes for the various LEDAs of the country and thereby obtain funds from national and international technical and/or financial cooperation programmes or institutions.

•• To coordinate and promote territorial marketing actions by developing territorial brands, through the LEDAs. •• To establish a virtual network that links, at the first level, the members of each ADEL in their respective territories, at a second level ADELCO partner agencies, and at the third level both LEDAs and their partners in each territory with the EURADA/ILS LEDA and other related networks.

•• To stimulate and coordinate exchange of experiences, best practices, business and joint participation in events, missions, twinning, etc., within the country and with other countries.

The network’s operational strategy is to consolidate the network, to provide services to members, to develop and to manage knowledge, to influence public policy, and to enhance communication.

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Balkans, especially within a EU integration perspective (sheet 8).

These practices refer to different areas, such as national conventions, events, training, and South-South cooperation.

Furthermore, in the same country, a significant innovation was the creation of Laboratories for Human Development —coordinating local universities, LEDAs, and local authorities— in order to systematise and disseminate local expertise in human development, train officials, experiment with innovations (sheet 11), attract international resources, and become a point of reference for exchanges.

With reference to conventions, ART Ecuador signed a significant operational agreement with CONCOPE to support the theme of productive development, with a focus on value chains and on training and capacity building for local economic development.

In Colombia, the ART Programme signed an agreement with the national network ADELCO, in order to facilitate the creation and reinforcement of Colombian LEDAs through direct relations with ADELCO (sheet 9). ADELCO —also thanks to its relations with other continental and international networks (REMALDH and ILS LEDA)— is responsible for providing technical, relational and training services for LEDAs members, and also for supporting local actors in creating new LEDAs. Regarding events, it is worth mentioning the Forums of the Latin American Network of LEDAs, which took place in the Dominican Republic (December 2009) and Ecuador (June 2010; sheet 5).

In Bolivia the international seminar “Institutions for promoting local economic development” (July 2009) launched the creation of the metropolitan LEDA of La Paz. In Albania, ART GOLD Programme organised the conference “European Integration, knowledge, innovation and democratic governance” to present experiences in the country as a reference for intervention in the

In Uruguay, two contests were organised in 2009 and 2010 to award the best innovative practices for human development. The contests were organised in collaboration with the Chamber of Industries of Uruguay (CIU), the Latino American Centre of Human Economy (CLAEH), the Municipality of Canelones, the Municipality of Montevideo, the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay (LATU), the Local Government Department - Office of Planning and Budget (OPP), the National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII), the National Development Corporation (CND), the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining and the Ministry of Education and Culture (sheet 6).

Additionally, innovative training programmes were developed in Ecuador, Colombia, and Uruguay, with the organisation of university courses on “Local Economic Development,” in conjunction with national and international professors (sheet 10).

In the Dominican Republic, the ART Programme organised a course to create a network of project experts (sheet 7), with a specific training programme on local economic development, project formulation, and project management, which addressed over 2000 people.

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As for South-South cooperation, it is worth highlighting the Dominican Republic case, where the ART Programme —in coordination with the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development (MEPYD) and the Office of Territorial Management and Development (DGODT)— supported visits to learn about the experiences of Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina; and to build with them a National System of Planning and Development. This process was fostered in accordance with the territorial approach, involving a gradual devolution and decentralization of the current sectoral ministry lines, and the strengthening of local institutional capacities for the implementation and management of development initiatives.

International cooperation activity with South Brazil linked decentralised cooperation among Dominican territories involving LEDAs with the Paraná State, in the framework of bilateral cooperation between Dominican and Brazilian local governments, and supported by UNDP as multilateral organism.

Again in the Dominican Republic a contract was signed between the Cuban CENSA and the LEDA in Monte Plata Department . This initiative relies on valuable resources and expertise of Southern countries and their support for dairy (milk) value chains in 5 Dominican

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provinces, through the alliance with the Dominican Republic’s CONALECHE (National Council for rules and development of the dairy industry). Also worth mentioning is the technical assistance contract between ADELCO (Colombia) and ADELDOM (Dominican Republic), to promote business associations and networks at the territorial level in 5 Dominican provinces, facilitating methodological learning of the practices to promote local economic development, with a focus on the human dimension.

In Colombia, the ART Programme has developed the ICO (Organisational Capabilities Index), a monitoring and evaluation tool for LEDA members in the ADELCO Network. ICO was welcomed by the National Planning Department as a best practice for self-assessment of social organisations (sheet 12).

The MyDEL Programme in Central America has strengthened the institutions coordinating territorial and sectoral policies regarding women entrepreneurship, and built the capacity to propose and influence policy decisions and local/national economic strategies.

Practices in more details

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he Forum of the Latin American Network of LEDAs in Ecuador

The Second Forum of Local Economic Development Agencies in Latin America was held in Quito on the 2nd and 3rd of June, 2010. These two days of intense work covered topics such as: innovation for development and its territorial management, regions as areas for innovation and investment, promotion of investment in territorial production chains, and the importance of networks for development.

The forum was attended by more than 500 people, with 30 speakers from across Latin America and other continents, showing how the issue of local economic development has become an effective and efficient strategy to face the problems of poverty, environment, innovation, and globalisation.

Local economic development agencies have proven to be important tools for implementing these strategies, and now more than 80 structures currently work in many countries of the continent, including: Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile. There are substantial differences between them because of different contexts, but they all face the challenges of the new millennium in a similar spirit, requiring innovation, environmental sustainability, natural resource management; and the public policies needed to face these challenges.

Š Silvia Vallejo

In the framework of the Forum and exchanges between LEDAs and national networks, the Latin American Network of LEDAs for Human Development was officially established, as well as goals to enhance links between LEDAs.

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the Contest for best innovative practices for human development in Uruguay

The Uruguay ART Programme —together with the Chamber of Industries of Uruguay (CIU), the Centro Latino Americano de Economía Humana (CLAEH), the Municipality of Canelones, the Municipality of Montevideo, the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay (LATU), the Ministry of Local Government, the Office of Planning and Budget (OPP), the National Academy for Research and Innovation (ANII), the National Development Corporation (NDC), the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining, and the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC), and with the support of the Innovation Programme for the Development of South-South Cooperation (IDEASS), the Congress of Mayor, and the Radio El Espectador— launched a national contest for Uruguayan innovations pertaining to human development, which could include products, technologies or methodologies; and economic, social or cultural practices which utilize territorial integration or implementation based on alliances or public-private actors.

The effort was launched on 14 July 2009. The jury consisted of 6 renowned experts in the area of human development and local development: Luis Bertola (PhD. at University of Gothenburg, Sweden), Giulia Dario (IDEASS Programme Manager), Alejandra Mujica (Programme and Instruments Manager of ANII), Enrique Gallicchio (National Coordinator of ART Uruguay), Martini Henry (Director of Centre for Technology Management, CEGETEC) of the Chamber of Industries of Uruguay, and Paul Betancourt (Chief of the Department of Agro-Food in LATU).

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The evaluation of the proposed innovations was based on the following criteria: •• Success in contributing to local and human development.

•• Involvement of regional networks and partnerships.

•• Coordination among research institutes, enterprises, universities, local governments, and civil society organisations.

•• Opportunity to replicate the innovations in other areas of Uruguay and other countries.

•• Originality.

•• Cost/Benefit.

•• Sustainability (economic, social, environmental, institutional).

The awards were presented in the framework of the Second International Seminar “Leadership of Ideas,” held on 31 August, and 1-2 September 2009.

In addition to the prizes awarded, all people interviewed said the contest paved the way for dis- semination of experiences, by identifying best practices, enhancing innovative local ideas, and sharing them. People also learned to present their experiences, and to look at others “from the outside” or from another angle, aiming at the inception stages of innovation and finding out about other experiences that are underway globally. Another important aspect was the inception of a database cataloguing these experiences.

The 67 proposals evaluated originated from the widest socioeconomic sectors in the country, representing aca-

demia, civil society, local governments, other national government institutions, agreements between public and private actors, business, and educational institutions, among others.

Examples: •• Food for celiacs, diabetics, etc, that have some innovation in the product or production process.

The innovation typologies or categories can be classified as it follows:

• • Introduction of new educational practices that affect the quality, equity, and coverage of education.

Examples: •• Use of innovative teaching and ICT tools.

•• Tools and practices for literacy education.

•• New technologies from research applied to specific problems of population, production, and distribution of goods, public services in health, education, etc.

Examples: •• Dehydrator for medicinal and aromatic herbs.

•• Chocolates filled by native fruits in rural areas.

•• Dyeing wool with natural products in an joint venture of women.

•• Social innovations in production and the creation of new services in health, education, environmental resource management and others.

Examples: •• NGO organizing producers or micro-entrepreneurs.

•• Public institutions working in conjunction with farmers and/or SMMEs. •• Municipal governments carrying out development activities in various areas.

•• Cooperatives and organisations of rural women planning use of new tools.

•• Business development organisations that innovate to pursue their objectives.

•• Development and marketing of new products or services in the territory or extra-territorial markets.

The final report of the National Innovation Contest for Local Human Development awarded fourteen innovations, and highlighted the top five: 1. “Let’s build the departmental territory among all”: experience of participatory planning in Maldonado, presented by the Institute of Architecture and Planning of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of the Republic.

2. “Your container is useful for us”: aluminium container management plan, presented by the Centre “Independent Uruguay”.

3. Innovative transformation of products of the Butiá palm fruit, presented by Environmental House (Castles, Rocha).

4. “Luminaria Project” Community Centre, pre- sented

by Municipality of Montevideo.

5. Educational model for tracking labour insertion of young people living in contexts of social exclusion in the districts of Casavalle and Lavalleja (Montevideo), presented by Movement Tacurú.

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7

the course for forming a network of project experts in the Dominican Republic

This initiative, arising from the needs and demands for technical assistance and support in 5 Dominican provinces, aims at creating individual and collective empowerment as a way to achieve human and economic development, progress towards common well-being, and specifically, strengthening resource management and mobilization management.

This action is based on collaborative work by actors in five provinces, who, by sharing priorities on thematic and territorial agendas, create groups and alliances, and develop jointly networked projects.

The purpose is to create a network of people able to formulate and manage development projects belonging to various national entities interested in “going down� to the territories.

These people work together with LEDAs, given LEDAs are partners with various national gov- ernment agencies, international initiatives, and private enterprises.

Fifteen regional managers were trained, and they improved their technical and organisational capacity for management and formulation of participatory and consensual projects, and for design and management of projects with the local economic development agencies.

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To this end, four meetings lasting eight hours apiece, and virtual meetings for the development and completion of the workshops, were held.

MODULE 1 Substantive and strategic aspects in the Management of Territorial Economic Development: development methods, and collective results-based economic management.

MODULE 2 Formulation of projects: analysis of context, difficulties and opportunities, purposes and planning matrices.

MODULE 3 Project management and organisation: operational planning, start-up and territorial management, plans for activities and resource management, management methods and techniques, internal organisation of the project.

MODULE 4 Monitoring, evaluation, communication, and results management technique.

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the Conference “European Integration, Knowledge, Innovation and democratic governance” in Albania

The international meeting on “European integration, knowledge, innovations, and democratic governance of development; the strategic role of decentralised cooperation in economy, environment, services and capacity building” was held in Tirana on 13 and 14 January 2011.

The conference was organised within the framework of the UNDP ART GOLD Albania 2 Project, in cooperation with the Government of Albania and the Embassy of Italy.

The event was attended by the following actors, among others: the Albanian Government; the European Commission; the Italian Government; the United Nations; and over fifty representatives of regions, local authorities, Albanian and Serb LEDAs, universities, associations and Albanian, Serb, Greek, French, and Spanish NGOs. These 300-plus participants agreed on the essential role of local authorities and social actors in the process of European integration. They appreciated the effective role played by the United Nations —mostly by UNDP and ART GOLD 2 Albania— in creating a reference framework aimed at harmonising the contributions of all international actors by way of decentralised cooperation, and interventions for national policies of decentralisation and European integration. The participants also highlighted the three main action lines of the aforementioned framework: strategic regional planning, territorial development agencies, and policies for training and innovation.

In particular, the role of the LEDAs —based on the reports presented by AULEDA (Vlora), TEULEDA (Shkodra),

REDASP (Kragujevac-Serbia) and ILS LEDA/EURADA, and ART UNDP Programmes— was recognised by the Albanian Government to be crucial for the economic development of the regions and the country as a whole.

In addition, the Conference acknowledged the UNDP ART GOLD 2 Albania Programme as one of the most effective tools available to the Albanian Government for promoting good governance and human development in the Balkans.

There was unanimous appreciation for the performance and results achieved by the ART GOLD Programme, which adopted effective synergies between local and international actors.

The need to go beyond the old patterns of fragmented cooperation consisting of separate, independent, and selfreferring projects was highlighted; as well as the need to foster actions and processes in line with the Platform 2012 for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

All requested that strategies and content highlighted during the meeting be supported by the international community, as a follow up to the multilateral PASARP Programme over a decade ago, and recently by the two ART Programmes.

Moreover, the Undersecretary of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed his willingness to establish links with the European Commission and European countries to support the follow-up to this meeting, in the framework of the Adriatic-Ionian Macro Region, which refers to the model applied by UNDP ART GOLD 2 as one of its methodologies.

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9

the agreement between ART Colombia and ADELCO (the national LEDAs Network)

In April 2010, an agreement between UNDP Colombia and the National Network of the Colombian LEDAs (ADELCO) was signed, aiming to implement a range of activities in order to support and foster the dynamism of LEDAs in the country.

The agreement was for a micro-capital subsidy, and its main objectives were: •• Strengthen the conceptual and operational structure of the network to facilitate its use as a dynamic instrument for LED, and to generate greater trust between network partners.

•• Increase the capacity of LEDAs regarding a perspective of sustainable development, gender, environment, conflicts management, planning, administrative and organisational management, projects, and finance, at the national and international level.

•• Implement a knowledge management model for positioning LED and the LEDAs network in Colombia, through the systematisation of experiences and implementation of a model for evaluation and monitoring, in accordance with the needs of the LEDAs. ADELCO commitments were: •• To maintain clear records of all the funds received.

•• To provide UNDP with records and information on all funds received.

•• To deliver a final report on all expenses incurred, including information on the achievements of expected goals (using the UNDP template).

•• To exercise exclusive control over the administration and implementation of agreement activities, which were subject to UNDP supervision.

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10

Diploma in Ecuador

In 2009 a Diploma in Local Economic Development, run by the University of Cuenca (Ecuador) and lasting 8 months, was created and implemented to impart knowledge, attitudes, and skills for professionals interested in the promotion of initiatives which support the Thematic and Territorial Networks

of Cooperation for Territorial Economic Development.

The course was attended by 35 professionals working in local development agencies, university professors, people linked to the economic-social sector and national institutions. The course was organised as follows:

TOPIC

PROFESSOR

COUNTRY

Local Economic Development with reference to Innovation and Internationalisation

Antonio Vázquez

Spain

Economic Development I

María del Carmen Burneo

Ecuador

Territorial Competitiveness and Poverty Reduction

Giancarlo Canzanelli

Italy

Economic Development II

Patricio Carpio

Ecuador

Endogenous Development

Sergio Boisier

Chile

LEDAs in Ecuador I

CEDET

Ecuador

Territorial Planning

Mauricio Moreno

Ecuador

LEDAs in Ecuador II

Rafael Vega-CEDET

Ecuador

Local Networks and Partnerships

Julio Portieles / Fernando Terán

Cuba/Ecuador

Gender and Local Productive Development

María Angélica Fauné

Chile

Territorial Rural Development

Hugo Dután

Spain

Poverty Reduction, Governance and Sustainable Human Development

Fernando Carvajal

Ecuador

Territorial Marketing

Osvaldo Castelletti

Italy

Knowledge and Innovation for Territorial Development •• Assisted Research Project •• Additional Presentations: CNPC •• Additional Presentations: SENPLADES

Juan de Dios García Enrique Paredes Sergio Ochoa María Caridad Vázquez

Spain Ecuador Ecuador Ecuador

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The Human Development Laboratories in the regions of Vlora and Shkodra of Albania This initiative involves a collaboration among the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, UNDP ART GOLD 2 Albania Programme, UNOPS, the Regions of Shkodra and Vlora, the Municipalities of Vlora and Shkodra, the local development agencies of Vlora and Shkodra, the Pavaresia University, the public University of Vlora “Ismail Qemali” and the University of Shkodra “Luigji Gurakuqi“. The laboratories are supported by the Universitas Programme and linked with a network of similar structures that will be established on an international level.

The workshop identifies innovative practices for human development, i.e. practices that include one or more of the following components: •• •• •• •• •• ••

Democratic governance.

A democratic and sustainable economy.

Social inclusion.

Environmental protection.

Gender equity.

Culture.

The workshop carried out the following activities: The objectives of the workshop are: •• To improve local innovative practices for human development.

•• To attract national and international researchers and students to the mentioned practices.

•• To develop and transmit new knowledge and know-how.

These objectives are achieved through: •• Action-research, association, systematisation.

•• Comparison with similar international experiences, and knowledge sharing.

•• Creation of local, national and international partnerships.

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1. Identification of potentially innovative practices on human development, based on shared criteria and joint research.

2. Systematisation of practices through a standard template, photo documentation, interviews and life stories, analysis of innovative potential, analysis of knowledge and derived know-how.

3. Action research through the identification of various challenges and innovative potential, the search for similar practices in the world (mainly Europe), the elaboration of comparative studies and the identification of international partners.

4. Building networks.

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ICO applied to LEDAs in Colombia

The ICO (Index of Organisational Capacity) is a methodological tool designed by the National Planning Department (DNP) in Colombia to state the management capacity of Community Organisations for Peace and Development Programmes; moreover, it has been set to be applied in different types of organisations by various public and private institutions, following the good results obtained in identifying strengths and weaknesses of the organizations.

With reference to local economic development agencies, ICO has been applied in accordance with the characteristics of these organisations, i.e. how they should operate, sustain and organise themselves hierarchically, and, additionally, taking into consideration the range of services LEDAs provide to their territories of influence as promoters of local economic development.

Various elements included in the methodological tool designed by ILS LEDA have been incorporated to adapt ICO to LEDAs’ characteristics.

ICO aims therefore to offer local development agencies a tool to state their management capacity and

identify strengths and weaknesses in their performance.

Organisational capacity refers to the ability of an organisation to use its own resources in carrying out its activities. Thus organisational capacity assessment involves assessing the resources and processes that organizations use.

Nine components are included in assessing the organisational capacity of LEDAs: services, associative level, organisational structure, human resources, physical assets, financial management, strategic management, projects, communication, networks, alliances and processes, and finally, the beneficiaries.

Nevertheless, other areas are investigated, such as the strengths and weaknesses, and participation in social and political processes, among others.

After the approval of ICO, a consolidation plan is developed, which specifically sets goals, activities, resources, timelines and responsibilities for strengthening LEDAs’ capacities, using a joint definition process regarding goals, activities, tasks, timelines, resources and responsibilities.

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SPECIFIC INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Medium Enterprises of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mineralogy (DINAPYME-MIEM).

In the Dominican Republic, the LEDAs of Monte Plata and Valverde were supported by receiving direct financial support from the Dominican government, through the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development, under the support foreseen for NGOs. Moreover, the government, through the Office of Management and Territorial Development (DGODT), of the Deputy Minister of Planning and Development, has incorporated into its institutional competences the mobilisation of national resources to support the implementation of local plans, through the National Public Investment (SNIP) in 2010. A large percentage of these projects form part of the local economic development portfolio.

In Uruguay, bilateral working agreements have been signed with many national governmental and public institutions, such as OPP DIPROD (Territorial Microfinance and Microcredit Programme), Uruguay Integra-OPP-UE Programme. It is worth mentioning the agreement with UDM (Municipal Development Unit) to support creation and strengthening of 3 LEDAs (Rivera, Cerro Largo, Florida); ANII (National Agency for Innovation and Research) to support the LEDAs in innovative processes; the support unit to the private sector (UNASEP) of Ministry of Economy to disseminate investment law; LATU (Technological Laboratory of Uruguay) to support joint development initiatives at territorial level; the Uruguay Rural Programme by Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (PUR-MGAP); the Ministry of Social Development and its Programme SOCATMIDES; the National Directorate of Micro, Small and

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In Lebanon, a development strategy has been agreed to with the Ministry of Agriculture in a sector with great potential for the development of the country: apiculture. Two important results have been achieved, through a specific bill to re-organise the entire sector, particularly concerning the formation of associations: the census of beekeepers and the organisation of a National Beekeepers Association, through regional associations already promoted by ART Programme in Bekaa and North Lebanon. Support has also been provided to the Ministry to develop a software programme and to manage the information collected in this sector by the government, in particular regarding the national census of beekeepers, bee hives and bee diseases. Moreover, in Lebanon, the ART Programme convinced the Government to issue a decree allowing for the first time in the history of the country the participation of municipalities and local administrations in mixed public-private structures such as local economic development agencies. This result was possible thanks to the committed efforts of all local actors in the Programme areas (under the leadership of municipalities in the area of South Beirut).

In Colombia, with the support of the ART Programme, ADELCO (through ADEL Metropolitana of Bucaramanga) won 2 tenders promoted by Local Economic Development and Trade Project of the European Union and the Government of Colombia; the projects aim to develop territorial marketing for 6 territorial regions in Colombia (in which 2 of them the LEDAs are operating).

2. LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

STANDARD PRACTICES Standard practices usually concern the valorisation of endogenous potential, mainly through the identification of competitive and sustainable value chains, the analysis of territorial services, the training of producers, and social inclusion.

Most ART Programmes carry out actions for the valorisation of the endogenous potential.

In the Dominican Republic, endogenous territorial potential was identified and analysed, starting with the study of territorial resources, their use, their sustainability and competitiveness, and 15 working groups on value chains (3 for each territory) were promoted, where about 200 enterprises, involving producers, excluded people and national and local institutions participated. As an example we report the document “Dajabón, a great find” (2009), which presents the results of the analysis, the development strategies and the territorial marketing (sheet 14). Similar documents have been produced in other areas.

In Ecuador, participatory, technical and institutional processes for prioritisation of territorial potentials have

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been performed starting with coordinated planning among local, provincial, regional and national levels, which led to the development of guidelines for integral development in 6 provinces: Carchi, Bolívar, Los Ríos, Azuay, El Oro and Loja (sheet 16 for the case of Carchi).

In Uruguay, identification, analysis and prioritisation of endogenous potential has been carried out in 12 departments (out of a total of 19) —and in 2 of these departments highly differentiated territories were analysis separately— through a methodology which has been highly valued by the national government through the OPP (Office for Departmental Governments), which facilitates the participation of public and private actors.

Secondary information about economic issues has been reviewed and processed with a sectoral disaggregation in Montevideo and other areas, in order to conduct interviews with the main sectoral and institutional actors of the department. Strategic guidelines have been elaborated in 7 territories (sheet 20 for the Rivera case).

In Albania, local resources from the Vlora and Shkodra regions were analysed in a participatory way (actionresearch methodology), focusing on value chains and considering their own competitive and sustainable characteristics, market prospects, obstacles to their full development (in terms of value added), in order to design a strategy for sustainable development (sheet 15 for the Vlora region).

The same methodology to disclose local competitive and sustainable potential was used in Lebanon in four areas of the ART Programme (sheet 17 for North Lebanon). The ART Programme Lebanon also paid particular attention to the gender issue in the economic field.

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In Colombia, 3 value chains have been identified and prioritised for each LEDA member of the ADELCO Network, in accordance with the survey’s results on the potentialities of each department, in order to guide the action of the LEDAs. In general, recurring value chains are: community-based tourism, crafts and horticulture.

Another interesting experience in Colombia has been the definition of a methodology to promote territorial marketing (sheet 18).

In the Dominican Republic, following the possibility OF creating new LEDAs, the analysis of endogenous potential was carried out in various provinces, together with the prioritising of value chains, as well as the analysis of supply and demand for territorial development services and local working plans. This included 3 main groups of services: basic services, such as integrated water management, renewable energy, communications, sanitation, local roads, solid waste management and local organisation; entrepreneurial services, such as support to commercialisation and productive improvement, financing, association promotion, project management, local planning; finally, social services, such as education, health, basic social care and cultural services (sheet 13).

In Mozambique, ART-PAPDEL Programme worked to strengthen local institutions in economic development, mainly encouraging the inclusion of support to economic development in the Strategic Development Plans of the districts, and promoting and establishing business incubators and economic fairs. In particular, the Strategic Plan of Nampula Province for 2010-2020 includes local economic development, territorial marketing strategies, promotion of value chains and business incubators.

The capacities of the Provincial Directions of Rural Development in promoting sustainable socio-economic

development have been strengthened, as well as local competitive systems, and local territorial actors have been networked. Furthermore, a plan for tourism has been promoted in the Nampula Province.

•• Through the LEDAs in Colombia, 13.400 people

••

Regarding the training of producers, this is a widespread activity in ART Programmes.

Noteworthy were the following initiatives:

•• Training in organic production in the Dominican Republic, which currently has high domestic and export potential: honey, organic coffee, fruits and production of organic raw materials. In addition, the link to national and international agencies was facilitated to provide products with organic labels. The approach pursued assurance of national food security and sovereignty.

•• In the Dominican Republic also, 1.209 people have been trained in local economic development, 480 people in fighting social exclusion, 125 people in project management, 233 people in financial mechanisms, 182 people in enterprise networks, and 460 officials were involved in exchanges of experiences on decentralised cooperation (Italy, Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil).

•• 130 beekeepers were trained in Lebanon, through several initiatives including workshops and direct assistance, promotion of the use of control laboratories, promotion of associations in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, participation in Mediterranean Beekeepers Forum (2008 and 2009).

The 2010 Forum of the Mediterranean Network of Beekeepers was organised in Beirut with the support of ART Programme and the Province of Foligno.

•• 135 officials participated in various workshops in Lebanon on LED and LEDAs.

••

••

••

•

(6.465 women and 6935 men) were trained in various topics such as associational practices, planning, entrepreneurship, etc.

1.490 officials were trained in planning, 185 officials in local economic development and LEDAs, and 191 in agricultural production development in Ecuador, through agreements with universities or other entities.

In Uruguay, 23 people were trained as tour guides, 134 people in local economic development and LEDAs, 130 in business, NGOs, LEDAs, and public sector institutions in marketing techniques, 170 officials in active policies for employment and economic development. Moreover, 56 people received a postgraduate diploma in local development, and 28 people received a territorial marketing diploma.

300 officials were trained in strategic planning in Albania, through the participation in the plans of Vlora and Shkodra, 30 technical and managerial officials of LEDAs in LEDAs management, and 30 young people for action-research on human development practices.

2.375 women were trained in entrepreneurship in El Salvador, 764 women in Honduras, 734 women in Nicaragua and 6594 women in Guatemala (as part of the MyDEL Programme).

In each province of Mozambique, officials were trained in business administration, territorial marketing and LED. Officials from the LEDA of Nampula received training in gender focus and economic development, while officials from the LEDA of Inhambane in preparing and financing development projects. In all LEDAs and DPDR, some officials specialised their knowledge in LED methodologies of ART Mozambique Programme through regional seminars. In addi-

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tion, the Programme promoted the creation of partnerships between the Andalusian Employment and Training Foundation (FAFFE) and Eduardo Mondlane University to exchange knowledge and capacity building. The Programme also supported the development of specialised courses and masters programmes located in Spain and directed at local and national professionals of the Programme, in collaboration with FAMSI.

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Another element common to almost all ART Programmes is the effort to include the marginalised groups in local economic development strategies.

In Colombia, the inclusion of vulnerable people as direct beneficiaries of the projects, as well as the integration of community organisations as members of LEDAs, have been promoted in each LEDA. All Colombian LEDAs develop projects with and for excluded people.

In Ecuador, the majority of local economic development projects have been selected and implemented through a participatory approach based on vulnerability. The results achieved show that the direct and indirect beneficiaries are mostly women from rural and/or marginal urban contexts, young people, people with disabilities and poor families. It is worth mentioning a project to strengthen the organisation and participation of young people in the province of Carchi, which promoted entrepreneurial thinking among a group of 540 adolescents and young people (approximately 50% men and 50% women) to guide their future. Moreover, another project strengthened local capacities to improve the quality of life in the historic cities of Ecuador, which also aims to include the most disadvantaged people into the economy and the labour market.

In the Dominican Republic, social inclusion in the economic circuit was prioritised since the beginning, through participatory workshops with various social groups, which outlined the next steps for a social inclusion strategy, and were attended by young people, women, single mothers, the elderly, Haitian citizens resident in the Dominican Republic (especially next to the border) and small producers, among others. A cycle of social inclusion began, through an activity of social animation to incorporate marginalised groups into the economic development circuit (sheet 19).

The ART Programme in Lebanon paid particular attention to gender issues. A network of women’s cooperative was established, which includes 15 cooperatives.

In Uruguay, the PDL/ART Programme supported the identification and implementation of inclusive social projects and employment projects, which generate territorial ownership, such as the tiling school, the support to honey producers and horticulture (through an agreement with the National Direction for Employment [DINAE], the executive unit of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security created in 1992). In Rivera, the social inclusion chain channelled productive projects for vulnerable beneficiaries, while in Florida entrepreneurship in low-income sectors was supported through the Interbarrial or through the Coordinator of Sarandi Grande.

All MyDEL Programme’s activities were aimed and focused on promoting and consolidating the participation of women in decision-making regarding administrative aspects in the LEDAs and in the economic circuit, with particular reference to territorial value chains.

Practices in more details

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13

The sheet to analyse the demand of territorial development services in the Dominican Republic SERVICES

TYPES OF SERVICES

SUPPORT TO TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES

TRAINING

SUPPORTING INNOVATION

SOCIAL INCLUSION

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO ENTREPRENEURS

COMMERCIALISATION AND MARKETING

SERVICE QUALITY Technical assistance to entrepreneurs for marketing Information about laws and regulations Information on market trends Organization of fairs Services for Territorial Marketing Organization of Territorial Brands Consulting for participation in international events Technical assistance for international cooperation Technology technical assistance Technical Assistance for business planning Information about laws and regulation Financial assistance Information about local opportunities for business investment Delivery of credit Information about opportunities Micro-finance and microcredit systems Support to access credit, including venture capital Stimulating creation of new enterprises Support for women entrepreneurs Support for business associations Actions of social inclusion in the circuit of economic development Support for job creation Technical assistance for diagnosis and technology Transfer technical assistance for product development Technical assistance for quality control Promotion of universities, research centres and links to the business Training for entrepreneurs Vocational and technical education Training for local authorities Training for local economic development officials Training for strategic plans Territorial diagnosis Support for governments for strategic planning Development, monitoring and evaluation Simulation of economic dynamics Information and use of job demand Project financing Value chain promotion

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EXISTING SATISFACTORY SERVICES

EXISTING UNSATISFACTORY SERVICES

NON-EXISTING SERVICES

1, 2 or 3

1, 2 or 3

1, 2 or 3

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Territorial competitiveness in Dajabón (Dominican Republic)

The report identifies the following products as major resources for territorial competitiveness: milk, cheese and yogurt; precious woods like pine and mahogany; rice; coffee; cassava and yucca; honey, horticulture (pigeon peas, pumpkin, sweet potatoes); banana; corn; poultry value chain; fish farming and tourism.

The ILS LEDA methodology for the analysis of the endogenous potential —RESCO (Sustainable and Competitive Economic Resources)— has been applied to each one of these resources, in order to prioritise the value chains. An Iconographic Matrix of Social Cohesion has also been produced, summarising the most relevant features of the image of Dajabón and the elements that create identity for its inhabitants.

Based on the analysis, new actions have been identified to foster the value chains, empower human resources, and to develop territorial marketing strategies.

The actions on value chains include the following objectives: •• To develop the value chains that have the most social and economic impact, such as milk and dairy products, coffee and timber; that promote organic product value chains, such as banana, honey and coffee; and that would generate a pine wood processing chain.

•• To promote ecotourism activities and other alternative touristic activities (such as mountain excursions), especially in the forest areas of Restauración.

•• To identify new areas for underground explorations aimed at finding water for drinking and irrigation.

•• To improve the quality and quantity of services provided by local agribusiness technicians.

•• To encourage the offer of agribusiness careers for local students, led by the Institute of Technology San Ignacio de Loyola (Itesil).

•• To define strategies for the promotion and marketing of territorial agro-industrial products which can be sold locally in the binational market, on a regional and country level.

•• To improve territorial accessibility and roads in the countryside and develop communication systems via mobile phone, Internet access and rural telephony.

The following main actions were identified to empower human resources: •• Create new jobs through the various value chains.

•• Generate higher levels of empowerment of the members of various associations and of the Inter-institutional Committee of Development.

•• Generate offers of formal education and basic training in informal housework jobs, to decrease the levels of emigration from the province.

•• Increase access to higher education.

•• Create a territorial brand to promote the development potential of native people, increasing artistic, sports, musical and professional skills.

•• Provide training in strategies for changing attitudes, in personal and social empowerment, in management skills and marketing strategies.

The actions for Territorial Marketing strategies include: •• Improve partnership and cooperative processes.

•• Generate a strong sense of belonging, based on social cohesion and territorial identity icons.

•• Develope counseling programmes in civic coexistence and training courses in self-improvement and entrepreneurship.

•• Promote festivities throughout the northwest region (similar to the traditional celebration in Higuey on 21 January, which generates high pilgrimage and cultural, folkloric and tourist development).

•• Plan historic tourism, directed at different targeted school’s pupils.

•• Encourage export of territorial handicrafts produced in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic.

•• Encourage the flow of binational trade, tourism and cultural exchange through the creation of a bi-national exhibition.

•• Develope an advertising campaign at the national and international level to attract investment, with an emphasis on tax cuts and the large potential for regional development.

•• Complete the new market, focusing on the buying and selling of secured goods and products.

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15

Map of competitive resources in the region of Vlora (Albania) A participative analysis, similar to the one conducted in Lebanon, led to the mapping of the competitive resources in the Albanian regions of Vlora and Shkodra.

tion, lack of branding, weak distribution, high prices, poor promotion and communication at an international level.

Following are presented the competitive advantages and obstacles to full valorisation of each resource, in the case of Vlora.

CULTURE

BEEKEEPING Multi-flower honey (citrus, sage, oregano, mountain savoury, thyme, mint, “mountain tea”); propolis and propolis tincture; royal jelly (small quantities); pollen (small quantities); bee wax (small quantities).

Competitive advantage: Good quality of multi- flower honeys which have original smell, taste and flavour and original mixture of flowers, recognisable as a Mediterranean product; unpolluted bee wax, pollen, propolis and royal jelly, with low quantity of medicines used; excellent organoleptic characteristics; good environmental conditions; participation of Vlora Associations in the MBF (Mediterranean Beekeeping Forum).

Obstacles: Lack of internal cohesion and the fragility of external relationships; expensive veterinary services; expensive production tools and machineries; lack of packaging, poor knowledge and awareness of processing opportunities; absence of mono-flower honey and the lack packaging for the honey production; obsolete instruments for collecting royal jelly and pollen; lack of know-how, weak innovation and research, and lack of laboratories to process product serious obstacles for no-honey products; lack of certifica-

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Roman settlement, megalithic altar, temples ruins, fortresses, castles, mosques, monasteries, churches, museums, galleries, libraries, figurative artists (the masterpieces of Zequir Alizoti), places of culture, cultural heritage of traditional Albanian iso-polyphony and Laberia, technical-scientific and humanistic institutions and universities, a centre for production and dissemination of rural productive culture (the DBUMK).

Competitive advantage: unique syncretism, due to interaction of the ancient native population, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, medieval, western (old Venetian and European) and eastern (both Turkish Ottoman and “old soviet regime”), Christian (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant) and Muslim heterogeneous cultural elements; original urban-architectural heritage, (castles and fortresses, churches and mosques, etc.); very rich archaeological heritage region wide; artistic production (tradition of iso-polyphony); humanistic and technical-scientific institutions; cultural associations; knowledge about historical objects, via many research activities.

Obstacles: lack of a shared awareness about the potentialities of the culture system; cultural heritage considered only in terms of its general potential for tourist attraction; cultural goods are poorly taken into consideration as the main cores of new enterprises; lack of cohesion among cultural actors belonging to different fields of the rich

local cultural; poor representation of the Vlora cultural world; lack of strategic management of the culture system, micro dimension of enterprises for cultural diffusion; poor knowledge dissemination; lack of good external marketing.

FISH VALUE CHAIN Cods (hake), mullet (mud mullet and rock mullet), blue fish (sardines, anchovies, mackerel); others species of sea fish (sea breams, Mediterranean sea basses, rays); cephalopods (octopus, horned octopus, cuttlefish, squid), crustaceans (shrimp, langoustine, European lobster, spiny lobster), shellfish (grooved carpet shell, “lupino” clams, cockles from the family of Cardiidae, murexes).

Competitive advantage: basic local food resource for Vlora gastronomy; added value for tourism; good quality and valuable organoleptic characteristics; it is possible to originate valuable frozen products; excellent quality octopus, shrimp, crustaceans; sardines, anchovies, and mackerel can be easily processed and preserved naturally or in vegetable oil through traditional processes; very valuable food preserves can be obtained.

Obstacles: Very old boat engines; absence of processing; lack of ISO and HACCP rules; lack of targeted finance and credit; lack of advanced training for fish breeding, for artisanal product processing activities, and for ISO and HACCP rules management; lack of total quality approach; lack of branding and promotion in domestic and regional markets; poor food education for national and regional consumers.

LIVESTOCK Bovine meat, sheep and goat meat, and poultry meat; milk and dairy, especially the kaçkavall; salt preserved beef meat; potential for small ruminant development.

Competitive advantage: Traditional know-how applied in producing beef meat preserves; traditional ways of breeding sheep; quality of milk when it is produced by cows, sheep and goats feeding with natural forages or natural grazing; recognisable characteristics of endogenous cheeses.

Obstacles: individual production; lack of associations; lack of external relationships; uncontrolled grazing areas, forage and fodder; lack of slaughterhouses; lack of processing know-how in processing; weak innovation and research; lack of laboratories to process products; lack of packaging; lack of certification; poor dissemination of good practices; lack of targeted finance and credit; lack of advanced training for farming practices, artisanal processing and ISO and HACPP norms, lack of total quality approach, lack of branding and of promotion of domestic and regional markets; poor food education for national and regional consumers.

ARTS AND CRAFTS Wrought iron art, handmade textile products, made of natural raw materials and embodying territorial identity value (wool carpets: kilims, rugs, mats, knotted carpets; bags; cotton: artisanal coats, embroidery).

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15 Map of competitive resources in the region of Vlore (Albania) Competitive advantage: Unique representation of the cultural syncretism of the region (ancient Greek, Roman, European, Turkish Ottoman); uniqueness of the traditional and recognisable know-how of Vlora “artist-workers”.

Obstacles: Poor awareness about the artisanal and cultural opportunities as potential for new enterprises; lack of protection of traditional design; lack of associations; lack of raw material, such as cotton and wool; lack of packaging; lack of targeted finance and credit; lack of training for artisanal processing; lack of complete quality rules and principles; lack of branding, very weak distribution and poor level of promotion and communications on an international scale.

processing opportunities; weak innovation and research; expensive tools and machinery; lack of laboratories to process products; lack of packaging; lack of certification; limited spreading of good practices; weak support; lack of targeted finance and credit, lack of advanced training for farming practices, artisanal processing, ISO rules management, HACCP rules management; lack of branding, poor promotion and communications on an international scale; lack of food education for national and regional consumers.

OLIVES Common variety; potable olives; kalinjot (Albanian endogenous olive); Frantoio variety (imported from Italy); Leccino variety (imported from Italy); processed products of table olives (produced in artisanal way), and olive oil.

NATURAL HERBS Mint; mountain savoury; “mountain tea” (or “shepherd’s tea”); oregano; sage; thyme.

Competitive advantage: Excellent properties of fresh and dried herbs and their essential oils; good characteristics of the Vlora environment: clean and adequate soils not yet contaminated, many extended areas, belonging to different ecosystems with abundant wild colonies of herbs; recognisable Mediterranean characteristics, mainly for some products, such as thyme, oregano and sage; high levels of biodiversity; unique and typical of mountain savoury and “mountain tea”.

Obstacles: Lack of associations; lack of know-how; small quantities of products; poor knowledge and awareness of

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Competitive advantage: Massive number of olive plants; main ingredient to produce many kinds of food preserves and readymade dishes; good germplasms; uniqueness of the endogenous variety Kalinjot, that could originate highly competitive mono-variety kalinjot extra virgin oil; Frantoio and Leccino varieties, which could originate good mono-variety kinds of extra virgin oil.

Obstacles: Generally similar to the other agro-food value chains, and, specifically, bad quality olive milling plants, low quality of the oil, not correctly managed presence of common Italian Frantoio and Leccino varieties, that could endanger the real competitive endogenous resources of the value chain.

TOURISM Richness of environmental attractors, due to the presence of many ecosystems and the cultural potential; additional attractors such as horse tourism, trekking, “en plein air” tourism, underwater and snorkelling activities, etc.; hotels and restaurants; most value chains with typical goods.

Competitive advantage: The Lonely Planet guide lists Albania as the most attractive country in the world 2011.

Obstacles: lack of coordination for addressing tourism as an integrated production system; poor awareness and valorisation of the attractions; poor presence of agro-tourism activities and bed & breakfasts in rural areas; massive presence of hotels and restaurants in Saranda; low quality of hospitality infrastructure; lack of promotion; lack of waste and water management; lack of public transportation.

WINE Typical wines are Kallmet (red and white wine), and Shesh (Shesh i bardhë, white wine, Shesh i Zi, red wine).

Competitive advantage: Uniqueness of endogenous grape varieties, significant properties of recognisability; good environmental conditions (climate and soil).

Obstacles: the same as for herbs.

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16

Main guidelines for provincial integrated development in Ecuador: the case of Carchi

In the province of Carchi, on the border between Ecuador and Colombia, interaction between the communities belonging to both countries has been established over time. The relevant number of villages, homogeneously distributed on both sides of the international border, creates a “mirror effect”, a correspondence that can be dated back to the historical and cultural roots of the province. In a very simple way, the desert border plain can be considered as a natural barrier, because of the lack of human settlements, while the towns of Tulcan (Ecuador) and Ipiales (Colombia) constitute the “development poles” of a real socioeconomic bi-national axis. Since the historical consolidation of the native Pasto people, these towns have been twinned because of several factors. Today, they are a strategic axis for both provincial (Carchi, in Ecuador) and departmental (Nariño, in Colombia) development dynamics.

The priority lines established by local actors set several targets in different local development plans (on local, cantonal, provincial, regional and national scales), working towards the MDGs.

THE PROCESS HAS BEEN DEVELOPED IN THREE PHASES: 1. Communicationn, from a technical point of view, of development plans at all governance levels. Through the communication and coordination of targets, goals and strategies on parish, cantonal, provincial, regional and national scales, the prioritisation of development lines of the territory of Carchi has been achieved.

2. A political support process, improved by adequate endorsement and monitoring. In the context of this process, some concrete project ideas have also been iden-

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tified, with an agreement from the working group on the need to jointly work on territorial development.

3. Socialising main work guidelines. These were divided and shared in participatory cantonal and provincial workshops, with relevant participation of the civil society, NGOs, private productive actors, international cooperation, groups of citizens, identifying the most comprehensive and strategic project ideas fostering territorial development.

THE POTENTIAL OF THE TERRITORY •• Agriculture: Potato (a product very appreciated at the national level). In addition, beans, corn, wheat, peas, sugar cane, broad beans, coffee, ulluco (“melloco”, Ullucus tuberosus Loz.), avocado, chilli peppers, and fruit varieties such as papaya, pineapple and little grapes are farmed there.

•• Breeding: cows, pigs, chickens, sheep, rabbits, fish breeding.

•• Tourist attractors: thermal springs (Tufiño), La Calera (Espejo) and Uyamá (Mira) seaside resorts, myrtle wood (Montúfar), Tulcán graveyard (Tulcán), the Cave of Peace (Montúfar), “El Angel” Natural Reserve, community tourism, Guanderas - Jatun Sacha Biological Station (Huaca).

•• Industries: Dairy activities (fresh cheese, ripe cheese, yogurt, creams), timber industries (cedar, eucalyptus, pine).

THE FOLLOWING PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT LINES HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED

•• Democratic governance improvement and socioinstitutional strengthening.

Objective: This line is aimed at supporting the design and implementation of a territorial planning system integrated with all governance levels (provincial, cantonal and parish), focused on the promotion of citizen participation and gender equity, and on the improvement of the skills of local governments in decentralised management.

Tools: the participatory approach; unified and standardized cartography; the Youth Network; social organisations; mainstreaming of the gender-equity approach; associations of communities and inter-institutional groups.

•• Territorial economic development and decent employment.

Tools: training (diploma in customs management), LEDA strategically oriented to gender equity and intercultural issues; knowledge and technology exchange; micro-credit and enterprise unified front office, decentralised on a municipal and communitarian scale; border tourism.

•• Human rights and public safety.

Tools: strengthening the Provincial Observatory for public safety and peaceful coexistence; training and awareness on human rights, strengthening cantonal councils of kids and adolescents; establishing a care and support centre for juvenile offenders; Inn-House on the border; communication of public safety.

•• Human mobility and local integration of refugees.

The number of Colombian people needing international protection and taking refuge on the northern border everyday is very relevant.

Tools: research and information; a campaign for promotion and dissemination of human rights; strengthening the voluntary association system; local integration of Colombian people.

•• Environmental and natural resources.

Carchi is a “green” province of excellence, rich in rural (farming, breeding) activities, natural springs and desert areas, with unique biodiversity, where respect for the “buen vivir”, for the Pachamama (Mother Earth) and communitarian job rules allowed for the preservation of good environmental conditions.

Tools: training in environmental issues; drainage water processing; strengthening and improvement of environmental services; forester training and strengthening; protection programme for natural reserves. In addition, support for municipalities to spread environmental awareness.

•• Basic social services.

Because of their location, human border settlements suffered conditions of less quality and sustainability and of lower levels of basic services, with respect to the rest of the country. Therefore, issues related to public health, education and basic sanitation require special intervention.

Tools: educational tools (teacher training, educational and technological projects on a parish scale, improvement of basic infrastructures, dissemination of livingtogether codes); health tools (eradication of the use of toxic pesticides and chemical products for agriculture, prevention campaign against drugs and alcohol abuse, information about health rights, educational campaign on sexual and reproductive health).

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Main guidelines of the strategy for local economic development in Lebanon: the North Lebanon case The development process in North Lebanon has been carried out through an action-research approach, involving several local actors in different focus groups, aimed at detecting the main economic resources available in each Programme area, and the opportunities and drawbacks regarding their strategic and integrated use as resources for development. In a second phase field visits were carried out to confirm and complement the results of the focus groups, and finally a desk analysis was conducted, aimed at assessing the potentialities of identified resources, and detecting strategic paths for sustainable and durable dynamics of territorial socio-economic development in the Programme areas.

THE FOLLOWING ARE KEY ELEMENTS IN THE FORMULATION OF STRATEGIC GUIDELINES.

of local actors, improving production performances, reducing costs, and homogenising strategies.

These considerations lead to the creation of a multi-level strategic framework for the ART GOLD Programme, based on the strategic value chains (such as national resources), their consistency at the area level, and their present and potential market effectiveness, with reference to the domestic (and sometimes regional) or international (EU, USA, Eastern Asia) markets.

THE CASE OF NORTH LEBANON North Lebanon is a territory of 4.161 km2 and a population of 539.448 (129 inhabit/km2).

•• Lebanon is a small country, and the characteristics and competitive advantage of the majority of the strategic resources are more or less the same for each Programme area, and a strong effort should be made on scale economies.

•• A strategy for developing the various identified value chains in a comprehensive way will rely on strong synergy within the national framework (either integrated governmental policies or networks of productive and non-productive private stakeholders), aimed at gathering a critical mass of resources, establishing common standards, and optimising strategic services (commercialisation, marketing, quality and food safety control, etc.).

Local networks will also be enhanced and aimed at creating favourable environments for increasing the awareness

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The following resources can be valorised for sustainable and competitive development: •• Honey value chain: including Bees, Honey (from citrus honey, lawn, acacia, eucalyptus, thyme, sage, oregano), Honey-dew (forest, juniper, oak, pine), royal jelly, and bee wax.

•• Milk value chain: including dairy cattle (Friesian) and other foreign breeds, sheep breeds (awassi from Middle East, local Baladi, goats), cheese (from fresh milk, from milk powder, micro-biological rennet for cheese, halloum cheese, Shanklish cheese), yogurt (Labnan, Labneh).

•• Fruits and vegetables value chain: , including fresh fruits (almonds, apples apricots, berries, carobs, chestnuts), citrus (bergamot, citron, lemon, mandarin, orange), figs, grapes, peaches, pears (common and Kouchie), fresh veg-

etables (cabbages, carrots, cucumber, eggplants, mallows, onions, peanuts, potatoes, pumpkins, salad vegetables, long white radish, tomatoes), processed products (dried products, compotes, juices, sauces), other specialties, such as apple jelly, apples stuffed with almonds, baladura, carrot & lemon jam, dried fig jam, dried fig jam with almonds and sesame, dried fig jam with walnuts, eggplants stuffed with almonds, grape leaves, marshmallows, pears with almonds, tomato paste.

•• Biodiversity system: including the Akkar-Donniyeh area, perceived as a “pristine, genuine and wholesome land”; the Tannourine Cedars Forest Nature Reserve, on the mountains of Jabal Mar Moroune and Jabal es Sair, the Palm Island Nature Reserve established on an archipelago formed by 3 islands.

•• Textiles: including manufacturing and trading of leather and textiles (Wool, Silk fabrics, Hemp, Jute, Leather), and other products such as carpets.

•• Other potential value chains: medical and aromatic plants, typical handicraft (especially in Tripoli), Olive, Boatyards, and Fishing

•• Study and plan for the establishment of a local tourism system through the engagement of decentralised cooperation.

•• Establishment of a LEDA in North Lebanon, through identification of objectives, functions, organisation, and sustainability factors.

•• Improving and boosting sustainability optimising agricultural and livestock processes.

•• Formulation and execution of projects regarding waste, water, and energy systems, through the engagement of decentralised cooperation.

•• Design and implementation of projects regarding laboratories for quality control, food safety and monitoring, through decentralised cooperation.

The short-term strategic guidelines were identified as follows: •• Promotion of local associations in the honey, milk, and fruit and vegetables value chain, and training, which includes the improvement of entrepreneurship, technology, processes and products.

•• Establishment of “Qammoua Natural Park”, through an integrated territorial project to support the shared design and the establishment of the Park.

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The promotion of territorial marketing in Colombia

The examples of territorial marketing strategies in Colombia are related to 2 projects funded by the European Union, which LEDA Metropolitana is developing since the second half of 2011 in collaboration with ADELCO and UNDP.

THE FIRST PROJECT The first project is the “Design and Development of a plan for positioning products and/or services representing 3 regions of Colombia (Ariari, Montes de Maria and Valle de Tenza) as an initial component of Territorial Marketing Strategy”. It seeks the active involvement of public, social and productive stakeholders of each region to achieve consensus on which products will be representing them and to start their introduction in national markets.

The project activities are divided into 3 main actions: 1. Diagnosis of territorial identity and image.

Collection of primary and secondary information through collaboration of identified local experts, each sub-region to be characterised.

Provincial Committees are then organised in each region to identify the factors that constitute the competitive advantages of each locality, the natural and landscape attributes, the symbols and values, the differential aspects and the more representative productive activities.

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2. Marketing plan for regional representative products.

Processes for identifying activities for product marketing are carried out involving mainly local producers in a participatory manner, and through analysis of the industrial sector, the products, target markets, and through a SWOT analysis, in order to develop marketing strategies and tactics.

3. Complementary actions.

Local entrepreneurs are trained to improve their management skills regarding quality and marketing processes of their products, through territorial marketing tools to ensure the inclusion in national markets.

The expected results of the intervention in the 3 subregions are consolidated good local products and services in the domestic market, identified in a socialised way, and capable of becoming key elements that will contribute to strengthening territorial image and identity.

THE SECOND PROJECT The second project is the “Design and Development of Territorial Marketing Plan and strategy for strengthening the Local Development in 3 regions of Colombia (Zapatosa Complex, Hoya del Rio Suarez, Zona Norte del Valle del Cauca)”. The project identifies, in a participatory manner, the constituent elements of the local identity of these sub-regions, in

order to strengthen their respective regional brands, within a territorial marketing strategy, thus improving the region’s competitiveness and quality of life.

Simultaneously, the territorial sub regional brands are harmonised with the departmental and national marketing strategies, aiming to enhance the tourist attractions and other differentiating factors for tourism and investments.

inclusion in the national markets; consolidation of a entrepreneurial culture to promote the local economy and generate revenues for the territory; introduction of participatory planning processes; involvement of local institutions and the productive sector in the development policies; reinforcement of the territorial identity and the empowerment of communities in promoting themselves.

The main activities are: 1. Diagnosis of territorial identity and image, through: •• Diagnosis of the competitive advantages of each sub-region.

•• Inventory of natural and landscape attributes, symbols, values, modern and traditional activities and differentiating factors.

•• Analysis of the awareness of the sub-region in a national and international context.

2. Formulation of the territorial marketing plan.

Including the design and launch of the regions’ visual brand image and the use of an internal and external communication strategy through media The following main results are expected: identification and valorisation of endogenous resources of each sub-region to promote a strategy of territorial promotion and positioning; reinforcement of local institutions for the construction of a Territorial Marketing Participatory Plan; development of policies for rural

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19

A cycle for Social Inclusion in the Dominican Republic: social animation aimed at making local economic development more inclusive

The Social Animation Plan, aimed at including disadvantaged people (unmarried women, unemployed young people, immigrants, castaways, and vulnerable people) in the local economic circuit, has the goal of facilitating the creation of micro and small enterprises and cooperatives created by these people or including them. It is based on 3 phases.

1. Promotion of enterprise building.

2. Training on business ideas and business plans.

3. Support for the start-up phase.

During the first phase, the following main activities are carried out: •• Sectoral and territorial identification of target people.

•• Dissemination of information, through the production of brochures, radio and web spots and announcements, providing information about the programme, its launch and its characteristics, aimed at involving the targeted people and making them ready for the next meeting.

•• Organisation of the promotion of the inclusion programme, through one or more largely participated (Public Forums) meetings, aimed both at explaining the programme, its goals, targets and tools, and motivating the people to get involved; at the end of the meeting, the names of interested people were collected.

During the second phase, the following main activities are carried out:

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•• IV) Basic operational training on entrepreneurial activity and spirit, aimed at promoting awareness related to both the advantages and the risks, the obligations and the efforts necessary for a real enterprise, and also aimed at teaching basic concepts of enterprise, markets and customer care, administration and accounting.

The objective of the course also involves selecting, among the participants, those who wish to carry on learning with an adequate entrepreneurial spirit, and also to orient the ones who don’t have an entrepreneurial aptitude toward different kinds of employment.

•• Technical assistance for the elaboration of business ideas and business plans; the work is individual, or a working group is established when more people are interested in the same issue (fruit and vegetables, food processing, fishing, livestock breeding, shoes and textiles, typical handicraft, etc.), in order to identify profitable business ideas; then, technical assistance aimed at elaborating a business plan (successively validated, if feasible) can be started.

During the third phase, support in terms of technical and financial know-how is provided, to promote enterprise start-up: •• Group training to strengthen entrepreneurial capabilities.

•• Facilitating the access to credit, compatibility with existing local opportunities.

•• Technical assistance for enterprise start-up, through a periodic or on demand consulting activity.

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Local economic diagnostic analysis in Uruguay: the case of the Department of Rivera

The study has been carried out through the utilisation of an ART Programme methodology (provided on an international scale by ILS LEDA), in direct cooperation with departmental and local working groups, which contributed to properly identifying the local economic resources.

Three elements of this methodology are distinctive: 1. Team approach, with opportunities for internal debate and comparison with other studies about the same products in other departments.

2. Gradual approach to the territorial context, through a secondary information analysis, interviews, field work and, finally, a workshop with the participation of local society.

3. Participatory methodology, in which the conclusions and results of the study are reached through the integration of the opinions of the experts and the points of view of local actors, with the contribution of technical teams from the municipalities and local society, with the goal of obtaining a validation of the results at a local level.

The analysis showed that Rivera is a department with a certain productive diversification, with a relevant presence of primary activities, some significant industries processing primary products, and an important network of services, in which border trading activities and basic services to the people and to the primary sector are particularly relevant.

The economic activities have been improved over the last few years, and the durability of a positive trend of economic growth can be seen for the primary and secondary sectors.

This is due to both specific territorial factors —as the existence of a good level of forestation, of the timber and mine sectors— and general ones, benefiting rural departments.

The trends of border trading activities are characterised by unpredictability, due to the variations of the foreign exchange market.

According to this analysis of the socio-economic resources in the department of Rivera, a prioritisation of the economic sectors in a local development perspective have been worked out through a matrix connecting these sectors with the dimensions identified to a achieve adequate conditions for local development over a medium-term time period.

These dimensions are employment, GVA (Gross Value Added), local perception of relative importance of the sector, “trickle-down” effect, poverty, equity, competitiveness and sustainability.

From the analysis of this sectoral prioritisation matrix, the following conclusions can be reached: •• An important group of economic activities can be ranked as first priorities: timber industries, trade (including services of tourist interest), other services (including public services), livestock breeding, forest activities, mines and transportation. The high priority level of this group depends on its high capacity to create wealth and employment in a competitive and sustainable way.

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Local economic analysis in Uruguay: the case of the Department of Rivera

•• In the case of timber industries and forest activities, a “trickle-down” effect can be observed.

•• Trade activities significantly contribute to tackle poverty.

•• Nevertheless, there is another group that contributed significantly to fighting poverty and promoting social equity and it includes the production and processing of tobacco, tiling, horticulture and general farming, dairies. Among these activities, tobacco processing is very remarkable as a strong contributor of GVA and as an important competitive and sustainable source of employment.

•• The rice value chain has the same ranking as tobacco, in terms of GVA contribution, job creation and a high level of competitiveness and sustainability, although it doesn’t excel in poverty mitigation and equity induction.

•• The lowest ranked activities belong to the sectors of dairies, wine agro-industry and financial and consulting services.

The department, however, faces poverty and equity problems, mainly due to the existence of few competitive and viable sectors, and the lack of opportunities for creating decent jobs for the most vulnerable people excluded from the territorial economic dynamics, such as, for instance, the timber industry.

The obstacles to the development of productive activities in the territory are as follows:

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•• Lack of infrastructures and general services for tourism (although good gastronomic proposals and trade in free shops exist).

•• Inadequate transportation system (both in terms of roads and railroads), especially related to the needs of the timber industry.

•• Extensive livestock breeding, without either technological development and support, or integration with rice and forest value chains.

•• Lack of technology and know-how in horticulture, dairy activities, trade activities (excluding free shops) and tourism services.

•• Significant restrictions to credit for local SMMEs. •• Lack of entrepreneurial spirit (except in leader firms and activities).

•• Low level of know-how and skills of local workforce.

In addition, there are 2 different and conflicting visions of the society, currently not yet integrated: •• The integration between Rivera and Livramento, also considering Brazil as a profitable market.

•• Low willingness to work in associations and presence of a general feeling of mistrust due to the border culture.

Based on this analysis, possible development policies have been discussed with local actors, articulating the policies in line with the characteristics of the sectors analyzed.

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

at the local level with a national policy framework, also oriented to the internationalisation of the products (sheet 22).

Innovations refer to the aspects of:

•• •• •• •• •

Value added of value chains.

The participative approach.

Strategic plans.

Financial issues.

Documentation and information.

Value added of value chains In the Dominican Republic, criteria related to the inclusion of socially excluded people, environmental respect, the chances of fostering gender equity through adequate economic activities, were integrated into the process of valorisation of local value chains. Criteria for territorial competitiveness, differentiation, innovation and diversification were also taken into consideration.

The approach is intended to build a platform of integrated services in the territories to support local economic dynamics. It is clear that if there are neither basic conditions to produce (permanent energy, water, good roads and connectivity, effective transportation systems, etc.) nor social conditions (good training, efficient health institutional arrangements, etc.), market success can hardly occur. These issues have been prioritised in territorial management, especially in the provinces of operation of the LEDAs at the border with the poorest country in Latin America, Haiti In Lebanon, integral support to the whole Bee value chain was given, integrating the development elements

In Central America, in the framework of the ART MyDEL Programme, the prioritisation of the value chains at the territorial level was the occasion for acquiring a new vision both on female entrepreneurship at the local level, and on its contribution to territorial development, economic justice and female empowerment. At least 5 local networks of female entrepreneurs were established, entering and being included in territorial/transnational development processes. All this was made possible through action-research activities carried out in cooperation with UCA University of San Salvador regarding “Female entrepreneurship’s dynamics” (see sheet 25 related to the case of the Department of Sonsonate).

Participatory approach In Uruguay more than 80 workshops, with by around 1.500 participants, were carried out for the valorisation and prioritisation of the value chains. In Lebanon and Albania, in the context of an action-research methodology, many Focus Groups —each one including at least 2 workshops— were carried out; about 200 producers and many public officers were involved in the process, in order to analyse territorial competitive potentials and to write the strategic guidelines of territorial economic development (sheet 24).

In Central America, a largely shared model of economic empowerment of women and of governance of localregional development was adopted, promoted by the Regional Centre of Knowledge Management (sheet 26).

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In the Dominican Republic, the ART initiative included an interesting approach for managing local economic development, based on the creation of spaces for dialogue on a territorial and national level between actors historically alienated, either because of partisan political differences, different beliefs or social and economic differences. The process has allowed for the incorporation of the concept of Democratic Economy, which aims to increase redistribution and collective wealth, equity and economic and social inclusion, by moving from a representative to a participatory democracy. In practice, the rapprochement LEDAs use daily, with the support of ART, between citizens (associations and organisations) and public policy managers and decision-makers, facilitates the advancement towards a more inclusive development model.

Strategic development plans In the Dominican Republic, priority strategic development guidelines were defined for each province, in a largely participatory and shared way. Alliances around value chains, including all stakeholders (who were also oriented and trained), were established. In Uruguay, from 2005 to 2010, the result of the prioritisation was the establishment of more than 40 productive projects of economic development aimed at social inclusion in 11 departments (breeders, farmers, wine producers, beekeepers, rural female weavers, milk producers, poultry producers, artisans, fishermen and disadvantaged social groups).

In Albania highly intensive work was carried out to draw up strategic plans for the 2 regions of the Programme. The work lasted almost 1 year, involving more than 200 public and private subjects, and prioritised actions and projects

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for sustainable development in a framework of consistency and long-term perspectives. The projects, prioritised thanks to shared criteria (this was another interesting innovation, reported in sheet 21), were referential for the financial disbursement by the ART GOLD Programme and the Decentralised Cooperation.

The ART MyDEL Programme produced an unusual, very innovative product consisting of the inventory, characterisation and geo/referencing of female enterprises that have been involved in the analysis of economic potential and the application of the value chain methodology in the pilot territories. This study clearly demonstrates both the importance and the role of women in local development, and women’s capacity for networking (sheet 26).

Particular attention to the gender approach was evident also in Mozambique, where the ART Programme supported women to establish parity conditions in both sides of the economy, by making the participation of women in economic policies easier, and by giving them specific know-how to ensure a sustainable life level for them and their families. Operatively, the Programme facilitated female entrepreneurship, in a compatible way with its logics and potentialities, by empowering women and strengthening their technical and organisation capabilities.

Financial issues The case of Dominican Republic deserves mention: more than 80 stakeholders were involved in the designing process of a micro-finance Programme for LEDAs, to support more than 3.000 entrepreneurs, belonging

to the prioritised value chains, thus making their access to credit easier. In this context, financial agreements were established in the territories with financial institutions, such as “Banco Popular”, “Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito el Progreso”, “Fondo de apoyo a la Micro Empresa de Visión Mundial”, “Coopacrene” and “Banco Agrícola para la movilización de recursos”.

In addition, the guarantee fund of LEDA Valverde was strengthened, and the funds of the LEDAs of Monte Plata, Dajabón and Bahoruco are going to be established, with a total amount of around 600.000 USD for the 4 LEDAs. MyDEL has promoted and implemented a financial model aimed at supporting female entrepreneurship on a local scale, through the utilisation of revolving funds amounting to 500.000 USD in each country (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua), which induced female enterprise revenues of 1.455.000 USD. The ART Programme in the Dominican Republic created a streamlined model and methodology of fund raising to support a territorial development strategy, based on profiles and project designs and on funds management and mobilisation (sheet 27).

In Mozambique, District Development Funds were strengthened and improved.

Documentation and information Many ART Programmes distinguished themselves for their creativity regarding the production of documentation and information, regardless of the use of specific Websites. Nevertheless, it is worth mention-

ing the ART Initiative Website (www.artinitiative. org), the ILS LEDA Website for information about economic issues and LEDAs (www.ilsleda.org) and the Forum Website.

In Ecuador a pamphlet —“Advantages and opportunities of a LEDA” (sheet 28)— has been created; in the Dominican Republic, an ART Journal for Human Development and LEDAs was produced, the information about LEDAs included in the UNDP Web page (http://www.pnud.org.do/content/apoyo-redes-tematicas-y-territoriales-para-el-desarrollo-humano-en-republica-dominicana-art-), and a university dissertation, “LEDAs and democratic governance” (sheet 29) has been published.

In Uruguay, 6 issues of the journal “Cuadernos para el Desarrollo Local” have been published.

The MyDEL Programme released a very interesting book badsed on its experience: “Women, local economies, territories, knowledge and powers”. The publication presents a trip through the deep geography of Central America, in which native, mixed race, afro-descendant women can be found. These women make local economies dynamic and introduce innovations daily, to build a better world for their families, their communities, their nations, their territories, and to achieve their desire forautonomy.

In Colombia the “Revista del Buen Gobierno” in 2008 released an important article, signed by Osvaldo Castelletti, Zoilo Pallares (ART representatives), Hernando Bejarano Arismendi, and Hugo Rodriguez Mantilla (LEDAs representatives), whose title is “Local Economic Development Agencies, key instruments for regional development”.

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Eurada, through the ILS LEDA Programme, on behalf of ART Office of Geneva, issued a whole series of documents: “LEDAs and Human Development”, “State of the art review on LEDAs”; “LEDAs and aid effectiveness”; “Local Development and Globalisation”, “The Local Economic Development approach: potentialities and limits of ART Initiative through the analysis of study cases”.

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Eurada worked, mandated by ART/UNDP, in order to support the initiative, both on a country level and on a central level for the Geneva office. All aforementioned documents can be found at www.ilsleda.org.

Practices in more details

Criteria for prioritising projects in the framework of the regional development plans in the region of Vlora (Albania)

With the goal of providing a tool to facilitate the decisionmaking process of the Regional Council for Partnership –the institution responsible for the elaboration and implementation of the Regional Development Plan– the ART Programme supported this institution in defining an array of criteria and indicators to assign priorities for initiatives and projects. Particularly, acceptance criteria aimed to filter the projects moving to a detailed evaluation phased, while prioritisation criteria defined the classification of projects and their priorities

•• Employment generation [indicator value=1].

•• Synergy with previous initiatives undertaken by the United Nations in the Region, particularly in support of ONE UN Initiative [indicator value=1].

•• Continuation of previous initiatives of the LEDA [indicator value=1].

PRIORITISATION CRITERIA

ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA •• Coherence with the economic potentialities and needs of the prioritised value chains, such as through an analysis conducted by AGA2 experts on the field [indicator value=2].

•• Generation of a “chain effect” (for instance, a project which launches a new product or technology in the chain, or gathers businesses for common activities, etc.) [indicator value=2].

•• Social impact [indicator value=2].

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•• Project sustainability in the long term.

•• Consistency with MDGs. •• Consistency with UNDP/ART GOLD Albania Stra­ tegic Objectives.

•• Extension and/or impact on the territory.

•• Multi-sectoral impact.

•• Finalisation within 10 months.

•• Consistency with projects under implementation.

•• Reduction of environmental pollution.

•• Visibility.

•• Economical benefit.

•• Bottom-up orientation.

•• Number of beneficiaries.

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The comprehensive development of the beekeeping value chain in Lebanon

In collaboration with Felcos Umbria, the Association of Mediterranean Beekeepers and ILS LEDA, the ART GOLD Programme in Lebanon realized a plan to support beekeepers on 360 degree in the three rural areas of the Programme, from 2008 to 2011.

This plan involved: 1. Training and technical assistance to producers.

2. Analysis of products and quality.

3. Technical assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture for the elaboration of a framework law for the sector.

4. Opening to international markets, particularly to the Mediterranean market.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING The state of the sector was discussed, analyzing the results of the local potential resources map. It was found that there are several important competitive advantages: 1. Areas with uncontaminated nectar.

2. The local consumers’ ability to recognize the good quality of locally and nationally produced honey, encouraging producers to good production processes.

3. A sufficient diversification of products either for beekeeping in general, and for honey production in particular.

4. The willingness of producers to initiate a process for improving the whole sector in a number of strategic issues, such as: the efficiency of agricultural practices and production, of the quality of production, of the management of the organizations of beekeeping activi-

ties; the establishment of technical assistance services self-managed by these organizations; the achievement of a quality system (monitoring, testing, risk assessments and corrective actions) in marketing activities and in the participation in the LEDAs. The support of the Ministry of Agriculture and LARI (Laboratory of the Ministry for Agricultural Research) was guaranteed, and a phase of training for producers began on the following topics: 1. Diseases (pathogens description, extent and impact of economic damage, methods to combat them, and issues related to residual contamination of chemotherapy in bee products).

2. Honey production quality (identification of parameters and control methods, technology and techniques of honey processing, organoleptic analysis by type and botanical origin).

3. Genetic selection (production of queen bees).

Training was also useful for checking the level of skills of producers and to compare —for the first time directly— the production methods in the three territories, and publicly discuss and share the development guidelines of the Honey Value Chain project.

A strong action was aimed at promoting and supporting the producers in the organization of one or more beekeepers associations, through awareness, training and technical assistance.

In December 2010, finally, everyone was convinced about the advantages of having better representation and visibility

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The comprehensive development of the beekeeping value chain in Lebanon

towards the ministries and other national and international institutions, and better efficiency in jointly managing the production services, supplies, and marketing. Specifically, the roles, functions and purposes of the beekeepers’ associations were discussed.

ANALYSIS OF THE PRODUCTS AND THEIR QUALITY For the first time in Lebanon an analysis of the quality of honey was conducted, using 5 quality parameters on 100 honeys and involving directly a wide number of producers.

The results of the first survey on the quality of honey in Lebanon were discussed jointly in detail, and information was exchanged.

A second investigation was carried out on another 100 honeys, as well as on health management and epidemiological aspects, including residues of antibiotics and spores, which form colonies, according to the American Food Brood (AFB).

The results of this second survey were analysed and they illustrated some shortcomings in the production system.

More items for reflection were established, which will be analysed carefully before taking any future corrective actions

ASSISTANCE TO THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE ELABORATION OF A FRAMEWORK LAW FOR THE SECTOR

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It was proposed —in accordance with the Ministry of Agriculture— to work on drafting a law that defines and regulates the beekeeping industry (regulatory act) and to develop a database for the management of the sector, in the control, planning and investment stages. In early 2011, the Ministry of Agriculture created the database and, after a session of analysis and final review with the ART GOLD Programme in Lebanon, the rules of guidance, discipline and regulation of the beekeeping sector will be issued.

The IV Forum Beekeeping Mediterranean in Beirut in November 2010 was then jointly organised.

NTERNATIONALISATION In November 2010 the IV Forum Beekeeping Mediterranean took place in Beirut. Operators, officials and producers from Tunisia, Italy, Morocco, Algeria, Spain, France, Palestine, Syria participated at the Forum, as well as Iraqi producers and government officials as observers.

The conference theme was “Bees as promoters of biodiversity”, with the aim of accelerating the process of cultural and not just technical or instrumental modernisation.

The Forum, through discussions on important issues such as environmental pollution and bee ecosystems changes, allowed Lebanese beekeepers to have an immediate and impacting comparison with beekeeping systems in all the Mediterranean, European, North Africa and Middle East areas.

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Regional strategic development plans in the region of Vlora (Albania)

In Albania, the ART Programme supported local actors in the regions of Shkodra and Vlora by elaborating a shared strategic development plan. Here is the case of Vlora.

The plan was elaborated, taking into account the Millennium Development Goals, the national development strategy, prospects for European Union integration and the opportunities to use EU funds, the decentralisation and local government strategy.

THIRD PHASE •• Definition of reference development scenarios.

•• Meetings to discuss and share these scenarios with stakeholders to define strategic plan priorities.

•• OPEN DAYS in Vlora and Saranda, with the participation of 123 representatives divided into 4 thematic groups: environment, infrastructure networks; tourism and culture; rural development and diversification of rural products, and social sphere.

The process was conducted in 4 phases.

FIRST PHASE •• Identification of needs and resources.

•• Work Plan for the Strategic Development Plan.

•• Analysis of existing documentation concerning regional or sub-regional studies and plans.

•• Identification of strengths and weaknesses of the region of Vlora (SWOT analysis).

•• Consultation with stakeholders.

SECOND PHASE •• Creation of regional studies.

•• Creation of preliminary analysis committees for cultural, infrastructural, environmental and social aspects.

•• Consultation meetings with local stakeholders.

•• Monitoring of plans and Programmes and creation of a database with the identified data.

•• Meetings to share the results with stakeholders.

At the end of these stages the following thematic development guidelines were identified: •• •• •• •• •• ••

Community tourism.

Typical products and rural crafts.

Fishing and Aquaculture.

Education and training.

Stimulation of regional cultural heritage.

Conservation of landscape and environmental rehabilitation.

•• Tangible and intangible energy networks.

•• Social inclusion.

•• Strategic Plan for children and youth.

FOURTH PHASE Definition of the draft strategic plan through the following steps: •• Definition of actions to be implemented for each strategic line.

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The strategic regional development plan in the region of Vlora (Albania)

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•• Concentration and project selection.

•• Definition of integrated development projects.

•• Development of a management system in implementing the plan.

•• Realisation of the draft agenda (action plan).

•• Consultation with interest groups (intellectuals, public presentation).

Finally the following strategic axes were identified: •• •• •• ••

Vlora: cultural and touristic region.

Shushice Valley: Rural District.

Coastal Tourism Zone.

Delvina: Food District.

The priority projects are those that grouped various projects in the same area, identified through meetings with the different actors, and they are:

METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES Action-research is an operational methodology of “territorial solicitation”, aimed at concretely supporting processes of change of any nature, generated by the territory itself. In this sense, this methodology is considered as “activating multidisciplinary research” or research that involves many different fields of knowledge and all the components of a “territory” as a system, representing one of the main drivers of territorial evolution.

1. Thematic tourism in the region (51 projects).

2. Brand for local food products (12 projects).

3. Water protection (7 projects).

4. Waste water treatment (5 projects).

5. Crafts (3 projects).

6. Digital network (1 project).

7. Basic infrastructure (3 projects).

8. Social networking (8 projects).

9. Children in the Region of Vlora (7 projects).

10. Health (3 projects).

11. Jobs for women (2 projects).

In the action-research, local actors are at the same time subjects and objects of the investigation, working together with the investigator. The interaction between the observer and the territory is thus high, boosting processes of shared solutions to local problems and identification of latent potentialities, and also supporting the analysis of the obstacles that have

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Action-research in Lebanon to stimulate shared strategies for territorial economic development

to be overcome to increase current competitiveness or to valorise potential competitiveness, ultimately defining how to overcome obstacles.

The model adopted in Lebanon was the process recommended by ILS LEDA, which was expressed in 3 activities: concertation, desk-based analysis, field surveys.

Concertation Interaction between local stakeholders was carried out through concertation activities, finalised by facilitating a strategic collective decision-making process involving all stakeholders, regardless of their social status and their bargaining power. This is aimed at identifying opinions and common perceptions of the actors in relation to territorial competitiveness, recognising the obstacles to fully exploiting such competitiveness, and the methods for the removal of the identified obstacles.

The “Focus Group” is the main coordination tool. The aim of the Focus Group is to identify a core of common opinions and perceptions among a group of local actors on a particular topic, and then allow this shared core to evolve.

The Focus Group is implemented through the identification of an issue of interest concerning development action, and then gathering a group of people (the “panel”), connected in different ways to the subject of debate. This debate is completed by identifying perceptions and shared solutions, and the activation of permanent communication flows between the actors. Other dialogue instruments are sectoral meetings and “public forums”.

Desk-based Analysis Desk-based analysis is a tool to increase knowledge about the territory, requiring the collection of data and information on general the territory’s characteristics and its endogenous resources, through the recovery of existing surveys, or promoting new surveys.

The data and information gathered by desk-based analysis contributes to the identification of issues for consultation, and it can also produce feedback to confirm what has been identified by the concertation process and by field surveys.

Field surveys Through observation of the territorial reality made during field surveys, the information gathered through consultation may be confirmed or not, and emerging issues of interest may be identified for next stages of concertation and desk-based analysis.

ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS IN LEBANON During the period of August to December 2007, in the 4 areas of the UNDP ART GOLD Lebanon Programme (North Lebanon, Bekaa, South Lebanon and Dahyeh) action-research activities (consultation, desk analysis, field survey) were carried out with ILS LEDA technical support, attended by 182 participants of various organisations, as described in the following table.

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Action/research in Lebanon to stimulate shared strategies for territorial economic development

ACTIVITY

NORTH LEBANON

BEKAA

SOUTH LEBANON

DAHYEH

TOTAL

CONCERTATION

3 focus groups + 1 meeting

8 focus groups

7 focus groups

3 focus groups + 5 meetings

21 focus groups + 6 meetings

FIELD SURVEY

6 days

8 days

1 day

22 days

7 days

60 days

DESK-BASED ANALYSIS

As part of the concertation process, the following focus groups were organized: AREA NORTH LEBANON

BEKAA

SOUTH LEBANON

DAHYEH

DEBATE SUBJECT

N. OF PARTICIPANTS

Competitive agriculture resources in Donniyeh Biodiversity as competitive resource for Akkar Competitive resources for agriculture en Akkar Competitiveness of canned vegetables in Bekaa Agriculture competitiveness in Bekaa Wine as strategic resource in Bekaa Competitiveness of the milk value chain in Bekaa Competitiveness of industry and handicrafts in Bekaa Competitiveness of the olive value chain in Bekaa Livestock competitiveness in Bekaa Honey and molasses as competitive resources in Bekaa Competitiveness of agriculture in South Lebanon Tourism competitiveness in South Lebanon Industry competitiveness in South Lebanon Agriculture competitive value chains in South Lebanon Livestock competitiveness South Lebanon Beekeeping competitiveness South Lebanon Fishing and fish farming competitiveness in South Lebanon LED strategy for Dahyeh Industry and handicrafts competitive potential for Dahyeh Competitive potential of the commercial sector in Dahyeh 182

TOTAL

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15 10 19 7 8 1 4 5 2 4 5 4 4 11 14 9 7 4 15 19 15

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Women entrepreneurship dynamics in the Sonsonate department (El Salvador): action-research

The work began with action-research to determine the factors affecting the low presence of women in dynamic business segments in El Salvador, considering that the entrepreneurial process is experienced differently by men and women and it is not possible to build an entrepreneurial gender-neutral profile. This, in fact, may entail the risk of “making women entrepreneurs invisible”, working on the basis of “myths” and stereotypes, and then reproducing and/or deepening existing gender inequalities.

The following main myths around female entrepreneurship were identified, compared to the reality of women-owned businesses: Myth 1: The assets (capital) of women-owned businesses are poor.

Reality: The assets of women’s businesses are plentiful: tangible and intangible. Social capital is an intangible asset that is found in abundance in group companies.

Myth 2: Women’s entrepreneurship development is hampered by the fact that their motivations for running a business do not correspond to the motivations of a “true” entrepreneur.

Reality: Women (like men) create companies to achieve life goals. Life goals of women (and men) are not always the pursuit of profit or material success, but may include: the achievement of economic security for their families, education of sons/daughters, detaching themselves from abusive or violent relationships, and so on. These objectives are as valid as those about the pursuit of profit.

Myth 3: Women’s enterprises are in self-employment and subsistence sectors, because women prefer these activities to reconcile their income-generating activities with the care of their daughters and sons.

Reality: Women are kept in the segments of self-employment and subsistence as a result of exclusion from the inputs market functioning, which works mostly with gender gaps due to stereotypes and myths that discriminate against women.

Myth 4: Women’s businesses have shorter and/or more volatile perspectives than men’s, due to periods of maternity and childcare, which makes the investment financing in medium and/or long term projects highly risky.

Reality: Women’s business perspectives are not shorter than those of men due to the motherhood cycle: women’s businesses are more likely to disappear due to problems with access to inputs and goods markets.

Myth 5: Women may only develop entrepreneurship if they move to non-traditional economic activities (typically run by men), since these are more profitable.

Reality: Women-owned businesses (traditional and non-traditional) face the same barriers to access inputs and goods markets, due to factors related to gender relations (stereotypes, gender roles and design of “neutral” gender programmes and projects).

The action-research activities achieved the following outcomes.

OUTCOME 1 100% of the interviewed women considered that their lives improved after the implementation of the business, succeeding in increasing household income (59.1%), economic independence (50%), self-esteem (81%), and sense of freedom and satisfaction (50%).

Three instruments necessaryto promote female entrepreneurship were also identified: Grant Fund for Seed Capital, Credit Fund for current and investment capital, and Technological Innovation Fund (R & D), linked to the LEDAs, and possibly organised with Service Centre for Women Entrepreneurship (SCWE).

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Women entrepreneurship dynamics in the Sonsonate department (El Salvador): action/research

Criteria for selecting female entrepreneurship were also defined, linked to group initiatives, with scale economies and social solidarity capital, within a specific value chain.

OUTCOME 2 The elements for the design of actions to promote female entrepreneurship from a gender perspective must take into account that: •• Entrepreneurship should not be considered an endall or a “lifestyle” for women, but as an instrument for achieving their different life goals and as a path to autonomy and empowerment of women.

•• The business capital of women should be evaluated as the sum of tangible and intangible assets.

•• The potential and obstacles to the development of women’s businesses are broader than the financial statements and/or inventories.

•• Development activities for women-owned businesses should consider strategies that really help to develop their capacity as agents, in more equitable economic and social relations, more inclusive and more integrated context.

•• The model of the ‘solidarity economy’ may contribute to the design of such strategies.

•• The most appropriate interventions to promote the development of women’s activities are those that have a territorial approach and that fall within the value chain which include women’s business activities, to increase the value of activities women carry out (or can do)

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and prevent the transfer of value (surplus) out of those chains.

•• In all the phases of Programmes and projects that promote business development in support of women (identification, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation) the participation of women shall be envisaged and not exploit or increase women’s unpaid workload.

The final recommendations were: •• To identify various profiles of women entrepreneurs in the territory, and the total load of work done (productive + reproductive work) and the social capital (internal and external) which they rely on to cope with the total workload.

•• To promote the productive organisation of women by creating solidarity companies in the phases of the productive chains with more value or more potential for creating competitive advantage.

•• To expand and/or strengthen women’s social capital (internal and external) to support them in their business activities (productive work) and care activities (reproductive work).

•• To design business development tools to respect the economic rationality of women entrepreneurial initiatives (not to impose a rationality that is not their own).

•• To design and use a system of impact indicators, to assess in quantitative and qualitative terms the contribution of the actions in favour of women’s entrepreneurship development in the process of women’s autonomy and empowerment.

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The recognition route of the stimulating role for women entrepreneurs in local economic development: a MyDEL Programme study

The MyDEL Programme (Women and Local Economic Development) has undertaken a study, called “Route of reconnaissance of female entrepreneurship”, acknowledging that the first step for maximizing the potential of women entrepreneurs is to know what already exists and how they give a relevant contribution to development, with particular emphasis to local development.

The main objectives of this route are: 1. To develop their potential for upgrading and positioning within the governance of the value chains.

2. To overcome the bias to classify women entrepreneurs as a “vulnerable sector” and as “poor people”.

The Programme verified that women entrepreneurs are a driving force of the local economy, mobilizing endogenous factors, creators and re-producer of territorial identity, repositories of knowledge that constitute the heritage of local female intelligence. But despite all this, women are dismissed as “poor”.

There are two elements that are identified as crucial in the process of feminine entrepreneurship in the region: 1. The importance of intangible resources, typical of the capacity of women.

2. The organization of economic production cycle, in the shape of value chains, as a form of integration, aggregation typical of the feminine culture.

Intangible resources are the basis of the production process.

If current production is based on the extraction of value, in the future it has to focus on innovation, on the basis

of new intangible assets: new knowledge, new skills, new capabilities, new human, relational and intellectual capital.

The new intangible assets will lead to the creation of new processes and new products for the market.

The value chain is a tool and a strategy of economic empowerment of women. Using this tool requires several steps: •• Identify local and global conditions in several extended value chains; •• Identify the position of women entrepreneurs on the map of competitiveness: what are the assets and the knots of inequality; •• Map and analyze systemic competition; •• Identify assets, potentialities, limitations for scaling women entrepreneurship •• Analyze the distribution of income; •• Analyze the governance of the chain and the position of women in its governance.

In this context there are many cases of women who have created value chains based on their own tacit and intangible knowledge, and have valued the territory and its identity.

The following examples in Nicaragua, Honduras, Salvador, and Guatemala are relevant: •• The chain of soft cheese of “The Land of Women Cheese Makers”-Nagarote Township (León-Nicaragua).

The soft cheese is a product that gives identity to the territory and mobilizes endogenous factors. The chain includes different actors: producers of milk, cheese, and employed cheese makers, mobile vendors, women selling in their shops and women organizing workshops on soft cheese production in their homes.

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The recognition route of the stimulating role of women entrepreneurs for local economic development: a Mydel Program study

•• Women entrepreneurs positioned in the food chain in a conglomeration of 99 women in the municipality of Achuapa (León-Nicaragua) producing and exporting Jamaica flower to fair trade.

Jamaica Leaf chain includes 3 activities: field crop, dehydration and presentation to the international market. The Jamaica Leaf of Achuapa, organically produced and processed, is a product with an origin brand.

•• The “Inter-municipal Association of Artisan Women in Clay Pottery” in the department of León (Nicaragua), which includes clusters of women artisans, is an example of creation and reproduction of territorial identity.

•• The transformation of clay into handicrafts and pottery gives identity to the territory in areas marked by high poverty.

•• Another example of the same nature is MAGU Group (Manzanares-Gutierrez) of the Lencas Potter-makers in the Department of Valle (Honduras). Through this work, women maintain and renew the Lenca indigenous identity.

•• An example of revitalisation of the villages and communities, as a result of women entrepreneurial activities, is found in the municipality of Nacaome (Department of Valle-Honduras). Here the women entrepreneurs “The Lilies”, producers and marketers of barley water, soy cereal and pine nuts operate on a logic that boosts the local economy, as they have knowledge about the processing stage and use innovative practices.

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•• Another similar example is in the Department of Sonsonate, where Nahualt-Pipil women have knowledge of the balsam, and its sustainable use, which gives identity to the territory and the country. However, in the analysis of international exports, the contribution of women is not acknowledged yet.

•• Chortí women in Guatemala have a good amount of traditional knowledge capital.

•• For example, there is the Association of the Women Embroiderers of San Jacinto, who are keeping the tradition alive while innovating and improving traditional designs, accepting and integrating into their work the proposals from students of the School of Industrial Design.

There is also the AMO (Association of Women Olopenses, in the Municipality of Olopa; Department of Chiquimula) that exploits the knowledge of Chortí women on extraction and production of maguey fibre and innovations in dyeing, weaving and making handicrafts.

THE STUDY RECOMMENDS: 1. Strengthening the process of upgrading female entrepreneurship by, first of all, recognising the knowledge of women and facilitating access to technology.

2. Defining an agenda of shared responsibility on a territorial level for the empowerment of women entrepreneurs, and this includes recognising their knowledge and potential, and focusing on the diagnosis of potential chains and on the implementation of the strengthening process.

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Fund raising model in the Dominican Republic

DESIGN PROJECT PROFILES In accordance with each chain and with the goal to activate local services, the LEDAs have elaborated a relevant portfolio of projects in each territory and as a network. Each project aims to generate an impact in terms of employment, income and inclusion of more vulnerable people in the local economic cycle.

The project profiles are built collectively with the different working groups, composed by, in addition to the LEDAs’ members, people linked to productive activities and business (such as entrepreneurs and local producers) and excluded people.

MANAGEMENT AND FUND RAISING The management scheme for fund-raising focuses on proposals for local economic development, and target private companies that can promote the concept of social responsibility, government institutions —centralised and decentralised—, and international cooperation institutions —decentralised, bilateral and corporate. The management mechanisms used are use of the virtual network, visits and meetings in Santo Domingo and missions and contacts abroad. Contacts are established with institutions, as well as visits and meetings to introduce partners and projects in the territories, and analyzing the

existing opportunities. The committed resources in this management activity are related to the time fees (measured in committed hours) of people who are dedicated to these tasks; promotional materials, brochures, annual reports, CDs, videos, flash media and PowerPoint presentations, photographs, newspaper articles, and Websites; participation in seminars, fairs, conferences, Etc.; and travels and other costs.

The LEDAs must: •• Elaborate the proposal profiles and the projects for each LEDA and the network.

•• Build a portfolio of projects.

•• Design a database of potential institutions.

•• Study and analyse each institution, its lines of action and financing.

•• Identify contacts for the institutions, elaborate the LEDAs presentation on paper, carry out the virtual management, the initial contact via phone, letter, e-mail and other methods of communicationrs.

•• Organise the presentation meeting for the entity and put together the proposals.

•• Present the proposals to existing opportunities.

•• Make joint management arrangements.

•• Implement the agreements for approval and fund-raising.

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The booklet: “What territorial economic development is: advantages and opportunities of having a territorial economic development agency” elaborated by CEDET in Ecuador A Local Economic Development (LED) approach embraces several crucial issues for a territory: •• The communication and creative collaboration between local public or private actors and institutions: local governments, businesses, academic and social institutions.

•• The introduction of innovations in local production systems, in management, technology, products, processes, aimed at strengthening the local potential.

•• The social cohesion, inclusion and equity are key factors to avoid fractures among various segments of the population, putting at risk long-term development.

•• The protection of the environment, which is, along with human capital, the fundamental resource for sustainable development.

•• The proper design of training Programmes for human capital.

•• Building strategic processes and infrastructure.

•• The valorisation of natural heritage and local culture as elements that facilitate social cohesion, the creation of enterprises based on different types of heritage, and the differentiation of the territory in the territorial marketing processes.

The key to this approach is the planning and decisionmaking carried out in the territory, promoting the participation and direct involvement of different local actors, while seeking the involvement and collaboration with all decision levels of the State to optimise resources and focus efforts.

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Ensuring bottom up economic development involves building a virtuous circle where local governments are strengthened, corporate governance improved, human capital enhanced in a coordinated manner in accordance with shared territorial goals going beyond individual interests.

A Territorial Economic Development Agency (TEDA) is an institutionalised response to a common need or a specific opportunity for the territory. Among the multiple roles of a TEDA there are those of a catalyst, coordinator, driver, communicator, executor, promoter, mediator and provider of services, always acting as a facilitator for the process of local dialogue between the most relevant economic actors. A TEDA is an institution integrating various territorial sectors, responding to territorial interests and to the demands of all the forces of development, acting in a professional way and articulating visions and strategies. It is a horizontal and territorial instrument, aiming at strengthening local capacities for human, economic, equitable and inclusive territorial development.

Most of the TEDAs in the Ecuadorian Committee for Economic and Territorial Development (CEDET) cover an area corresponding to a province, with the exception of the Metropolitan District of Quito. Experience shows that a TEDA better meets its objectives if it is a mixed private-public body with legal personality under private law. These conditions ensure the continuity of functions and actions, the independence of proposals and the technical competence. Being a public government body it can easily lose independence in the selection of professionals who manage and operate the TEDA. Maintaining the

public-private status facilitates sustainability of the territorial project. If the TEDA belongs to all the territorial public and private actors, it must use and generate instruments for governance and transparency, through which managing in democratic terms the decisionmaking process. A TEDA therefore takes on a unique leadership role that involves, motivates, strengthens, builds cohesion, articulates and delivers to local actors the opportunity to lead their territory. The TEDA must have transparent internal management processes, establish clear processes for decision-making and authority levels, creating a favourable socio-economic and institutional environment.

The TEDA’s governance is based on the commitment and willingness of the actors to work together; on the autonomy and independence from external interferences; and on the ability to provide quality services and harmony through public-private dialogue.

The TEDA is not a stock company, where who has greater power matters more, but a democratic and open space to take shared decisions and promote good governance. In fact, each has one vote in the decision-making process.

The TEDA, as a technical entity, is supposed to maintain and demonstrate its independence from political parties. The most efficient TEDAs count on a general director with strong and recognised local leadership, with a commitment regards to achieve of specific indicators of technical results.

Other TEDA factors that contribute positively to territorial economic development lie in pursuing strategies focused on maximising the endogenous potential, in order to reduce the risk of exploitation by strong powers.

In conclusion, the TEDAs, as tools for local economic development, play specific essential roles required by the territory: •• An internal reference for the organisation, the coordination and optimisation of the services necessary for the economic development of the territory, in accordance with the objectives of the corresponding strategies and avoiding duplication, overlap and conflicts between different entities.

•• A tool for local actors to respond efficiently and effectively to development needs and challenges, and adapt (better anticipate) responses to changes in the environment: finance, markets, technology, disasters, etc.

•• An external reference for the national and international community, with a unique “political” force, since it represents all the territorial actors, and as a comprehensive “technical” tool to channel resources and negotiate actions and projects.

•• A tool for national and provincial governments to implement policies and territorial development plans.

•• A tool to facilitate international relations for local actors.

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Local Economic Development Agencies as tools for democratic governance in the Dominican Republic: an academic dissertation By Andrea Ferrannini, University of Florence, Italy

THE CONCEPT OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE The paper’s main objective is the research and analysis of some mechanisms and instruments of democratic governance at the territorial level that have been experienced and developed in some provinces in the Dominican Republic in the last decade, through the initiative of local officials or the encouragement and support of the UNDP ART GOLD Programme.

The concept of democratic governance is conceived as: the social capacity of a political community to be structured so that all agents can interact to articulate the different demands and interests of their society, to identify its needs and, above all, to enhance processes of collective decisionmaking and conflict resolution under a system of rules and formal or informal procedures that respect the basic and typical principles of a democracy: participation, social inclusion of minorities, cooperation, equality, transparency and accountability.

At each stage of the process —ranging from the social demand to the approval and implementation of policies and decisions— a conflict situation can occur: only a framework for coordination and distribution of both benefits, and responsibilities and skills, can solve it while ensuring sustainability. Governance and conflict are not 2 opposing concepts but it is the conflicting dynamic itself

that determines the democratic governance of any kind of institution, without which it would not be possible to adapt the rules and practices at each moment and for a given socio-political system.

Finally, the rules and procedures accepted by each one have a fundamental role, because they institutionalise how to take and implement the decisions of authority to contain and prevent the concentration of power, authoritarian temptations and the risk of arbitrary decisions by some players.

UNDP defines governance as an “exercise of economic, political and administrative authority in the management of the affairs of a country at all levels. It includes mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and reconcile their differences”.* Therefore, democratic governance is understood as the governance that promotes human development.

GOVERNANCE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC The story of the democratisation process in the Dominican Republic has the features and the typical problems of the region and the Latin American continent, regarding the difficult transition from an authoritarian to a democratic

* UNDP: Gender and Governance, Human Development Resource Centre, India, 2003.

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regime, and has also been characterised by its own unique socio-cultural specificities.

To briefly present the situation, it is useful to refer to the indicators in the annual evaluations of the World Bank, which rank the Dominican Republic 129th in terms of regulatory quality, 142nd as regards the rule of law, 113th in accountability, 119th in stability and non-violence, and 99th in terms of transparency (ECLAC, 2008). These and other indicators regarding state functioning show the deficit and the difficulties of Dominican democracy with consequent low institutional and social sustainability and weak redistributive capacity: high centralisation and concentration of power, limited presence of an articulated and a cross-sectional vision and of a territorial political culture; insufficient correspondence between the legal framework and actual practices, and low institutionalisation; poor economic and institutional autonomy of the territories; and, finally, weaknesses in terms of participation and civil society leadership.

In the Dominican Republic, the idea that the majority of institutions, either governmental or private and social, pursue private purposes is still prevalent, and it appears to stem from the lack of valorisation of what is public and collective.

On the other hand, the Dominican Federation of Municipalities encourages the creation of a “Social State of Law, organised as decentralised, democratic, participatory, pluralistic and municipal, enhancing respect for human dignity, for honest work and solidarity of the people, as well as for the prevalence of general interest”.

THE ROLE OF THE LEDAS In several provinces of the country in the last years some innovative experiences of democratic governance at the sub-national level, the local economic development agencies (LEDAs), have been developed. They, beyond representing the most comprehensive structures in the context of local economic development initiatives, are setting the basis for a bottom up reform of the institutional structure.

Primarily, the LEDAs are structures designed to create a favourable socio-economic and institutional environment, responding to the various critical problems of each territory, which is always characterised by its unique cultural, historical, socio-economic and institutional specificities. More concretely, their dynamics of action take place around 5 strategic axes, namely territorial development, governance, welfare, environment and equality, which cross cut and jointly integrate the human development approach.

The main advantages, in terms of democratic governance, that arise from the creation of a local economic development agency in a specific territory are as follows: •• It represents a space for dialogue to create, when nonexistent, or strengthen, where it is weak, a fundamental social capacity for territorial development, through concertation between public, private and social institutions. One of the objectives of the LEDAs is to include and ensure the participation of all agents with power and territorial actors, as a substantive element for democratic

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Local Economic Development Agencies as tools for democratic governance in the Dominican Republic: an academic thesis

governance and to break the economic political patterns of social exclusion. The LEDA helps overcome conflicts and expands participation, and includes also those territorial players excluded in most decision-making processes (e.g. associations of women or peasants), recognising the crucial role they play in the territorial society.

•• The formal structure for interaction is the basic characteristic of a LEDA, which, through its statute and practices, identifies a precise, articulated way of acting, under the control of the Assembly of Members. The need for formal structure in this case is crucial to avoid the risk of inoperability and inefficiency typical of many Dominican institutions, as well as the temptation of private management by the most charismatic personalities involved in the process.

•• The LEDA introduces itself, at least theoretically, as the ideal structure to deal systematically with conflicting processes.

First, it enables communication between the demands and interests of a society, fostering the appreciation of territorial potential through trust among participants dealing with a common overall objective. Second, it promotes the identification of needs, in this case of a specific area, in a coordinated, integrated, intersectoral and, above all, transparent manner, avoiding power plays and prioritisation based on private interests. Third, and crucial for democratic governance, it may provide mechanisms for collective decisionmaking that, in accordance with horizontal/heterarchical participation, achieves agreed decisions where all agents share the same level of responsibility, avoiding competition and exclusion typical of the voting mechanisms.

•• Finally, the afore legal framework refers to a system of formal or informal rules and procedures that respect the

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basic and typical principles of a democracy. The implementation of these practices, both formal and informal, in accordance with the identified principles (participation, social inclusion of minorities, cooperation, equality, transparency and accountability) can be deemed as the real novelty in the Dominican scenario; the focal point of a new type of institution that, founded on the basic principles of democracy, promote regional self-managing networks and alliances, participatory and sustainable territorial development.

LEDAs then break the traditional centralised structure of the State and of Dominican institutions, proposing themselves as key actors in the territories, faithfully representing the political community and the whole local society, and as useful mechanisms to implement the instruments provided by law to carry out structured and efficient decentralisation.

Their non-partisan view, the territorial approach and the public-private-social partnership guarantee a higher level of rationality and consistency of decisions and promoted policies. They operate in full respect of the national legal framework and of the laws and rules that regulate them, thereby promoting the culture of legality and an image of transparency, in search for common goals. In this context the structural weakness of poor local autonomy can find a first —although not the exclusive— solution to achieve full autonomy in both decisional and financial terms. Finally, the Dominican civil society can find in the LEDAs not only crucial allies to pressure the central government in a coordinated, integrated way and with a constructive attitude, but also an example of concertation, organisation and management useful to propose new patterns of action in the country’s institutional context.

SPECIFIC INNOVATIVE PRACTICES They refer, in most cases, to projects funded by the ART Programme, in accordance with shared strategies, or as impact projects, i.e. selected in accordance with criteria either of basic need or visibility of the Programme towards local partners, or from demand by decentralised cooperation partners.

In Ecuador, it is worth mentioning some projects of a strategic nature:

•• Building productive infrastructure Irrigation systems for cocoa, for the communities of Palo Blanco and El Empedradillo in the province of Carchi; support for the equipment of a dehydration plant of medicinal herbs for the Association of Organic Production, Processing and Marketing “Union Echeandía”; a clinical laboratory for the detection of zootoxic and parasitic diseases in cattle in the province of Carchi; strengthening of laboratory analysis of water and soil in the Carchi province; support for identification of the management model of the Technology Transfer Centre of Azuay; construction of a wholesale transfer centre in Catamayo; implementation of rural business centres for the sale of agricultural and livestock products in the communities near the access and exit routes of the Gonzanamá Canton.

•• Improving skills Capacity building for entrepreneurship for 56 women in the canton Machala; strengthening the network of guinea pig production and marketing in the seven Azuay cantons of the Jubones River Basin in the Province of Azuay; strengthening the economic dairy corridor of the Azuay cantons of the Jubones

River Basin (Azuay); strengthening the network of production and marketing of clean products in the 7 Azuay counties of the Jubones River Basin (Azuay); organisational strengthening of the Association of Producers “Manos Unidas” of the Canton Saraguro for industrialisation and commercialisation of medicinal plants (Province of Loja); improvement of socioeconomic conditions of dairy producers of Puculca, Region Pucará, Azuay Province; strengthening of the entrepreneurial network of Austro (Azuay); strengthening local capacities to improve the quality of life in the historic cities of Ecuador, implemented in the canton Montufar, Carchi Province.

•• Reducing vulnerability Through micro-credit programmes: to protect the moors of La Esperanza with supply of environmental services (Carchi Province); and to reduce economic vulnerability caused by floods to families of the May Fourth quarter of the city of Babahoyo (Los Ríos Province).

•• Support for micro-enterprises Establishment of 2 community micro-enterprises for the marketing of crabs and shells in El Oro; support for micro-enterprises for agricultural production and industrialisation “Nuevos Horizontes” and for organic fertilizer production “El Vergel” in the canton of Echeandía.

•• Promotion of tourism and culture Promotion, signage and tourism training in the cantons of the Jubones River Basin in the province of Azuay; cultural, productive and tourist inter-parochial fairs in the Loja Canton; restoration of a community centre for artisanal orientation in the framework of the project of historical cities of Mantufar (Carchi).

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In the Dominican Republic, each territory —particularly its managers and thematic animators— has developed its territorial promotion with the support of the UNDP ART Programme, leading to meetings with international cooperation actors, United Nations agencies, institutions of national government, NGOs present in the country, during which the advantages of investing in Dominican territories and encouraging decentralisation of services were shown.

In accordance with each territorial value chain and with the aim of enabling local services, the LEDAs have formulated a substantial projects portfolio in each territory. Each project aims to generate impact in terms of employment, income and inclusion of the most vulnerable people in the local economic cycle. The project profiles are built collectively with different working groups, where working groups participate, in addition to the LEDAs’ members, people linked to productive activities and business (such as entrepreneurs and local producers) and excluded people.

At least 45 profiles of projects and about US$3.5 million represent the results obtained by the 5 ADELs mobilised. Interesting projects include the start-up of the Industrial Training Centre in Seibo, the implementation of Technical and Technological Training Systems in Dajabón, the implementation of one milk processing plant and a laboratory for quality control on the border with Haiti.

In Colombia, the UNDP ART Programme supported the Velez LEDA in a project to tackle poverty, with funds from the football players Zidane and Rolando, as well as the creation of a Technological Centre in East Antiochia, and support for the improvement of the Zapatosa LEDA, with funds from FAMSI.

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In Uruguay, 67 projects were implemented in support of economic development, including:

•• Support to prioritised value chains Milk production in Bella Union and Artigas, Cerro Largo and Treinta y Tres; beekeeping in Artigas, Bella Unión and Salto; fruits and vegetables in Artigas, Bella Unión and Cerro Largo; fishing in Paysandu and Canelones, Viticulture in Rivera; SMMEs Development in Rocha; Business Services in Salto.

•• Tourism and Culture Strengthening the carnival in Artigas and Bella Unión; strengthening the carnival in Rivera; support for women artisans in Bella Union, Artigas and for tourism in Rincón de Franquía; sustainable tourism development in Rocha, Treinta y Tres, Salto and Colonia.

•• Infrastructure Feasibility study for a dairy basin of Bella Union; observatory for development in Cerro Largo; a tiling school in Rivera; an observatory on labour market and bi-national youth employment in Rivera; a community site for the improvement of SMMEs in Florida; a centre for the promotion of the local economy in Paysandu.

•• Territorial marketing Territorial marketing strategy for Rio Negro; Project “A Leap for All” in Salto.

•• National network of business intelligence In Rivera, Florida, and Paysandú.

•• Social inclusion Between 2008 and 2010, 20 projects have provided benefits for rural producers, dairy producers, wool

producers, women weavers, artisans, poultry farmers, small businesses, fishermen, beekeepers, wine producers, rural women weavers, and socially disadvantaged groups, through productive projects and entrepreneurship in sectors with limited resources.

Several projects were conducted in agreement with DINAE, to build ownership in the territory, such as the tiling school project and the projects for beekeepers and horticultural producers.

In Albania, several projects were selected in the 2 regions, through the innovative methodology, which prioritises projects linked to shared strategic planning, in accordance with criteria and jointly determined weights.

In the case of Vlora, the following priority projective fields were defined within the elaboration of the Regional Strategic Plan:

•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •

Regional thematic tourism (51 projects).

Regional brand for local production (12 projects).

Water protection (7 projects).

Sewage treatment (5 projects).

Handicrafts (3 projects).

Digital network (1 project).

Basic infrastructure (3 projects).

Social networking (8 projects).

Children of the Region (7 projects).

Health (3 projects).

Women employment (2 projects).

Pilot projects approved in a first rating for funding by the Programme and decentralised cooperation were:

• Human resource development in tourism.

• Promotion of typical “kalinjot” olive oil.

• Digital network in the Valley Lumi I Vlora.

• Improvement of waters of Butrint Lake.

• Archaeological Park of Finiq In Lebanon, many projects – the majority in alliance with decentralised cooperation – have been implemented to support the productive sector in all four Programme areas. Among them are the following:

•• Support to prioritised value chains Support to the Cooperative of Beekeepers of Akkar and Beit Al Faqs in Dinneyeh (North Lebanon) with the donation of 24.500 plants (including pollen, nectar trees and shrubs); support for 100 cow breeders with test equipment and tools; assistance to improve sanitary conditions on farms and to increase the quantity and quality of milk; training for 10 agricultural technicians in modern agricultural techniques (animal hygiene, animal husbandry, diseases and physiological disorders, integrated management); support for 287 fishermen in Akkar, also through the donation of nets, equipment and machinery for the promotion of shrimp fishing; support for 400 farmers from agricultural cooperatives in Rashaya and 100 farmers in Hermel, in terms of training and equipment, which lowered production costs by15%.

•• Implementation of infrastructures Such as the creation of 2 microclimate stations in Mid-DREB, Akkar and Dinneyeh in collaboration with LARI (Laboratory for Research in Agriculture); the development of an irrigation network of irrigation for 200 farmers in Akkar al Atiqa.

•• Improving capabilities Through 15 training sessions on alternative crops and soil and water conservation techniques for 70

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farmers; vocational training in many areas, such as construction and maintenance (96 young people in Tripoli), IT, electronics, furniture and office supplies, photography, mask making and painting (40 young people), glass manufacturing with new technologies (50 people), ceramics (workshops and purchase of equipment) for 50 girls and women in Rachaya El Foukar and nearby villages.

•• Support for women First of all, trainers from the centres for social development of the Ministry of Social Affairs and from the vocational centres have been trained in creating social networks for supporting women, for entrepreneurship in the framework of LEDAs, and for promoting a teamwork approach in the community.

Then, the exhibition “AFKART” was developed; a fair for sweets and traditional crafts under the brand

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“Wid”. In addition, a network of 15 women cooperatives in the agro-food field and a centre for quality control of food products, under the responsibility of LARI, have been established and 3 kiosks for direct sales of products for women’s associations have also been set up. Also, a cold storage has been established, providing benefits to 21 active women and their families, and ensuring the preservation of production in cold rooms for improvement in sales during low production season. Finally, practical training in HACCP for food processing for women cooperatives in the Bekaa region has been conducted, in order to make producers more aware of quality standards the need to improve their marketing In Mozambique, it is worth mentioning the projects for the creation of business incubators to improve business competitiveness in Nampula and Inhambane.

3. LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES STANDARD PRACTICES The UNDP ART programmes supported the promotion of new or existing LEDAs to improve their performance and/or help them to achieve human development goals and the Millennium Development Goals. In this case, the reference taken into account is the definition that the OECD took from ILS LEDA, i.e. a LEDA is “a legal, non-profit structure, generally owned by the public and private entities of the territory, which acts as a mechanism through which local actors plan and activate, in a shared way, initiatives for territorial economic development, identify the most convenient instruments for their realisation, and enhance a coherent system for their technical and financial support”.

The results are as follows (sheet 30):

• In the Dominican Republic the LEDA of Seibo was created and the LEDAs of Dajabón, Bahuruco, Valverde, and Monte Plata were supported.

• In Ecuador the establishment of 2 LEDAs (El Oro and Esmeralda) was assisted through support to the national network (CEDET).

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• In Albania, the 2 LEDAs from Shkodra (TEULEDA) and Vlora (AULEDA) were supported to convert them into new agencies for integrated development.

• In Lebanon, 4 LEDAs were established: In the southern suburbs of Beirut, in the Northern Region, in the Southern Region, and in the Bekaa Valley.

• In Colombia there are 11 legally established local development agencies, in the departments of Antioquia, Santander, Nariño, Boyacá, Arauca, Cauca, Cesar. The UNDP ART Programme supported the network of agencies (ADELCO). The network has the task of supporting the creation of new LEDAs and providing assistance to existing ones. In 2011 the Local Economic Development Corporation Agency Gal Valletenzano was established, with the support of the ADELCO Network, and 4 agencies are currently being set up, one in the sub-region Ariari in the Department of Meta, another in the Cauca Valley and in the Montes de María region (Bolívar-Sucre).

• In the Southern Province of Sri Lanka a LEDA was established (RUEDA-Ruhuna Economic Devel­ opment Agency).

• In Uruguay, a LEDA was established in the Rivera Department, and the creation of the LEDA of Florida was supported.

• In Mozambique, the programme supported the existing LEDAs of Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Inhambane, Gaza and Maputo, and the national network, which also includes the Manica and Sofala LEDAs of.

• In Bolivia, 2 LEDAs were promoted, those in the metropolitan area of La Paz and Oruro.

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The process of creating LEDAs was more or less standard. To learn more about the aforementioned cases, reference can be made to the process carried out in the Dominican Republic for ADEL Seibo, characterised by the following phases: 1. Formation of the promoter group for local economic development and development of a working plan for the start up of the LEDA. 2. Identification of services to be provided, in accordance with development potential, opportunities and support needs, through analysis of territorial supply demand of services.

3. Definition of the LEDA’s vision, mission and objectives.

4. Preliminary organisational, logistical and functional design, taking into account supply and demand for services, municipal structure, and the territorial and national policy framework.

5. Preliminary elaboration of the statute.

6. Verification of the possibilities of financial support from local, national and international entities.

7. Promotion of the affiliation via promotion of institutions and others.

8. Preparation of the financial plan, to achieve financial balance for a period of at least 3 years.

9. Definition of the organisation, the functions and the staff, based on the financial plan.

10. Convocation of the Assembly of Members and election of the management board.

11. Preparation of the start-up plan, including procedures for recruitment and hiring.

12. Start up of operations: implementation of initiatives to provide services, and project elaboration.

Practices in more details

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The LEDAs

The following sheets describe the characteristics of each LEDA supported by the ART Initiative.

ECUADOR

LEDA CARCHI (ECUADOR) MISSION

Strengthen the territorial economic development of the Carchi Province, by providing in a permanent and innovative way, services that foster competitiveness, productive dynamism, and social and economic inclusion.

MEMBERS

Provincial Government of Carchi, Municipal Government of Tulcán, Municipal Government of Montufar, Municipal Government of Mira, Municipal Government of Espejo, Municipal Government of Huaca, Municipal Government of Bolívar, Rural Development Programme of Northern Ecuador and Belgian Technical Cooperation (PDRNE/CTB), NGO Catapulta, Chamber of Commerce of Tulcán, UNITA, Ministry of Industry and Productivity (MIPRO).

OBJECTIVES

To promote productive economic development of the province, grouping actors and actions in an institution that facilitate resource management and better competitiveness, through proper planning.

SERVICES

• • • • •

Information, implementation of projects, coordination with training entities.

Business support, technical assistance, management of human and financial resources.

Technical consulting and assistance, access to IT. Support and strengthening of productive value chains.

Organisation and formalisation of rural micro finance.

STRUCTURE

Executive Director, Administrative Financial Assistant, Project Manager.

REVENUES

Provincial Government: agreements with ART/UNDP, DED, Municipalities, University UNITA, Chamber of Commerce.

SUSTAINABILITY

Commitment of the national government through agreements with UNDP/ART.

ADEL ESMERALDAS (ECUADOR) MISSION

NA

MEMBERS

NA

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ADEL ESMERALDAS (ECUADOR) OBJECTIVES

SERVICES

To collect, develop and coordinate sub-sectoral initiatives to increase productivity, competitiveness, entrepreneurship, training, job creation, production quality and certification in the province of Esmeraldas, and create institutionalise spaces for dialogue between the public sector, private sector, academia and civil society.

•• •• •• •• ••

One-Stop-Shop for businesses.

Business incubator.

Elaboration of strategies and investment attraction.

Business research and development.

Events and communication.

STRUCTURE

NA

REVENUES

NA

SUSTAINABILITY

NA

CORPODET /ADEL EL ORO (ECUADOR) MISSION

The statute is currently under revision, after the registration of CORPODET with the Ministry of Industry and Productivity.

MEMBERS

Provincial Government of El Oro, Technical University de Machala, Harbour Authority of Puerto Bolívar, Union of farmer organisations of Litoral (UROCAL), Association of Municipalities of El Oro (AMO), Chamber of Artisans of El Oro Province, Association of de Parochial Boards of El Oro (ASOJUPAELORO), Ecuaconductos S.A.

OBJECTIVES

SERVICES

•• To become a space for dialogue between public, private, academic and civil society actors, with the purpose of developing economic development strategies.

•• To promote joint actions through the value chain approach.

•• To support the implementation of economic and productive development policies for the Autonomous Provincial Government of El Oro. •• Business services window.

•• Business incubator.

•• Business training centre.

•• Business research and development.

•• Entrepreneurial training.

STRUCTURE

NA

REVENUES

NA

SUSTAINABILITY

Local and provincial governments are committed to the LEDA, because they promoted it, in the framework of territorial planning, together with the creation of industrial parks, and the Special Development Zones. The LEDA is linked to the national government through the Ministry of Production, Employment and Competitiveness (MCPEC).

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URUGUAY

RIVERA (URUGUAY) MISSION

To stimulate and promote the territory, social equity and strengthen the social cohesion of the department and along the border.

MEMBERS

34 organisation members: public administrations, environmental, social, economic development and cultural NGOs, cooperatives, rural producers. The public institutions are MGAP, IMR, UTU, MIDES, MSP, UDELAR, IMR Tranqueras.

OBJECTIVES

The object of the ADR is to establish an institutional space for public and private concertation, aimed at economic and social growth of the department of Rivera and at improving the quality of life of the population, generating decent jobs and income in an equitable and sustainable way, without compromising environmental resources, and capable of overcoming economic marginalisation, cultural fragility and social exclusion. All through the valorisation of territorial distinctive resources (productive, cultural, commercial), and the promotion of new citizenship values, while strengthening the identity, the image, the culture and the knowledge of the department.

SERVICES

•• Business support •• Strategic projects

STRUCTURE

Director and 3 technicians (agronomist, technical business services, technical business service for micro-credit, social assistant for social projects management); a secretary is going to be contracted.

REVENUES

Sales of services, outsourcing, stocks, brokerage, contributions from members, interest on loans, project design, consultancy, interest from the guarantee fund.

SUSTAINABILITY

Link between the Province Authority, National Government and PDL-ART.

FLORIDA (URUGUAY) MISSION

NA

MEMBERS

Rural Association of Florida, Florida Commercial and Industrial Centre, Milk Producers Company, Municipality of Florida, Public Employment Centre, Ministry of Agriculture, InterUnion Table of Workers, Training Institute, Agricultural School, Commercial Centre of Sarandí Grande, Health Cooperative of Florida, Technical School–UTU-, Lanera Piedra Alta, CERP, Coordinator Entity of Sarandí Grande, Inter-Quarter Commission of Florida, Milk Cooperative GRUMEN, Urse Insurance, Federation of Rural Cooperatives, Pasarella and Cía.

OBJECTIVES

NA

SERVICES

•• Strategic planning; business assistance.

•• Territorial marketing; Industrial Technological Park.

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FLORIDA (URUGUAY) STRUCTURE

Part-time Director; 2 technicians (one contracted by UDM OPP and one by the ART Programme (both women).

REVENUES

Sales of services, outsourcing, stocks, brokerage, contributions from members, interest on loans, project design, consultancy.

SUSTAINABILITY

Link between the Province Authority, National Government and PDL-ART Uruguay.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

EL SEIBO (REPUBLICA DOMINICANA)

MISSION

The Agency is a space promoting territorial association and collective management among people representing local institutions that also have a level of power with the capacity to influence changes in quality of life of the inhabitants of the territory. The LEDA promotes local services (business, public and social), where the collective rather than the individual interest prevails. It is a structure that provides integrated services for social and economic development, meeting the demands of local actors for sustainable development and represents a link between national policies and local opportunities and demands.

MEMBERS

15 institutions are members, 80% private and social entities, 20% public.

OBJECTIVES

•• To facilitate the management and promotion of local economic development in the Province of Seibo.

•• To pursue initiatives and projects to generate jobs and income for local people through the valorisation of endogenous potential and the implementation of regional value chains defined as priorities in the territory (milk, cocoa and tourism), in an associative, participatory representative, and inclusive way, within the framework of democratic, regional development and human development.

SERVICES

Support to various groups involved in the value chains, with particular attention to small entrepreneurs, young producers, women and people excluded from the economy.

STRUCTURE

General Executive Manager, administrator, manager for planning and project management, manager for business promotion, social animation manager.

REVENUES

Members’ regular contributions (through fixed and periodic quotas, as well as extraordinary contributions and donations), project financing, contributions from local, municipal and national governments, sale of business services, and interests from investment funds.

SUSTAINABILITY

LEDA is included in the National System of Planning as an instrument for implementing territorial development committees; potential contributions from enterprises with social responsibility; national (centralised and decentralised) entities; international cooperation entities (corporative, decentralized and bi-lateral).

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LEBANON

SOUTH BEIRUT (LEBANON) MISSION

To create and maintain a favourable environment for valorising the territorial socio-economic and cultural resources, and connecting those with resources from other Lebanese areas.

MEMBERS

The 7 municipalities of the area, representatives of fishermen, agri-food producers, textile industry, mechanic industry, social, educational and the health services sector.

OBJECTIVES

•• To integrated territorial assets (knowledge, infrastructure, production, services) for and a ordered urban development.

•• To promote the area at a national and international level, by appropriate marketing strategies and international alliances.

•• To create job opportunities for the entire population without discrimination, particularly regarding disadvantaged people.

SERVICES

•• Business support.

•• Project management.

•• Planning support.

STRUCTURE

General Director, business support manager, project manager and secretary.

REVENUES

The start-up phase is supported by the ART GOLD Programme. Following this, revenues will be derived from interests on guarantee funds, sales of services (particularly to credit access), and projects.

SUSTAINABILITY

Financial sustainability is guaranteed by the aforementioned revenues; technical sustainability by personnel training and ILS LEDA assistance; social sustainability by strengthening the relationships between local actors and the national government.

SOUTH LEBANON (LEBANON) MISSION

The mission is to enhance and support participatory socio-economic development in South Lebanon, by valorising, modernising, and making competitive local resources, and by building a strong coordinated regional partnership, with the final goal of providing sustainable jobs to the population, and a better balance between the internal and the central areas of the region.

MEMBERS

Unions of Municipalities, Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Cooperatives of farmers and agro-food producers, associations of artisans, universities, LARI (Laboratory for research and innovation in agriculture).

OBJECTIVES

•• To support business creation and development, and the corresponding value chains, through technical, financial, commercial assistance and the positioning and monitoring in the international market.

•• To build capacities for facilitating social inclusion.

•• To facilitate the elaboration, financing, and implementation of strategic projects for socioeconomic development, also through coordination between the different actors.

•• To facilitate productive innovation, by improving research and quality.

•• To carry out territorial marketing and linkages with international partners.

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SERVICES

Business services, project management.

STRUCTURE

General Director, business support manager, project manager and secretary.

REVENUES

The start-up phase is supported by the ART GOLD Programme. Following this, revenues will be derived from interests on guarantee funds, sales of services (particularly to credit access), and projects.

SUSTAINABILITY

Financial sustainability is guaranteed by the aforementioned revenues; technical sustainability by personnel training and ILS LEDA assistance; social sustainability by strengthening the relationships between local actors and the national government.

NORTH LEBANON (LEBANON) MISSION

To facilitate sustainable long term harmonic and balanced development of the Northern Region of Lebanon, in accordance with shared strategic plans, and by favouring public and private partnerships, and valorising human, social, economic and environmental resources, with the final goal of improving people’s living conditions, providing job opportunities, and pursuing social equity and environmental protection.

MEMBERS

Unions of Municipalities, Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Cooperatives of farmers and agro-food producers, associations of artisans, universities, LARI (Laboratory for research and innovation in agriculture).

OBJECTIVES

•• •• •• ••

SERVICES

To improve capacities of local actors in planning and implementing regional development.

To improve human resources capacities.

To support economic activities.

To promote the region.

Business services, project management.

STRUCTURE

General Director, business support manager, project manager and secretary.

REVENUES

The start-up phase is supported by the ART GOLD Programme. Follwoing this, revenues will be derived from interests on guarantee funds, sales of services (particularly to credit access), and projects.

SUSTAINABILITY

Financial sustainability is guaranteed by the aforementioned revenues; technical sustainability by personnel training and ILS LEDA assistance; social sustainability by strengthening the relationships between local actors and the national government.

BEKAA (LEBANON) MISSION

To preserve, valorise, and develop Bekaa resources, especially in the agri-food sector, the environment and the artisanal tradition, within a sustainable human development vision, in order to preserve the excellence at a national and international level: Beeka as a region of agrifood excellence.

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BEKAA (LEBANON) MEMBERS

3 unions of municipalities, Chamber of Commerce, Associations of farmers and agro-food producers (beekeepers, fruits and vegetables, dairy products and livestock breeding), associations of artisans, university, LARI (Laboratory for research and innovation in agriculture), Byblos Bank.

OBJECTIVES

•• Valorisation of endogenous resources (agri-food, natural and environmental) for the realisation and preservation of the excellence in the national and international market, through business development, value chain development, modernisation and innovation, access to credit, territorial marketing and international alliances.

•• Improvement of human and relational capital, through awareness, cohesion, strengthening of capacities and skills, associations and consortia.

•• Support to strategic development planning, through information systems for the population regarding opportunities, identification of strategic projects, elaboration, financing and coordination (particularly regarding productive infrastructures, environmental system, social development, water, energy and waste systems).

SERVICES

•• Business services.

•• Project management.

•• Training.

STRUCTURE

General Director, business support manager, project manager and secretary.

REVENUES

The start-up phase is supported by the ART GOLD Programme. Following this, revenues will be derived from interests on guarantee funds, sales of services and projects.

SUSTAINABILITY

Financial sustainability is guaranteed by the aforementioned revenues; technical sustainability by personnel training and ILS LEDA assistance; social sustainability by strengthening the relationships between local actors and the national government.

ALBANIA

AULEDA (ALBANIA)

MISSION

AULEDA is an autonomous, public-private and non-profit association, which provides services and implements initiatives and projects for the economic, social, cultural, and environmental development of the Vlora Region. It aims at spreading a culture of integration and strengthening regional resources, skills and competences, in accordance with human development principles, regional and municipal strategic plans, and national policies.

MEMBERS

Prefecture, Regional Authority, 8 associations, 4 municipalities, 1 research institute, 8 communes, 1 university, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 3 government directorates.

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OBJECTIVES

SERVICES

•• To strengthen and stimulate the development of local systems in the relations with government institutions, public organisations, economic, political, and social associations at the regional, national, EU and international level.

•• To build capacities to facilitate social inclusion.

•• To contribute to building and strengthening scenarios and strategies for socio-economic planning at the local level, also in connection with networks at the national, European and international level.

•• To focus special attention on social and cultural areas and social groups affected by the phenomena of delay and slowdown, with the goal of including them in social and economic development.

•• To foster a culture of local development, through awareness of institutional bodies and direct communication to the public, both in Albania and the rest of the world.

•• To provide services and implement initiatives and projects that provide benefit the regional population, local administrations and civil society associations to improve their capacities and performance.

•• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••

Business support.

Planning support.

Mapping of local resources.

Territorial marketing.

Creation of associations.

Business networks.

Credit loans.

Project design.

STRUCTURE

General Director, business support manager, project manager, administrator.

REVENUES

The start-up phase is supported by the ART GOLD Programme. Following this, revenues will be derived from interests on guarantee funds, sales of services (particularly to credit access), and projects.

SUSTAINABILITY

Financial sustainability is guaranteed by the aforementioned revenues; technical sustainability by personnel training and ILS LEDA assistance; social sustainability by strengthening the relationships between local actors and the national government.

TEULEDA (ALBANIA) MISSION

TEULEDA is a non-profit organisation. Its goal is to contribute to the definition and implementation of the objectives for local economic development in the region of Shkodra, in accordance with the competences of other institutions and in coordination with them. It focuses its activities on improved exploitation of local resources, and the inclusion of the marginalised population and deprived areas in the formal economic circuit.

MEMBERS

Prefecture of Shkodra, Region of Shkodra, University of Shkodra, Municipalities of Shkodra, Puke and Koplik, Employment Office of Shkodra, Chamber of Commerce, Business Incubator, Regional Department of Food and Agriculture, Albanian Foundation for Training and Development (AFTD).

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OBJECTIVES

SERVICES

STRUCTURE INCOME SUSTAINABILITY

•• Identification, analysis and implementation of initiatives that foster the development of economic activities.

•• Creation of employment opportunities within the framework that combines poverty reduction and promotion of integrated and sustainable development in the territory.

•• •• •• •• •• ••

LED strategy and planning.

Economic animation.

Business support (technical and financial).

Internationalization.

Territorial marketing.

Project financing.

General Director, business support manager, project manager, administrator.

From management of credit mechanisms (interests on guarantee funds and loans) and of projects and contracts (UNDP and Italian Cooperation).

Financial sustainability is guaranteed by the aforementioned revenues; technical sustainability by personnel training and ILS LEDA assistance; social sustainability by strengthening the relationships between local actors and the national government.

MOZAMBIQUE

GAZA (MOZAMBIQUE) MISSION

To provide local opportunities for job creation for the province of Gaza.

MEMBERS

Public, private, social, individuals.

OBJECTIVES

To contribute to economic development in the province of Gaza, by attracting public and private investment, disseminating knowledge, exploiting local resources in a sustainable manner, and creating jobs and self-employment.

SERVICES

•• Financial management programme.

•• Promotion of business and investment opportunities, and assistance to investors in the province of Gaza.

•• Business development programme.

•• Investment promotion.

•• Support to business and investment initiatives.

•• Business and marketing studies.

•• Territorial marketing.

•• Creation of rural microfinance.

•• Building associative businesses.

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GAZA (MOZAMBIQUE) STRUCTURE

NA

REVENUES

Contract with UNDP.

SUSTAINABILITY

Recognition of the LEDA by local governments, inclusion of the LEDA in local development planning, sales of services, project management.

INHAMBANE (MOZAMBIQUE) MISSION

To promote activities and actions for sustainable local development in the Inhambane Province.

MEMBERS

Economic Association of Inhambane Province; Massinga School of Arts and Crafts, Cultural Development Association, Association for Local Development in Mozambique, Association of Hotel and Tourism of Inhambane; Computer Shop, Tourism and Events.

OBJECTIVES

•• To improve the management processes for local micro, small and medium enterprises, to ensure better use of the District Development Fund (DDF).

•• To provide technical assistance to local entrepreneurs in management and production.

•• To establish and strengthen economic initiatives.

•• To promote micro-enterprises for the creation of rural associations.

•• To train the technical committees and the district advisory councils to identify strengths, engines of local economic development, value chains and development of territorial marketing, in order to promote investment opportunities in the province of Inhambane and special districts.

•• To prepare investment projects, with the greatest impact at the provincial level and with immediate effect on the districts.

SERVICES

•• Training local government and beneficiaries of the District Development Fund.

•• Technical assistance to local businesses (current and potential) on management and production of territorial marketing.

•• Investment project with immediate Impact.

•• Support to selected districts by including LED planning.

STRUCTURE

Executive director, technical advisor, secretary.

REVENUES

Contract with UNDP.

SUSTAINABILITY

Recognition of the LEDA by local governments; inclusion of LED in local development planning, members’ contributions; sales of services; other resources in the negotiation phase.

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SOFALA (MOZAMBIQUE) MISSION

To foster an entrepreneurial spirit, in order to generate production and revenues, and development focused on the people, as a main factor for achieving wealth and wellbeing.

MEMBERS

National public institutions, through their representations in the region, the local government, Beira Trade Association, the Association of Friends of Natural Canxixe Liman, Fishing Shipowners Association of Mozambique, Apa Banda, Cotton National Company, Municipality of Beira, Sofala Women's Forum, the Agriculture Promotion Fund, Office of Small Industry, MULEIDE: Women, Law and Development, the Rural Organization ORAM-Help, SOCREMO: Credit Society in Mozambique, the Pedagogical University.

OBJECTIVES

•• To promote economic diversification and revitalisation of the province.

•• To promote and raise awareness of economic opportunities in the province.

•• To provide technical and financial assistance for the creation and strengthening of micro, small and medium enterprises, giving priority to economically disadvantaged areas.

•• To encourage the creation and development of cooperatives, and production, marketing and consumption, that contributes to community economic development.

•• To manage, negotiate and channel financial and technical resources for the formulation and implementation of projects to support production, within an integrated vision of a local development strategy linked to national development.

SERVICES

•• •• •• •• •• ••

Basic business management.

Promotion of associations.

Territorial diagnosis.

Project management.

Support to protection against HIV/AIDS. Technological innovation.

STRUCTURE

30 employees and 100 activists.

REVENUES

ND

SUSTAINABILITY

Project management.

MANICA (MOZAMBIQUE) MISSION

To contribute to economic development in the province of Manica and strengthen its economic base and productivity through public and private dialogue and participation. To provide comprehensive services for business development, and to create and improve the competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises mainly, in the agricultural industry.

MEMBERS

Public and private institutions, actors of in civil society, individuals.

OBJECTIVES

To promote local business able to be facilitate a solid economy and create decent jobs, through the sustainable exploitation of local opportunities and potentialities.

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SERVICES

•• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••

Identification and analysis of local economic development assets.

Design and analysis of value chains.

Implementation and development of projects, business plans, economic feasibility studies.

Business training.

Co-management in small and medium enterprises.

Micro-finance and promotion of savings and loan groups.

Inclusion of LED in the district planning.

Territorial marketing.

STRUCTURE

18 employees (9 permanent) and 1 counsellor.

REVENUES

Contract with UNDP.

SUSTAINABILITY

Members’ contributions, management of agreements.

CAPO DELGADO (MOZAMBIQUE) MISSION

To promote an entrepreneurial spirit, to generate production and revenues, and development focused on the people, as the main factor to achieve wealth and wellbeing.

MEMBERS

Public and private institutions, NGOs and associations.

OBJECTIVES

•• To jointly perform the promotion and development of public-private associations.

•• To build capacities and technical assistance to the various stakeholders to ensure the development of sustainable and balanced local economic development.

•• To provide technical assistance to local entrepreneurs in production and business management, promotion and consolidation of new local economic initiatives.

•• To attract potential partners interested and available to participate in supporting local development in the province of Cabo Delgado.

SERVICES

•• •• •• •• ••

Inclusion of LED in the district development plans.

Promotion and legalisation of voluntary associations.

Business technical assistance.

Preparation of development projects.

Training in financial management, basic accounting, partnership, and entrepreneurship.

STRUCTURE

Executive director, technician for business administration, technician for territorial planning and marketing, technician for infrastructure.

REVENUES

Contract with UNDP.

SUSTAINABILITY

Affiliation to CAECAD (Confederation of Enterprise Association of Cabo Delgado) and to the Provincial Entrepreneurs Committee, for the definition of provincial strategies and their implementation; members’ contribution; other resources the negotiation.

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NAMPULA (MOZAMBIQUE) MISSION

To support local resources and potential in a sustainable way, through public-private alliances to achieve more employment and better living conditions for the population.

MEMBERS

Public and private institutions, NGOs and associations.

OBJECTIVES

To promote entrepreneurship among local actors from associations that promote socioeconomic and cultural activities, enhancing a competitive environment for micro, small and medium enterprises development.

SERVICES

•• LED promotion.

•• Training in the field of associations and cooperatives, elaboration of business plans and feasibility studies.

•• Assistance to producers to strengthen and monitor all business initiatives in the territories.

STRUCTURE

Executive director, technical advisor, secretary.

REVENUES

Resources from UNDP, District Development Plan, Helvetias Company, Redel.

SUSTAINABILITY

Political recognition from the Province; ADELNA is part of the Observatory for Development and the coordination and implementation mechanism of Provincial Administration Development.

The Provincial Direction of Rural Development is going to provide financial support as well.

SRI LANKA

RUEDA (SRI LANKA) MISSION

To pursue integrated, sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development of the territory of the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, by promoting and facilitating the coordinated effort of key local actors and the establishment of a conducive environment for enhancing the existing potential in the local, national and international context.

MEMBERS

Southern Provincial Development Authority; Department of Industries - Southern Province; Export Development Board; Matara Municipal Council; Hambanthota District Chamber of Commerce; University of Ruhuna; Southern Provincial Centre for Disability; Hambanthota Women Development Federation; Multi Purpose Cooperative Society of Kotapola; Ruhuna Development Bank; Ruhunu Tourist Bureau; Department of Agriculture; Sí Hambantota Foundation; Cinnamon Cultivators Association; Chamber of Commerce & Industries of Matara and Galle Districts.

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OBJECTIVES

SERVICES

•• To contribute to increase economic initiatives and employment opportunities for the local population, including its disadvantaged and vulnerable segments, through the diversification and integration of economic activities within production value chains.

•• To contribute to enhance and facilitate dialogue and cooperation among public and private actors in developing policies, services and innovative administrative practices for territorial development.

•• To contribute to enhance the image and recognition of the territory of ‘Ruhuna’ and its specific features, and connect it to other national and international territories within a dynamic partnership framework.

•• To reinforce networks of local actors, particularly among producers and services providers, aimed at contributing to the socio-economic development of the area.

•• •• •• ••

LED promotion.

Business support.

Financial support to SMMEs. Project development and financing.

STRUCTURE

Executive director; small and medium enterprise management specialist; territorial planning and marketing specialist; project implementation officer; 2 credit monitoring officers; 1 secretary; 1 administrator; 3 programme facilitators.

REVENUES

Interest on credit; contract with UNDP.

SUSTAINABILITY

NA

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INNOVATIVE REPLICABLE PRACTICES The innovative elements brought about by ART in the characteristics of a territorial economic development agency and its performance concern the following areas: 1. Human development policies, including support for the marginalised sectors of the population, gender, and environmental protection.

2. Service comprehensiveness and organisation.

3. Impact on public policies.

4. Local finance.

Human development policies In the case of Ecuador, many elements designed to improve the living conditions of the population, gender equity, to implement policies and actions that reinforce employment diversification, and to promote social and environmental responsibility of private enterprise were incorporated into the design of the LEDAs. In the case of Uruguay, the general policy of the UNDP ART Programme was to facilitate jobs and income creation in an equitable and sustainable manner, without compromising environmental resources, and the implementation of instruments capable of overcoming economic marginalisation, cultural fragility and social exclusion. In addition, actions and projects to improve the environment and social cohesion were implemented.

These factors are reflected in the statutes and plans of the LEDAs. In the case of the Dominican Republic, territorial associations and collective management among people

representing local institutions, which have the power and influence to change the quality of life of the inhabitants of the territory, have been promoted, above all, through workshops and seminars.

A practical way to orient LEDAs was experienced by UNDP, through an agreement with the LEDAs, fostering their human development approach (sheet 32).

In Albania, the relationship between economic, social and environmental development has been consolidated, modifying LEDAs’ statutes (sheet 31) and introducing management rules consistent with these objectives (sheet 34).

The MyDEL programme has introduced a radical innovation in the panorama of instruments for human development, which is the SCWE: Service Centre for Women’s Entrepreneurship (sheet 33). The programme created 3 SCWEs in El Salvador (Morazán, La Unión and Sonsonate), 2 in Honduras (Valle, Ocotepeque), 1 in Nicaragua (León), and 2 in Guatemala (Huehuetenango and Chiquimula). All of these facilities were included into already existing LEDAs to help financial and technical sustainability.

The SCWEs were so successful that they were replicated: 5 in Guatemala ((El Quiché-Ixcán, Sololá, San Marcos, Totonicapán and Alta Verapaz), although not linked to LEDAs. Interest in setting up SCWEs and request support came from Colombia, Sri Lanka and Mozambique.

The programme also created the Central American Network of SCWEs. In Bolivia the creation of LEDA Oruro was a new experience, because of the social and cultural characteristics of the Department, which has a large native Andean popula-

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tion. Thus the values of this culture had to be taken into account (the Pachamama cosmogonist vision, solidarity, etc.) and a design was proposed for an original LEDA, although with great difficulty, to integrate the different views on the same territory (sheet 37).

The Oruro LEDA is still in the review phase in terms of its profile and organisation, but the statute presented in this paper is an interesting and innovative example of how a LEDA can be organised taking into account the issue of the original population and its potential contribution to human development.

Service comprehensiveness and organisation In the case of Ecuador, scientific innovation and technology transfer linked to local development were promoted as substantive development axis of LEDA’s services.

In the case of Uruguay, policies and actions that help to enhance the departmental territory as an attraction for the productive sector and the development of road, communication and electricity infrastructure were promoted, as well as encouraging innovation and enhancing quality management with the application of quality management systems in enterprises and department organisations. This strategy aimed at achieving differential competitiveness in products and services, and creating quality labels.

In Albania, regulations for the management of LEDAs have been approved, regulating their activity and organisation, mainly to legitimise themselves as qualified structures to implement projects and programmes of the government, the European Union and other donors (sheet 34).

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ART GOLD Lebanon, with the support of ILS LEDA, produced a manual to organise the LEDAs’ operations, which includes all possible services and is a useful tool for many other LEDAs (sheet 36).

Impact on public policies In the case of Ecuador, the coordination of the provincial administrations with other entities of the Ecuadorian government and the private sector, ensuring multi-level participation (local/provincial/national), has been supported. The result was that joint activities were undertaken in the field of productive economic development, benefiting different population groups in the province.

In the case of the Dominican Republic, LEDAs are incorporated into the National Planning System as a tool for the implementation of territorial development councils, and their inclusion in provincial planning was also achieved.

In the case of Lebanon, the government issued a decree that allows —for the first time— municipal administrations to participate in a public-private structure, and it recognized the LEDAs supported by the ART programme as valuable and useful organizations for public administration.

In Mozambique, LEDAs are linked to district planning and the government has recognised them as reference structures for providing integrated services to promote local economic development.

In Colombia, the network of LEDAs is regularly consulted by the national government regarding programs on competitiveness, rural development and poverty reduction

Financial innovations Particularly interesting, in the case of the Dominican Republic, is the implementation of 4 local investment funds, amounting to about $ 600.000 for the 4 LEDAs. A real innovation in credit mechanisms in Albania is the agreement to establish a guarantee fund to facilitate access to credit for the most disadvantaged population (sheet 35). The innovation involves benefits for credit beneficiaries and favourable conditions in relations between LEDAs and banks, particularly regarding bank interests on the fund and on the credit.

Practices in more details

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Innovations in the AULEDA statute (Albania)

The Executive Board of Vlora LEDA in Albania (AULEDA) decided to bring about significant changes in the Statute (established in 2002), with the goal of improving the effectiveness of the LEDA performance, in accordance with a greater consistency with the MDGs and human development, and the perspective of integration in the European Union. The most significant changes refer to the overall objectives, affiliation, and the Executive Board.

THE GENERAL OBJECTIVES ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS: •• To provide services and implement initiatives and projects for economic, social, cultural and ecological development in the region of Vlora, aimed at spreading a culture of integration and strengthening resources, skills and competences of the Region in accordance with the principles of human development. The regional and municipal strategic plans and national policies are the focus of AULEDA programmes and initiatives.

•• To pay special attention to social and cultural areas and social groups affected by the phenomena of delay and slowdown, aiming to their inclusion in social and economic development.

•• To foster a culture of local development, through awareness of the institutional bodies and direct communication to the public, both in Albania and the rest of the world.

•• To deliver services and implement initiatives and projects that benefit the regional population, local

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administrations and civil associations to improve their skills and performance.

REGARDING MEMBERSHIP, THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES WERE IDENTIFIED: •• Public administration, municipalities, communities, regional administration, prefecture and national administration.

•• Associations of people, who legally represent interest groups, such as producers, entrepreneurs, civil society sectors and communities.

•• Any other legal entities, public or private or nongovernmental organizations with specific skills and experiences useful for AULEDA purposes.

THE EXECUTIVE BOARD WILL BE COMPOSED OF THE FOLLOWING INSTITUTIONS •• Regional Directorate of Vlora and Vlora prefecture as permanent Components.

•• At least 2 representatives of the municipalities in the region of Vlora.

•• At least 2 representatives of from producer associations.

•• At least 1 representative from the Directorates of the Ministry.

•• At least 1 representative from the other members as a rotating representative.

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The agreement between LEDAs and UNDP in the Dominican Republic: the case of Monte Plata

PROJECT TITLE Promotion of territorial economic development of the Monte Plata Province, by strengthening the Local Economic Development Agency (ADELMOPLA).

RESULT The project will contribute to the development of a new model of economic, social and institutional development that is inclusive, sustainable and decentralised, and expected to increase social investment, decent jobs creation and greater efficiency in the use of resources for the MDGs.

and, from the beginning, has been the main reference for the Programme to achieve institutional animation and participation in inclusive processes of territorial development. From this exercise, the LEDA carried out an internal dynamic action, identifying the people it will serve in the local context, the services to be delivered and the logistic, technical, operational and functional organisation for providing these services.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE

A model of human development with a territorial dimension has been proposed.

Improved regional competitiveness of priority value chains, the promotion of a scenario of territorial planning and management of projects for resource mobilisation, the creation of an economic and social animation process, the strengthening of the dairy value chain nationwide. These actions will be achieved by implementing territorial plans and projects, and territorial economic promotion, through territorial value chains, social animation actions for economic inclusion and an agreement of cooperation with CENSA (Cuba).

FRAME OF REFERENCE

ACTIVITIES

Support by the ART GOLD Programme in building an economic development strategy on the province of Monte Plata, which has identified the main potentialities and potential territorial value chains, analysed the current status of each economic activity, identified business development services and facilitated a development agenda based on priority actions for the province. The local economic development agency played a key role in this dynamic

•• To strengthen technical, organisational and management capacities, particularly regarding the priority territorial value chains in the province and territorial marketing.

EXPECTED RESULTS OF THE PROGRAMME

•• To implement actions for the creation and strengthening of territorial planning and project management, as well as mechanismS of public-private interaction for territorial development.

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LEDA in the Dominican Republic: the UNDP agreement

•• To carry out social animation actions for the inclusion of vulnerable individuals in the dynamics of territorial economic development.

•• To implement a programme for improving the milk chain in the framework of decentralised cooperation with Cuba, and to create a pattern of coordination regarding milk products within the network of LEDAs in the Dominican Republic.

ACTIVITIES BY THE ART GOLD PROGRAMME

all management of project activities, monitoring and evaluation.

•• UNDP/ART GOLD RD will provide technical support for action implementation, ensuring transparency in project implementation through the application of international norms and standards on procurement of goods and services, monitoring, assessments and audits.

MANAGEMENT AGREEMENTS

•• Technical assistance regarding territorial economic development.

•• Implementation of the LEDA’s Management and Investment Funds in order to carry out impact projects.

•• Implementation of the LEDA’s Financial Funds.

•• Technical assistance regarding territorial value chains.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION •• The LEDA and UNDP, through the ART GOLD Programme, are the institutions participating in the project.

•• The LEDA (implementing partner) will implement the activities under this project document. It will have the main responsible for planning and for over-

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•• The parties agree that the project will be based at the LEDA facilities in the province, and that it will provide adequate physical space with furniture, equipment and materials necessary to accomplish the work plan of this initiative.

•• The parties agree that the LEDA, under UNDP monitoring, will be in charge of the administration of the funds, and they will be handled in accordance with its rules and regulations.

•• This project was implemented in April 2010.

•• The LEDA will co-participate in the project mplementation, and for the proper implementation of monitoring, running, evaluation and feedback activities it will be supported by the Executive Director of the Project, which will include: the President and Director of the LEDA, the project technical assistant, the UNDP Governance Officer and the ART GOLD programme coordinator RD and/or his delegate.

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The Service Centre for Women’s Entrepreneurship (SCWE) in Central America

The SCWE is an autonomous territorial non-profit structure that promotes participation of women in democratic, social and economic life of the territory where it operates. It provides technical and financial services to enhance women’s entrepreneurship, contributing to the generation of competitive jobs and income, which can revitalise the local economy.

The SCWE is closely linked to the LEDA of the area, which facilitates the conditions for sustainable development of the territorial economy, in terms of strategies, opportunities search, marketing, credit and financial mechanisms, innovation, and so on.

SCWE Members are: •• The territorial economic development agency, whose vote in the General Assembly is worth at least 60% of the total.

•• Local Associations of women, whose vote in the Assembly is worth 20% of the total.

•• Local public administrations, in the country where the law permits it, whose vote in the Assembly is worth 20% of the total (they are also represented in the LEDA).

•• General Assembly, which brings together partners from the three represented sectors, with functions similar to those of a LEDA. •• Executive Board, consisting of a representative of the LEDA, with 2 votes, a representative of the public administration with 1 vote, and a representative of women’s associations with 1 vote, each one appointed by the correspondent sector. The functions of the board are managerial and administrative, in pursuance of the annual plan approved by the Assembly.

•• A consultative committee, including leading figures of the territory, particularly known for their commitment in the field of gender equality and the advancement of women. The function of this committee is advisory and for promotional image of the SCWE (awareness campaigns, training, relationship with the national government, etc.).

•• A technical direction for the delivery of services.

OPERATIONAL ORGANISATION A SCWE needs a technical team, consisting at minimum of:

If the law does not permit this mechanism, the SCWE makes specific agreements with local governments. The SCWE is a by-law partner of the Local Economic Development Agency.

ORGANISMS The SCWE organisms are:

•• A manager, with a coordinating role for external relations (LEDA, administration, government, international cooperation, etc.), project management, awareness and promotion of the role of women.

•• A business support manager.

•• A group of external consultants, who provide volunteer support or are hired in accordance with the needs and projects.

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The LEDA Management Handbook produced in Albania

PART 1: HOW TO CONDUCT THE ADMINISTRATION COUNCIL? 1. How to take collective decisions (including prioritisation of activities, such as projects and businesses).

2. General guide.

3. Relationship with internal and external actors.

4. External communication.

PART 2: HOW TO PLAN AND ORGANISE ACTIVITIES 1.

2.

3.

4.

Annual operative plan.

Strategic plan.

Management of activities.

Supervision.

PART 3: HOW TO MANAGE HUMAN RESOURCES 1.

2.

3.

4.

In Albania, in the framework of the UNDP ART GOLD Programme 2, the boards of the 2 LEDAs of Shkodra and Vlora elaborated a management handbook for facilitating and managing their decisions. The boards took advantage of technical assistance from ILS LEDA.

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Hiring.

Contracts.

Capacity-building.

How to ensure commitment from personnel.

PART 4: HOW TO ADMINISTER 1. Transparency.

2. Assigning external commitments (contracts, acquisitions, purchases).

3. How to administer and check the budget.

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The Guarantee Fund in Albania: the main articles of the agreement UNOPS-BANK

The current agreement on the Guarantee Fund has been signed made between UNOPS, as executing Agency of the PASARP Programme of the United Nations and CREDINS Bank in 2003.

•• The purpose of this agreement was to establish a mechanism for channelling funds to micro small, and medium enterprises (SMMEs), identified by the LEDAs, and provide them with access to the local banking system, in order to support on a sustainable basis the development of local projects in the three designated regions.

The UNDP ART GOLD Programme has kept on with this agreement, with some improvements, such as increasing the credit amount at disposal from 2 to 3 times the guarantee fund, decreasing the minimum amount of the credit request, and other minor issues.

The total amount of the fund will be subdivided in two specific sub-accounts, for each Agency (LEDA) of the prefectures of Shkodra and Vlora, in accordance with the following: •• The UNOPS contributions in the GF are used as collateral to loans issued by the Bank to clients with the purpose of financing enterprise development projects identified and presented by the LEDAs to the Credit Committee (CRC), as defined under a specific annex.

•• The Financial resources of the GF will be subsidiary and complementary to collaterals presented by the clients. The Bank agrees that the GF shall serve to cover the risk of default that can be expected from a credit portfolio and is willing to promote credit operations

•• •• ••

••

••

••

for an amount that is superior to the Guarantee Fund itself. Parties agree to apply a ratio of maximum three (3) by one (1) between the credit and the Guarantee Fund.

Each loan financed by the BANK, with a decision of the Committee, shall be covered by the Guarantee Fund for a maximum amount of 84 % (which represents a coverage of 70% of the credit risk in accordance with the regulations set by the Central Bank) and the remaining part by the client (in accordance with the type of collateral offered by the client following regulations set by the Central Bank of Albania).

The GF shall yield an interest at current market rate as shown in the Operational Rules under a specific annex.

Interests and other incomes generated by the GF shall be credited by the Bank on a special savings account.

UNOPS may decide to use the funds deposited in the savings account to finance the operational costs of the GF, pay fees for technical assistance or other expenses, as required by UNOPS. The conditions in terms of amounts (minimum of 4.000 USD and maximum of US$ 150.000 per enterprise/ loan), interest rates and guarantees shall be determined by the Bank, taking into account the sector of economy, the profile of beneficiaries, and their social vulnerability status.

The period of the loan is a maximum 7 years, and it will be approved by the bank, in accordance with the characteristics of the submitted business plan.

The Bank shall offer the client its prime rate, taking into account that the extent of the risk and the size of the loans will be the main determinants of the requirement for security and of the interest rate.

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The Guarantee Fund in Albania: the main articles of the agreement UNOPS-BANK

•• Conditions on reimbursement and grace period will be established by the Bank, in accordance with the monetary standards of the Central Bank of Albania.

•• Interest rates of the respective deposits will be paid to the special saving account of the GF. •• The net interest income from credit should be divided 50/50 between the Fund and Bank. The income interest of UNOPS will be paid in the saving account in LEK currency.

•• The beneficiaries of ART GOLD Albania are new and existing small farmers, associations and cooperatives, and micro-small and medium entrepreneurs of the Regions of SHKODRA and VLORA. •• LEDAs will provide technical assistance to interested beneficiaries: first, in reviewing business ideas, second, in assisting eligible candidates in the preparation of a business plan, and finally in submission of a loan application, accompanying Credins Bank in the repayment process.

•• During this pre-selection process, eligible candidates will be evaluated by the LEDAs in accordance with specific criteria agreed with UNOPS, to determine whether the business plan qualifies for a formal submission to the Credit Committee.

•• The parties to this agreement will constitute a Credit Committee (CRC) at the national level with the participation of the LEDAs of each ART GOLD Region.

The terms of reference and functioning of the CRC is further described in a specific annex.

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The LEDA Operational Handbook

THE HANDBOOK INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS: 1. Territorial Animation and Project Management •• Promoting and supporting cooperation among local actors, sustaining associations, common initiatives and needs assessment, in order to enhance local partnerships and relational capital, through information, new ideas, etc.

•• Carrying out periodic diagnosis and monitoring of economic dynamics.

•• Stimulating local communities to participate in the LEDA. •• Assessing and updating the strategic guidelines.

•• Assessing and prioritising strategic project proposals, and looking for financing opportunities.

•• Elaborating projects, following up the financing process, and executing them.

2. Support to existing SMMEs •• Identifying businesses to be supported, through needs assessment and prioritisation criteria •• Preparing business plans for accessing credit.

•• Managing the relationships with the financial partners.

•• Preparing an action plan for technical assistance and tutoring.

•• Preparing an action plan for training.

•• Following up of business development after credit release.

•• Monitoring business development in general.

3. Creation of new businesses •• Assessing and disseminating business opportunities.

•• Looking for new entrepreneurs.

4. Support to social economy •• Assessing business opportunities for social economy, both from the production point of view (products, services) and the organisational point of view (cooperatives, non-profit sector, etc).

•• Carrying out awareness campaign.

•• Supporting businesses.

5. Support to value chains •• Promoting value chain consortia.

•• Promoting and supporting joint initiatives.

6. Fostering innovation •• Organising the territorial innovation network.

•• Facilitating links between research and enterprise.

•• Implementing innovations.

7. Training and social inclusion •• Matching supply and demand.

•• Encouraging communities to include disadvantaged people in the economic circuit.

•• Providing basic training.

•• Carrying out vocational training and skill development.

•• Organising university courses for LED agents.

•• Monitoring impact.

8. Territorial Marketing •• Promoting the LEDA. •• Raising awareness of local resources among the population (internal marketing).

•• Updating territorial profile.

•• Implementing territorial marketing strategies, international positioning, market monitoring.

•• Promoting territorial brands.

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The Local Economic development Agency in Oruro (Bolivia)

MAIN ELEMENTS OF THE STATUTE PROPOSAL Vision ADECOM will be a territorial organization articulated in a united, inclusive, transparent, efficient and effective pattern, which promotes and supports the community and the sustainable and competitive regional socio-economic system, with the participation of all members.

Principles •• Living well.

•• Territoriality.

•• Complementarity and comprehensiveness.

•• Reciprocity.

•• Equity.

•• Inclusive free access.

•• Competitiveness.

•• Solidarity.

•• Community Management.

•• Transparency.

•• Community social Control.

•• Rotation.

Mission 1. Promotion, dissemination and strengthening of multinational model of the Bolivian state and the communitarian economy; comprehensive development of the department in a sustainable and competitive way, through the strengthening of community-based economy and links with the rural economies, and through public and private companies, in harmony with Mother Nature “Pachamama”.

2. Identification of programmatic strategic ad hoc solutions, designing interventions for comprehensive development; creation and strengthening of enterprises and the implementation of projects, consistent with development plans

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at national, departmental and municipal levels, in order to valorise the potentials of the Oruro department, and to satisfy the territorial primary needs, while encouraging the production of added and innovative value for better attracting actors and national and international consumers to the department of Oruro.

Objectives 1. To foster, implement and strengthen the model of community enterprise in the department of Oruro, which represents an instrument for experimenting and innovating national policy related to the management of resources in harmony with the “Pachamama”, applying and facilitating intercultural processes, encouraging biodiversity and preserving a healthy environment to sustain future generations.

2. To articulate community enterprise with the system of public and private economy, with particular emphasis on micro and small enterprises in all sectors, in the spirit of the Bolivian Constitution and to promote harmonious development of the department.

3. To be a point of reference and a tool for the elaboration and implementation of national policies and programs of economic development in the department of Oruro, of departmental and municipal development plans, and of international cooperation strategies.

4. To provide services for the integrated development of the department of Oruro, prioritizing access to markets, technology and credit, particularly benefiting the population with fewest resources.

5. To formulate, manage and execute projects and initiatives consistent with the above-mentioned articles and raise funds for them.

Organisms Assembly, Board of Directors, Executive Committee.

SPECIFIC INNOVATIVE PRACTICES In the Dominican Republic, thanks to the existence of micro-credit funds in the territories —such as the Progreso Cooperative in the case of Monte Plata—, it was possible to finance various prioritised initiatives within the value chain approach. In the case of Valverde, the management of its own local credit fund created a favourable impact on the local economy. Currently the fund is adjusted to the new local demands and dynamics, together with the re-negotiation of the conditions with the local financial operator. In the case of Bahoruco, the alliance with the LEDA involved a high number of entrepreneurs interested in fostering local dynamics. In 2011 an important alliance between

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UNDP and the National Council for Promotion and Support to SMMEs (PROMIPYME) —an entity on charge of promoting financial services for SMMEs— was set up to reinforce the provision of services within a territorial approach.

In Albania, the ART programme supported the LEDAs in Shkodra and Vlora in improving their performance and organisation, linking their actions to the government’s national policy for the creation of County Development Agencies (CDA) and to be nominee for the North and South regions. This support was accomplished through a transformation plan for the LEDAs (sheet 38).

Practices in more details

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38

The action plan for transforming the Albanian LEDAs into Regional Development Agencies in accordance with the national government policy

In accordance with the new policy of the Albanian Government, in light of the vision of European integration, the ART GOLD Programme, with the technical assistance of ILS LEDA, has supported the LEDAs in adapting norms and mechanisms to the new scenario, referring to the institutional framework, the management, the services and the strategies.

AREA OF INNOVATIONS: THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK 1. Strengthening public-private partnership, including new members, such as municipalities, associations representing producers, and civil society, competence centres, universities, etc.

2. Updating criteria for including new members and electing the board.

3. Strengthening the role of Auleda as a reference institution for implementing regional and municipal strategic plans, and the link with them.

4. Updating the role and the relationship between the members, their rights and duties.

Instruments •• Updating the statute.

•• New Assembly.

4. Updating the administrative rules and procedures, mainly in accordance with accountability and transparency.

5. Updating the communication system (in the region, towards the national and international institutions).

Instruments •• A capacity building plan.

•• Updating the operational manual.

•• Updating the organisational chart.

•• Building flexible operational networks of competence, able to support technical management of the agencies.

AREA OF INNOVATIONS: SERVICES 1. Updating the service/users matrix: which services for whom.

2. Updating priorities.

Instruments •• LEDA strategic plan.

•• Links with national and international networks (European regions, Eurada, ILS LEDA, etc.).

•• Capacity building.

AREA OF INNOVATIONS: STRATEGIC PLAN AREA OF INNOVATIONS: MANAGEMENT/ ADMINISTRATION 1. Updating the mechanisms and criteria for decision-making.

2. Updating the operational procedures (how to involve the members in the activities, how to organise the activities, how to select the personnel, how to issue external contracts, etc.).

3. Updating the organisation.

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1. Short term: organisational departmentalisation (business services, project services).

2. Medium term: increasing the number of services (such as for innovation and social inclusion).

Instruments •• Elaboration of the strategic plan document.

•• Relationships with national government, UNDP, etc.

4. INTERNATIONALISATION

STANDARD PRACTICES The most common practices are decentralised cooperation agreements, in some cases South-South agreements (Dominican Republic, Colombia, Cuba, Brazil, El Salvador), participation in events (organised by ART or others), and participation in the ILS LEDA network.

In the case of the Dominican Republic, the South-South agreement between the Dominican LEDAs and the ADELCO network of Colombian LEDAs for technical assistance and cooperation is a good example. These actions relate to the promotion of public policies for LED. In the case of Albania, AULEDA and TEULEDA have been involved in many projects with international partners (mostly Italian with regional or European funding).

Among them, in Vlora, projects for boosting the social economy (Marche Region), border development with Macedonia (Puglia), and projects in Shkodra for business alliances, and development of typical products.

In the case of Lebanon, good and fruitful relations were established between local governments of the programme

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areas and FAMSI, the Barcelona Deputation and Med Cities, with Malaga for the GIS project, with the Union of Flanders farmers (Belgium) for the municipality of Tripoli project, with the Principality of Monaco, and other European regions.

The MyDEL programme held several events to discuss and disseminate at an international level the relations between women and local economic development, such as 2 meetings on the subject “Gender, economy and local development” in Guatemala between 2006 and 2007; the International Meeting on “Local Development and Empowerment of Women” (Rome, June 2009) convened by UNIFEM (today UN-Women), to establish the conceptual and methodological basis and the strategic action lines to link this new conceptual map: Local/ Territorial Economic Development, Human Rights, Women Empowerment. In addition, it contributed to the elaboration of the RIMISP (Latin American Centre for Rural Development) conceptual and methodological note —“Local Development: from micro activities to policy guidelines. Empowering Women in Latin America” (sheet 39)— which remains an important ref-

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erence for the appreciation of the role of women in Latin America in territorial economic development.

The programme in Mozambique facilitated the participation of local actors and LEDAs in many international events, such as the ART programmes conventions (Tanger, La Havana, Dakar, Foligno, etc.), the exchange of experiences on LED between Mozambique and Guatemala, the participation in the European project “Centre for MDGs”.

The ILS LEDA programme, coordinated with the ART office of Geneva, is the network of local economic development agencies, that have been created in the framework of international cooperation programmes since 1991.

ILS LEDA provides links among the networked agencies themselves and with similar entities elsewhere in the world, and the implementation of joint international projects (sheet 40).

The practices in more details

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Local development: from micro activities to policy guidelines: a concept note on empowering women in Latin America. A note from RIMISP prompted by the MyDEL programme (final recommendations)

The concept note has the following characteristics:

The answers found are in the following fields of lessons learned.

1. It is based on reading current trends in international and Latin American contexts, prioritising some of the most powerful phenomena at local level and particularly in rural areas.

2. It makes a brief analysis of some relevant experience available at local level in Latin America and the Caribbean, selected in accordance to a set of key parameters.

3. It identifies lessons learned that are useful for advocacy in public action.

4. It proposes guidelines for future collaborative initiatives that increase the scale of interventions and influence at a more macro and political level.

1. The relevance of applied research for systematising and generating useful and influential knowledge for informed decision-making processes. a) The issues related to agriculture, food sovereignty, local production systems, climate change in Latin America urge policy responses and best proposals in terms of poverty reduction and sustainable development, within a broader and more comprehensive approach, through a territorial development focus. b) It is then necessary to rethink the approach to women’s entrepreneurship and its link to economic development, environmental sustainability and social inclusion on the one hand, and make connections with the institutional and policy mainstreaming that energises the international political agenda on the other one c) A solid information base is needed, and a consistent and critical analysis, coming from applied research based on: •• A demand for this type of knowledge, which must be prepared and fed with all actors and in different spaces.

•• An interdisciplinary and innovative conceptual and analytical framework.

•• A territorial base of experiences that can be systematised and measured on the basis of few relevant qualitative and quantitative indicators.

•• The ability to generate and transmit continuously, throughout the investigation processes, powerful messages to different areas of decisionmaking and action (from local to national and

The selected experiences are: the MyDEL programme, the Management of Natural Resources Project in the Southern Highlands of Peru (MARENASS), the Development Project of the Southern Highlands in Peru (PDSS), the Management of Natural Resources in the Interandinos Valleys, the Chaco project in Bolivia (PROMARENA), and the Project for Territorial Rural Development with Cultural Identity (DTR-IC).

Two questions have been formulated in order to focus the main lessons learned with impact on public policies: •• What are the real opportunities for local initiatives to upgrade influence in the sphere of public action, and in what area of this dimension?

•• How can the valuable experiences generated in the region be capitalised and disseminated?

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international levels), clearly showing the strategic value research may have.

•• The MyDEL outcomes in Central America are very useful in this regard, as well as the routes and the results of the IFAD-supported projects in South America.

A catalyst and analytical contribution in this regard could be also provided by the dialogue with the RIMISP Territorial Dynamics Programme d) The approach seems particularly suitable both for “landing” at the level of territories through a focus on the potential rather than on the deficits, and for build INGbridges with themes that, today in LAC, are being worked on in a competent manner and with a gender perspective. e) The research itself does not mechanically contribute either to advance proposals or to influence public action. Therefore, the combination with the development of capacities and platforms of influence are key elements of a triad that can yield significant results if different dimensions are intertwined. f ) The territorial experiences must show their results and effects, and then reflect on the realistic upgrading potentialities. It is also necessary to apply a small and relevant set of indicators to measure women’s empowerment in its various dimensions. It could become an exemplary best practice in projects and programmes with a gender perspective. Various aforementioned entities are taking part in this process. g) This kind of research and bridges should not derive from a unique source. The essential starting point is the establishment of consortia and “targeted alliances” between different institutions with distinctive competencies, links and spaces of influence. It is necessary to positively “contaminate” the studies and entities specialised in gender issues from other areas, and vice versa.

2. Capacity development that recognises and valorises local talent and knowledge, as a bridge linking the territories to academic training and accreditation. a) Territorial experiences show a lot in terms of different approaches, mechanisms and tools useful in the fight

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against poverty and for regional development in a perspective of equity. b) It is true that this range of good experiences and good tools is scattered and not easily accessible, but no inventory, diagnosis, systematisation so far has solved the problem of “knowledge that flows”. It is necessary to be more pragmatic and find shared spaces in which to start building a proposal for capacity building that can combine the more academic virtual and on the spot modalities with territorial experiences and analysis. The MyDEL Programme, the DTR-IC/RIMISP Project, the PROCASUR Regional Corporation, among others, have made advances in this direction and it could be considered the utility of a common platform for design and implementation to “pollinate” each other, gaining more added value from the obtained synthesis. c) The question of recognition, evaluation and accreditation of local talents and knowledge is a challenge that cannot be ignored and represents a strong challenge to the status quo. For the same reason, it cannot be left to spontaneous processes, especially if the main people involved are women.

3. The construction of an incidence platform based on interinstitutional synergies and collaborative actions. a) It is necessary to develop an approach to public action that goes beyond mere technical/regulatory matters or only government policies. It is necessary to orientate us towards political and institutional changes involving multiple actors and levels, reversing the factors that produce inequalities, exclusions, redistribution of power and assets. b) The time for structured and formal networks has given way to other typologies of groups, based on intense flows of information, shared interests, gradually built trust and co-investments. There is no more need for assemblies and steering committees or too many armed mechanisms. c) The experiences analysed show that the most powerful platforms are those that help to form territorial or national/international coalitions able to combine an approach or theme with the commitment to find resources and ways to address it, in this micro/macro transit, and involving the public and private sector.

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The global network of LEDAs: ILS LEDA

ILS LEDA is a Eurada programme that supports local, national and international organisations to strengthen the processes of economic development, with the goal of human, equitable and sustainable development. OECD recognises ILS LEDA as one of the most important international organisations that promotes and supports LEDAs. ILS LEDA has been working since 1990 in 20 countries around the world, supporting the creation of 60 LEDAs, whose ultimate goal is human development.

ILS LEDA provides the following services: •• Promotion and creation of local/territorial economic development agencies (LEDAs), which include service centres for women’s entrepreneurship (SCWE).

international relations through distance learning (PAQUINOTT) and assistance programmes (ADA, Fair Trade, Ethic Banking, I-QUAL, etc.).

•• Accredit the LEDAs as structures for human development.

The added value of ILS LEDA can be summarised as: •• An integrated approach of intervention, linking local and national political, economic, social, and cultural development, and national and international perspectives.

•• A participatory approach that facilitates the formation of local social and relational capital.

Support for strategies and local economic development plans.

•• A long history of promoting self-sustainable local economic development agencies and service centres for women entrepreneurship.

•• Support for national policies for territorial economic development.

•• Development of territorial partnerships at an international level.

•• Support to LEDAs for human development, with the goal to improve their performance and their

ILS LEDA has been contracted by the ART Global Initiative for the support of LED.

••

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REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES The most interesting innovations refer to initiatives undertaken by the coordination of the ART GOLD programmes, with particular reference to: the organisation of the World Forum of LED and LEDAs and the subsequent followup initiatives (sheet 41); the implementation of a brand for LEDAs (sheet 42), so that the LEDAs involved in the ILS LEDA network may be characterised as agencies that work for human development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Regarding country programmes, it is worth mentioning the organisation of the Beekeepers Mediterranean Forum, which was held in Beirut in 2010.

A very significant innovation introduced by all Latin American LEDAs was the establishment of a network of Latin America LEDAs, with a vocation for promoting human development: REMALDH (Mosaic-Network of Latin American LEDAs for Human Development), which was first put forward in a Forum in Santo Domingo (2009) and was officially established in the 2nd Latin American Forum of Local Economic Development Agencies in Quito in 2010 (sheet 44).

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The interesting consequence of this initiative is that other LEDAs from the continent —constituted through public policies, local governments or international cooperation initiatives (mainly IADB, USAID, and EU)— want to join the Network, which has more than 50 members in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic.

In Lebanon, an interesting case is represented by support to the internationalisation of beekeepers, especially in the Mediterranean area. This was focused and launched during the 2010 Mediterranean Beekeepers Forum in Beirut, with the participation of representatives from each country on this sea. They had the occasion to establish relations to define common policies and, above all, to launch a new global initiative —COOBERATION— with the goal of defending the bees as a factor of biodiversity and protection of the environment, and beekeeping as an activity that is both productive of civilisation, and an ecological opportunity for economic development and for the interchange of experiences and human values (sheet 43).

The practices in more details

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The Global Forum

The First Global Forum of Local Economic Development Agencies “Territory, Economy and Local Governance: New Perspectives for Changing Times�, which took place in Seville from 5 to 7 October 2011, was aimed at creating a space for reflection on Local Development, promoting progress in the construction of new approaches aimed at human development, solidarity and sustainable development.

The focus lies in the practices of the local economic development agencies as an instrument of public-private concertation to support public policies on local development, in the economic dimension as well as generating employment, inclusive economy, and improved quality of life. All this is based on the revaluation of the territory as a strategic element and on a non-localist approach, focused on strategies shared by public and private actors of the territory and coordinated with the actions of national governments.

The event, organised by the Andalusian Employment Service of the Junta de AndalucĂ­a, the ART Programme of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Andalusian Fund of Municipalities for International Solidarity (FAMSI), brings together actors and local development agencies worldwide, and takes particular account of the contributions of the UNDP ART Programme (Articulation of Territorial Networks for Human Development), in partnership with decentralised cooperation.

The focus on human development and the MDGs represents an important priority as a key element for solving the

current crisis, as it is clear that some of the main causes of it are the weak democratic control of economic and financial processes, the impoverishment of the environment, and increasing poverty and inequality.

This approach has nearly 20 years of experience through various United Nations programMEs (UNDP, ILO, UNOPS, UNIFEM). Many cooperation agencies have recently become involved in proposals for LED and LEDAs. The practices carried out with the ART approach underline some already tested approaches, such as in the following cases: 1. LEDAs as tools for the construction of a territorial development strategy to tap the potential of the territories and advance them on a national and international level.

2. LEDAs as local institutions in which local actors make shared and independent decisions on proposals and initiatives for sustainable economic development, while seeking the technical conditions for their viability and mobilisation of resources, in order to create opportunities for facilitating access to the productive circuit for the whole population, particularly the most disadvantaged.

3. LEDAs as structures that facilitate the design of specific territorial strategies, building and deploying (or helping to implement) a territorial agenda of actions in a framework of public-private complementarities and commitment.

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41

The Global Forum

The local economic development literature* recommends that LEDAs, in order to play the aforementioned roles, shall:

for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), either only public or private or others as public-private partnerships. In Europe the estimate is around 500.

•• Promote the participation of local public and private actors, aiming to build a future strategic vision, shared by regional players, and to favour local governance conditions.

•• Exploit indigenous resources generating social and economic dynamism starting from the valorisation of local resources and creating value chains.

•• Pay inward and outward attention to the environment (local and global).

•• Support vulnerable groups and their access to employment and economic opportunities, in accordance with goals for job improvement and creation, promotion of small and medium enterprises and improvement of the quality of life.

•• Reach technical and financial autonomy.

Future scenarios reveal new challenges for the territorial development agencies in the world, dealing with their relationships with the great centres of world politics —from the G-20 to the social forums and the social and solidarity economy forums—; with the need to find new ways to combine local competitiveness with the fight against poverty and inequality, safeguarding the environment and biodiversity; with the urgency of more effectively linking national public policies (and emerging macro-regional policies) with local development strategies.

There is no unique model for LEDAs and each reflects the complexity and characteristics of the territory where it is established. There are nearly 15.000 regional development agencies in the world, according to the Organisation

The forum was just meant to be an opportunity to promote a shared discussion between authorities, technical staff, local managers of the North and the South on local development and the role of LEDAs, in order to facilitate the implementation of joint initiatives and actions in multilateral frameworks. In addition, it was an occasion to deepen knowledge of international experience and its potential value for establishing development practices based on proven effectiveness, and to disclose other relevant experiences in the field.

* Local Economic Development, Human Development and Decent Work, “Paper 2, Best practices and trends”; Canzanelli, G, Dichter, G., Universitas-ILO, 2001; G. Canzanelli, “Reseña sobre el estado del arte en tema de ADEL” ILSLEDA Papers, 2011.

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42

The Quality Label for the LEDAs

The world is changing. Traditional values —like sovereign markets, economic growth as priority, financial assets as main growth tool— are in crisis, because they do not solve problems such as safeguarding important earth resources, the natural environment and human wellbeing, but rather they seem to destroy them.

These type of targets correspond to the new scenario the current LEDAs are entering, the new requirements every developmental institution should take into account for its positioning, eligibility, and legitimacy, and they seem to be a good guidance for the improvement of LEDAs performance.

New tasks and targets therefore have to be accomplished also by the LEDAs.

Eurada-ILS LEDA then launched the I-QUAL Programme, an instrument to help LEDAs willing to achieve the aformentioned targets.

Eurada and ILS LEDA have identified these targets in the following areas:

In this framework, the programme:

1. Governance: with a focus on participatory governance, including public, private, and socio-community actors.

1. Analyses current LEDA performance, in accordance with the ILS LEDA methodology and parameters.

2. Objectives: with a focus on comprehensive and human development.

2. Assigns a label (Sunflower) to the LEDA, in accordance with resulting performance.

3. Services: especially for the most disadvantaged segment of the population and of the entrepreneurs.

3. May provide a distance assistance programme, which consists of 16 hours of support to improve performance and achieve better labelling.

4. Strategy: with a focus on the valorisation of local potentialities, through continuous action-research on local resources.

5. Sustainability: institutional (links with local and national government), social (balanced participation in management), economic (independent from subsidies or single sources of income), and technical (autonomous capacities) sustainability.

6. Administration: aimed at achieving capacities in administrating a complex multi-purpose and multi-task structure.

4. Registers the labelled LEDAs to the ILS LEDA network, and provides them free distance assistance.

The Eurada-ILS LEDA programme has chosen 21 variables to assess LEDA quality, and 1 or more indicators for each of them. The LEDA performance for each indicator is then evaluated and a score is assigned.

The variables are classified into 2 types: very important (they “weigh” more) and less important (they “weigh” less).

First class variables are:

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42

The Quality Label for the LEDAs

•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••

LEGAL FRAMEWORK. BOARD COMPOSITION. LEDA OBJECTIVES. GENDER APPROACH. SERVICES. IMPACT ON LOCAL PRODUCTION AND SERVICES. SOURCES OF REVENUES. USERS/CUSTOMERS. STRATEGY. ENVIRONMENTAL APPROACH.

•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••

RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT. RELATIONSHIPS WITH NATIONAL POLICIES. BUDGET. BUDGET TREND. SERVICE MANAGEMENT. NETWORKING. ADMINISTRATION. IMPLEMENTED PROJECTS. VALUE OF THE PROJECTS. ORIGIN (CONSISTENCY) OF THE PROJECTS.

The maximum possible score is 163. The minimum score to be labelled is 80. The label consists of a sunflower (because it always looks at the sun) of a different colour, from yellow to red, in accordance with the following table.

Second class variables are: •• TECHNICAL STRUCTURE.

THE IQUAL SUNFLOWERS

Yellow

Orange

The lowest

Pink

Red The highest

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43

The Forum of the Mediterranean beekeepers: the Coobeeration initiative COOBEERATION is a global alliance that involves beekeepers, social and productive realities, local, national and international governments and institutions, actors of international cooperation, United Nations agencies and initiatives, research organisations and all the stakeholders interested in collaborating for the defence of the bee, as a factor of biodiversity, and for the protection of the environment and beekeeping, as an activity, which is at the same time a factor and a promoter of civilization, an eco-compatible opportunity for economic development and exchange of experiences and human values.

COOBEERATION is perfectly consistent with the objectives, the challenges, the actors and the initiatives of international development cooperation and fits into a new multilateral approach of international cooperation that promotes active participation and the central role of local communities and the development of partnerships among territories, aimed at the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Particularly, COOBEERATION contributes to the achievement of the first, third, seventh and eighth objective among the Millennium Development Goals. (1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; 3.

Promote gender equality and empower women; 7. Ensure environmental sustainability; 8. Develop a global partnership for development).

COOBEERATION therefore: •• Heightens the active role of local communities in the beekeeping development processes, supports research of alternative and economically viable systems for sustainable agriculture with low environmental impact and reduced risks on insect fauna.

•• Urges that policies of national, regional and local governments be directed towards an increase of apiarian heritage, its uniform displacement in territories (more pronounced in the ones at risk), and supports local communities implementing beekeeping activities.

•• Operates at the international level by making available its skills and thematic networks and by facilitating concrete partnerships of decen-

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The Forum of the Mediterranean beekeepers: the Coobeeration initiative

tralised cooperation between local communities and social actors of public, private and associative sectors.

COOBEERATION, implementing its action within the framework of multilateral initiatives and in collaboration with different cooperation actors, carries out the following activities: •• It supports local or national governments wishing to implement programmes and projects for beekeeping development, by providing the necessary organisational and technical assistance; promotes trade between countries; organises international events and ensures the transfer of information and documents.

•• It provides technical assistance and training in the field of beekeeping in the framework of decentralised cooperation projects.

•• It provides expert technical assistance for the creation of agencies/bodies/institutions to develop local beekeeping and their networking.

•• It identifies relevant innovations for the development of beekeeping and for biodiversity conservation, spreads this knowledge across countries in cooperation with national scientific institutions.

•• It mobilises the technical assistance of stakeholders for the transfer of innovations in the countries concerned, through south-south and north-south cooperation mechanisms.

•• It provides specialised technical assistance regarding the policies and practices of the bee health.

•• It promotes links between universities, public and private research centres in the North and the South, and their involvement in innovative practices of international cooperation for the protection and preservation of bees and for the development of beekeeping; promotes formation and refresher courses and research-intervention activities to disseminate and accumulate knowledge on quality experiences.

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44

REMALDH: The MosaicNetwork of Latin American LEDAs for Human Development

REMALDH is a structure designed to provide services to their partners, in accordance with identified objectives, and to encourage their development. It is linked to the ILS LEDA international service based in Brussels and linked to similar networks in other regions.

REMALDH objectives are: 1. To facilitate the exchange of good practices and experiences, through the use of the Website and ILS LEDA promotion.

2. To design and facilitate use of a LEDA performance indicators system that helps monitor compliance with its objectives and the creation of a label.

3. To prepare and manage common programmes and projects on issues of relevant interest, such as the fight against poverty, environmental management, funding management, classification of best practices, and so on.

4. To conduct marketing of the LEDAs members.

5. To facilitate trade and technology exchanges through connections with organisms and international fairs, for the promotion of products and services brought about by the LEDAs members, the organisation of fairs, trade between partners, etc.

SPECIFIC INNOVATIVE PRACTICES After REMALDH was set up, ART Uruguay promoted the creation of the LEDAs Network of the Southern Cone, which includes Uruguay, Argentina and Chile.

The MyDEL Programme created the network of SCWEs and the ECCA (Central American School for LEDAs and SCWEs), based in Morazรกn LEDA, with an international focus and a platform for training, research action, advocacy, knowledge management (sheet 46).

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The programme also made an agreement with the Centre for Promotion of Micro and Small Enterprises in Central America (CENPROMYPE) (sheet 45), in order to strengthen the gender perspective in the economy of Central America countries, especially Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, recognising that the promotion of equity in businesses is a cornerstone in the nation and therefore has to be a commitment for development.

Practices in more details

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45

ECCA

The ECCA (Training School for Local Economic Development Agencies and Service Centres for Women’s Entrepreneurship) was implemented to provide structured responses to the significant demand for technical assistance and training of national, local and international stakeholders for the implementation of new LEDAs and SCWEs The school is a Central America initiative with a territorial and institutional base in Morazán LEDA, in the department of Morazán (El Salvador).

The ECCA’s mission is to promote human development in the context of local economic development with a focus on gender equity.

The ECCA provides its training and technical assistance services with the aim of improving capacities of local economic development operators who promote LEDAs and SCWEs in Latin America, strengthening technical, managerial and leadership skills of LEDAs’ and SCWEs’ personnel, in order to promote women’s entrepreneurship and human development. The ECCA provides high quality training able to offer not only theoretical knowledge, but also tools and methodologies regarding the challenges of local development, through conferences, courses, short specialization workshops, diplomas, internships and seminars (on the spot, virtual and itinerant).

The ECCA puts its experience and technical resources at the disposal of national and local governments, national institutions and international cooperation organizations that want to create new or strengthen LEDAs and SCWEs. To this aim, the ECCA has a “bank of consultants” with a

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lot of experience in the implementation and management of territorial governance structures for local economic development processes.

The ECCA, thanks to its alliance with the Catholic University (UCA) in San Salvador, promotes and conducts research in the field of local and social economy, to analyze the most successful local and social economy cases, the impact of LEDAs and SCWEs in territories, especially as regards human development, the evolution of the status of women and women enterprises, gender equality in local development strategies.

The ECCA has the support of an Academic Committee and an International Advisory Council, composed of people from different countries with outstanding experience, multidisciplinary expertise and commitment to human development.

The ECCA operates in partnership with LEDAs and SCWEs in Central American countries and their national networks. It collaborates with universities in Central American and other countries on local development issues, with the Mosaic-Network of the Latin American LEDAs for Human Development (REMALDH), with national LEDAs networks in Colombia, Ecuador, Dominican Republic and Uruguay, with ILS LEDA (International Links and Services for Local Economic Development Agencies), the international IDEASS programme (Innovation for Development and South-South cooperation), which fosters the promotion of innovation for human development, the International UNIVERSITAS programme for liaison with international universities.

46

The MyDEL-CENPROMYPE agreement

The collaboration is aimed at strengthening the gender perspective in the economy of Central American countries, especially Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, recognising that the promotion of equity in businesses is a cornerstone in the countries and therefore it has to be a commitment for development. The parties undertake to: 1. Promote and facilitate the exchange of knowledge, experiences, research and technical personnel for the construction of joint actions to strengthen the role of women as actors of the economy of the territories where the MyDEL programme operates.

2. Cooperate in the organisation, implementation and participation in events related to the topic.

3. Promote processes of awareness and sensitivity on gender equity at the various opportunities related to CENPROMYPE. In 2010, the partnership between CENPROMYPE and MyDEL was consolidated and institutionalised, and it resulted in the DELPYME Programme, funded by the Cooperation of Austria, in order to develop synergies in the territories of the countries involved in the programme, with the aim of enhancing the entrepreneurial skills of

women through local economic development. The project in Guatemala’s case was taken up by the Vice Ministry of SMME, responsible for providing services, and, in accordance with the Action Plan, for developing the overall technical and financial management of the DELMYPE regional project, as well as hiring institutions or people to provide business development services to micro and small businesses or to new businesses.

Joint missions were launched in May 2010 with a visit to the South Valley of Honduras, a reconnaissance tour of the work of the LEDA-SCWE Valle, to examine possibilities for joint work in the Gulf of Fonseca. The meeting in the headquarters of the Valle LEDA had positive results and it was agreed to conclude an agreement of cooperation between both institutions. Representatives of the Office for the Development of the Social Sector of the Economy, and of the Business Development Service of the Secretariat of the SMMEs in Honduras participated in the meeting.

In June 2010, CEMPROMYPE organised an ordinary Meeting of the Board of Governors and Vice Ministers of Economy of the Central American countries and asked MyDEL to submit the strategy and the platform of the programme to the Board, to open the debate on the gender agenda, in relation to the recognition and promotion of female entrepreneurship.

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CONCLUSIONS

This study analysed 141 practices and innovations in 10 countries where UNDP ART programmes operate (Albania, Bolivia, Central America, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Lebanon, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, and Uruguay), coordinated by the ART office in Geneva (see tables with annexes).

These practices are articulated in 60 standard practices, 66 replicable innovations and 15 non-replicable innovations.

The study’s main conclusions are: 1. UNDP ART Programmes are innovative.

2. Local development strategies were prioritised.

3. The areas that experienced the most innovations are LEDAs and national policies.

4. In each area there are issues that stood out from others.

ART PROGRAMMES ARE INNOVATIVE Innovative practices, including replicable and nonreplicable innovations, represent 57% of the analysed practices (Figure 1). ART programmes have thus intro-

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duced a significant number of innovations (see list in the annex) in the framework of their actions.

Figure 2. Practices by area

10%

Figure 1. Practices by typology 22%

41%

10%

27% 47% 43%

Standard practices

Replicable Innovations

Internationalization

LEDA

National Policies

Territorial Development strategies

No Replicables Innovations

LOCAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES WERE PRIORITISED

AREAS THAT EXPERIENCED THE MOST INNOVATIONS ARE LEDAS AND NATIONAL POLICIES In all areas (Figure 3, 4, 5 and 6), most practices were innovative (adding the replicable to the non-replicable ones).

Activities with most practices are those concerning territorial development.

63% of practices refer to the local level; 41% were in support of territorial development strategies and 22% for the creation and support of local economic development agencies; 27% of practices were in support of national policies and 10% to internationalisation (Figure 2).

Nevertheless, innovations in creation, support, management of LEDAs, and internationalisation innovations exceeded 60% (with 70% and 64% respectively), confirming to be the pillars of the ART programmes.

Territorial development strategies showed 60% of standard practices, while national policies 40%.

125

Figure 3. National policies

Figure 5. LEDA

17%

13% 40%

30% 53%

47%

Standard practices

Replicable Innovations

Non Replicables Innovations

Figure 4. Local development strategies

Standard practices

Replicable Innovations

No Replicables Innovations

Figure 6. Internationalisation

11%

43%

46%

36%

43%

21%

Standard practices

Replicable Innovations

No Replicables Innovations

126

Standard practices

Replicable Innovations

No Replicables Innovations

PRACTICES IN DETAILS FOR EACH AREA

cases in this area). This was an expected result, given the mandate of the ART programmes.

National Policy Most established practices (including all typologies) refer to training (particularly courses or university diplomas for territorial development agents, workshops, and seminars), which made up more than 30% of practices in this area, along with those relating to the linkage between national policies and local development (such as sectoral support, mobilisation of funds, inter-sectoral coordination).

The creation and support of national LEDAs networks also represented a fairly widespread practice (18% of the

A significant activity was also the support for LEDAs national networks, which is a very powerful tool for aid effectiveness, given the role they can play at the end of programMEs in support of LEDAs in the country, as demonstrated in the cases of Colombia and Mozambique.

Very few practices resulted in the inclusion of LEDAs in national policies (8% of cases, i.e. just 2 countries), the definition of regulatory frameworks for local economic development (5%) and the development of economic infrastructures that reflect national policy and local development (5%).

Figure 7. National Policies % 35 30 25

43%

36%

20 15

1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6:

21%

10 5 0

1

2

3

4

5

6

127

Inclusion of LEDAs in national policies Capacity building Support for national LEDA networks Regulatory framework for LED Linking national policies with local development Promotion of economic infrastructure

Figure 8. Local development strategies % 30 25 20

1: Valorisation of endogenous potential and analysis of territorial services 2: Training producers 3: Social inclusion 4: Strategic plans with participatory approach 5: Finance 6: Documentation and information.

7: Projects

15 10 5 0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Local Development strategies Also in the case of territorial development strategies, the practices that stood out (27% of total) were those related to building better capacities, above all for the producers, mostly micro and small entrepreneurs and cooperatives, women, and farmers. This confirms the important role of ART programs in terms of generating new capabilities to facilitate self-development.

Next on the list is the valorisation of local potential and the promotion of value chains, and many documentation and information activities, in most cases with high levels of innovation in content (brochures, books, papers, notebooks, etc). These 2 cases have a statistical frequency of almost 15%.

128

7

Social inclusion and support to strategic development plans with a participatory approach did not reach 13% of all practices, a sign that more work is probably needed on this issue.

Just a few practices were concerned with the search for new funding for local development and the implementation of projects (respectively 10% and 8% of cases).

LEDAs practices Over 30% of all practices in this area were concerned with the creation of LEDAs or support to existing ones; which is not surprising, since one of the main objectives

This is due to the focus of the ART Programmes being, more bottom-up type than top-down, and LEDAs have been given recognition in this way rather than through the autonomous decisions of national governments.

of ART programmes, in terms of local economic development, is precisely to promote and develop services to support the local economy.

It is interesting to note that 23% of practices are related to LEDAs influence on public policy, above all in terms of determining that they can be a point of reference (consultation, participation in decision-making, programmes implementation) primarily for territorial policies (in relation to local government plans), but also for national planning.

Local finance also achieved a significant place in the score, nearly 20% of the practices in this area. Most cases involved the establishment of guarantee funds or micro-finance mechanisms. Support to the marginal sectors of the population, gender focus, and environmental protection had less weight (only 15% of cases), and this represents a constraint for a programme like ART.

It is interesting also to compare this result with another one, apparently contradictory: the practices on the mainstreaming of LEDAs in national policy (only 8%).

It means that LEDAs, in many cases, have not prioritised the inclusion of the marginalised population in their own

Figure 9. LEDAs % 35 30 25 20 15

1: Creation or support to LEDAs 2: Support to marginal sectors of the population, gender focus, environmental protection 3: Comprehensiveness and organisation of services.

4: Impact on public policies 5: Local finance

10 5 0

1

2

3

4

5

129

activity when dedicating efforts to organise the development of local economies. This result, moreover, is in line with the same type of practices related to territorial development strategies (in this case also those involving inclusion reached 15%), demonstrating a weakness in this area.

Finally, there are practices regarding the comprehensiveness of LEDAs services, performed only in cases where it was established that the agency’s task is not exclusively for economic development.

The most frequent practices involved the organisation and participation of the beneficiaries in international events and support for international networks (such as the Latin American Southern Cone network, or ILS LEDA) or facilitating the participation of beneficiaries in international networks. Both cases achieve up to 35% of practices in this area.

Less frequent was the support or facilitation of agreements or projects with international partners, which involved only 15% of cases.

Practices for Internationalisation Figure 10. Internationalisation % 40 35 30 25 20 15 10

1: 2: 3: 4:

5 0

1

2

4

3

130

International agreements International projects International events International networks

ANNEX 1 LIST OF THE PRACTICES

Albania STANDARD PRACTICES

INTERNATION.

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Transformation of LEDAS into County Development Agencies.

•• Conference “European Integration, knowledge, innovations and democratic governance”.

•• Workshops for systematising and spreading local experience on human development.

•• Participatory analysis (actionresearch method) on local resources in the ART Programme regions (Shkodra and Vlora), in accordance with the value chain approach, and their competitive and sustainable characteristics .

•• Training in strategic planning, and LEDA management.

Strategic regional plans of the 2 programme regions with the result of prioritising actions and projects for sustainable development, in a framework of consistency and long-term perspectives.

Formulation of innovative projects prioritized by the strategic plan on regional tourism; regional brand; water protection; treatment of sewage; crafts; network of digital technology; infrastructure for women.

Support for the LEDAs of the 2 regions of Shkodra (TEULEDA) and Vlora (AULEDA) for conversion to new comprehensive development agencies.

•• Changes in the statutes and rules of LEDAs’ operations consistent with the aim of consolidating the relationship between economic development, social and environmental development.

•• Realisation of the management regulations of LEDAs, which regulate their activity and organisation and qualify them as structures able to implement projects and programmes of the government, European Union and other donors.

•• Agreement to establish a guarantee fund and facilitate access to credit for the most disadvantaged population, with innovation either to the beneficiaries of credit, than for the favourable conditions of the Bank-LEDA relationship in terms of interests banking on the fund and on the loans.

Support of Shkodra and Vlora LEDAs to improve performances and organisation in order to link to the government’s national policy on the creation of Integrated Development Agencies of the Regions (ADR).

LEDAs

TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES

NATIONAL POLICIES

AREA

PRACTICES

AULEDA and TEULEDA involved in many projects with European partners, with funds from regional governments partners and European funds.

132

Bolivia STANDARD PRACTICES

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Agreement with the Ministry of Productive Development for the elaboration of an institutional, legal and normative framework to support small producers, including southsouth cooperation, especially with Brazil.

International Workshop on “Institutionality for promoting local economic development”.

Establishment of 2 LEDAs in Oruro and in the metropolitan areas of La Paz.

Proposed design of a LEDA with a strong presence of native Andean population, which led to consider original values of this culture (the cosmological vision of the Pachamama, solidarity, etc.), albeit it has proved difficult to integrate different views on the same territory

INTERNATION.

LEDAs

TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES

NATIONAL POLICIES

AREA

PRACTICES

133

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Colombia PRACTICES NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

STANDARD PRACTICES

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

•• LEDAs included in the 2010-2014 National Development Plan.

•• ADELCO included in the national programme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

•• Support to the national network of LEDAs.

•• Agreement of the ART Programme with the national network (ADELCO).

•• University Diploma on Territorial Economic Development.

•• Application of ICO, index of organisational capacities.

Access to European funds from ADELCO, which was awarded 2 tenders of the Project on Local Economic Development and Trade of the European Union.

•• Surveys on the potentials of each department and prioritisation of 3 value chains for each of the Colombian LEDAs members of the network ADELCO. •• Methodology for the promotion of territorial marketing .

•• Training on associations, planning, entrepreneurship.

•• Inclusion of vulnerable people as direct beneficiaries of the project, and integration of communitarian organisations as partners of the LEDAs.

The “Magazine of Good Governance” in 2008 edited the important article “The local economic development agencies, a key instrument for regional development”.

Support to VELEZ LEDA for a project of fight against poverty, creation of the technological Centre of East Antioquia, support for the improvement of the Zapatosa LEDA, through FAMSI resources.

Support for LEDAs Network (ADELCO), which has the task of supporting the creation of new LEDAs and helping existing ones.

Influence on public policy: the Network of LEDAs is consulted by the national government for programmes related to competitiveness, rural development, poverty reduction and environment.

INTERNATION.

LEDAs

TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES

NATIONAL POLICIES

AREA

134

Central America REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Systematisation of knowledge on female entrepreneurship, and support for capacity building for governance and development, and inclusion of women.

Strengthening the institutions coordinating territorial and sectoral policies in the capacity of proposing and influencing policy decisions and local/national economic strategy.

•• Capacity building for women in entrepreneurship.

•• Promotion and consolidation of the participation of women in decision-making in all administrative entities and LEDAs, and in the economic circuit, with particular reference to territorial value chains.

TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES

•• Conformation of at least 5 local networks of women entrepreneurs, with access and integration in territorial/transnational development processes.

•• New vision of female entrepreneurship at local level and its contribution to territorial development, economic justice and women empowerment.”

•• Jointly agreed model of economic empowerment of women and local governance for regional development.

•• Action-research in cooperation with the UCA University in San Salvador on “The Dynamics of Female Entrepreneurship”.

•• Promotion of the Regional Centre of knowledge management.

•• Inventory, characterisation and georeferencing of female entrepreneurship, linked to the analysis of economic potential and methodology of the value chain.

•• Promotion and implementation of a financial model for the promotion of female entrepreneurship at local level, through revolving funds in each country.

•• Publication of the book “Women, local economies, territories, knowledge and power”, which refers to indigenous women, mestizos, African descendants, who invigorate local economies.

•• Creation of 3 Service Centres for Women Entrepreneurship (SCWEs) in El Salvador (Morazan, La Union, and Sonsonate), 2 in Honduras (Valle, Ocotepeque), 1 in Nicaragua (Leon), 2 in Guatemala (Huehuetenango, Chiquimula).

NATIONAL POLICIES

STANDARD PRACTICES

LEDAs

AREA

PRACTICES

135

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

INTERNATION.

AREA

PRACTICES STANDARD PRACTICES

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES •• Support the creation of the ECCA (International School for LEDAs and SCWEs), based on LEDA Morazán, but with an international focus and a platform for training, actionresearch, advocacy, knowledge management.

•• Framework Convention with the Centre for the Promotion of Micro and Small Enterprises in Central America (CENPROMYPE), to strengthen the gender perspective in the economy of Central America.

•• Several international events to discuss and disseminate at international level the relations between women and local economic development.

•• Conceptual and methodological note of RIMISP (Latin American Centre for Rural Development) on “Local development: from micro activities to policy guidelines.

Empowering Women in Latin America”.

136

Ecuador STANDARD PRACTICES

TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES LEDAs

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Support for the national network of LEDAs (CEDET).

•• Operating agreement with CONCOPE to generate support for the thematic development of production through the value chains approach.

•• Forum of the Latin American LEDAs network.

•• University Diploma in Territorial Economic Development.

•• Prioritisation of territorial potential through participatory, technical, and institutional processes, starting with planning coordinated with local, provincial and national levels, which led to the elaboration of guidelines for integral development in 6 provinces.

•• Capacity building on planning, territorial economic development, LEDAs, promotion of agriculture development.

•• Most of the projects have benefited women, marginal rural and/or urban people and youth, persons with disabilities and poor families with socio-economic conditions.

Booklet “Advantages and opportunities of having a TEDA”.

Establishment of 2 LEDAs (El Oro and Esmeraldas), through support for the national network (CEDET).

•• Insertion into the LEDAs design many elements to improve the living conditions of the population, gender equality, policies and actions that promote employment diversification, and social and environmental responsibility of private enterprise.

•• Promotion of scientific innovation and technology transfer linked to local development as main guidelines for the services of the LEDA.

NATIONAL POLICIES

AREA

PRACTICES

137

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Innovative projects for productive infrastructures, improvement of capabilities, vulnerability reduction, support for micro enterprises, and promotion of tourism and culture.

STANDARD PRACTICES

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES •• Influence on public policies, by supporting the coordination of the Provincial Administration with other agencies of the Ecuadorian government and the private sector, to undertake joint actions in the field of productive economic development and to benefit different population groups in the provinces.

INTERNATION.

LEDAs

AREA

PRACTICES

138

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Lebanon REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Governmental Decree, which allows municipalities and local administrations to take part in mixed public-private structures, such as local economic development agencies, for the first time in Lebanese history.

•• Strategies for development of beekeeping, one of the sectors with greatest growth potential.

•• Organisation of the national association of beekeepers.

•• Participatory analysis (action– research method) of local resources in the 4 regions of the programme (South Beirut, Bekaa, North and South Lebanon) through a value chain approach, with their own characteristics and sustainable competitiveness.

•• Capacity building for beekeepers.

•• Capacity building for civil servants on LED and LEDAs. •• Special attention to the gender approach. Creation of a network of 15 cooperatives of women.

Comprehensive support for the value chain of beekeeping, articulating elements of local development, but also national policy framework, and propensity to internationalisation.

Innovative projects in infrastructure, improvement of capacities, support for prioritised value chains, support for women.

Establishment of 4 LEDAs: in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Bekaa Valley, South and North Lebanon.

•• Creation of a manual to organise LEDA’s operations, which includes all possible services and is a useful tool for many other LEDAs. •• Impact on public policies achieved, with the issue of a decree allowing, for the first time, municipal administrations to participate in a public-private structure, and recognised organizations such as the LEDA as useful and valuable to the public administration.

STANDARD PRACTICES

LEDAs

TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES

NATIONAL POLICIES

AREA

PRACTICES

139

STANDARD PRACTICES

INTERNATION.

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES •• Innovative arrangement to manage the guarantee fund in support of the LEDAs between UNDP and the state structure ESDF (Economic and Social Development Fund). ESDF, in turn, has made an agreement with a bank (which was awarded a public tender) for the specific credit mechanism.

Interesting is the multiplicative factor of credit, which is 7 times the value of the fund.

LEDAs

AREA

PRACTICES

Relations between local governments of the areas of the programme with FAMSI, the Deputation of Barcelona, Med Cities; with Malaga for the GIS project, the municipality of Tripoli with the union of farmers Fiandra (Belgium), with the Principality of Monaco, and with other European regions.

Support for the internationalization of beekeeping, especially in the Mediterranean area, with its crucial moment in the organization of the Mediterranean Beekeepers Forum 2010 in Beirut.

140

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Mozambique

TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES

NATIONAL POLICIES

AREA

PRACTICES STANDARD PRACTICES

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

•• Support for the national network of LEDAs. •• Facilitated inclusion of LEDAs in district economic development plans.

•• Promotion of economic fairs.

•• Establishment of local business incubators.

•• University education, through the remote training centre of the ILO on local economic development and gender.

•• Strengthening local institutions in economic development, especially encouraging the inclusion of economic development in district strategic plans, promoting and establishing business incubators and promoting economic fairs.

•• Strengthened capacities of Provincial Rural Development Directions in promoting sustainable socio-economic development.

•• Training of officials in each province in business administration, regional marketing and LED, and training officials of Nampula LEDA in gender approach and economic development.

•• Support training the elaboration of specialised courses and masters in Spain in collaboration with FAMSI.

•• Facilitating women entrepreneurship, in accordance with their specific logic and potentials, empowering women and strengthening technical and organisational skills.

•• Strengthening and improvement of District Development Funds.

141

Business incubator projects to improve business competitiveness in Nampula and Inhambane.

INTERNATION.

LEDAs

AREA

PRACTICES STANDARD PRACTICES

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Support for the existing LEDAs in Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Inhambane, Gaza and Maputo, and the national network, which also includes the LEDAs of Manica and Sofala.

Impact on public policy, because the LEDAs are linked to district planning and the government has recognised LEDAs as reference structures for providing integrated services to promote local economic development.

Facilitating the participation of local actors and LEDAs in many international events.

142

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Dominican Republic STANDARD PRACTICES

TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Support for the national network of LEDAs.

•• Forum of the Latin American network of LEDAs. •• Course for forming a network of experts in projects.

•• Sharing the experiences of Brazil, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina, and building with them a National Planning and Development System.

•• Contract between the CENSA of Cuba and the Economic Development Agency of Monte Plata, to support the development of the dairy chain.

Government commitment to mobilise national resources to support local economic development projects.

•• Analysis of the endogenous potential of the territory, based on the study of territorial resources, their use, sustainability and competitiveness, and promotion of 15 territorial value chains, 3 in each territory.

•• Analysis of the supply and demand of services for territorial development.

•• Training for organic goods producers.

•• Training in local economic development, fight against social exclusion, project management, financial mechanisms, business networks.

•• Workshops with social groups, attended by, among others, youth, women, single mothers, elderly citizens, Haitians resident in the DR (especially on the border), small producers, outlining the steps for a social inclusion strategy.

•• Promotion of a cycle of social inclusion and a social animation initiative to incorporate marginalised groups in the circuit of local economic development.

•• Definition of the strategic development priorities for each province in a participatory and consensual manner and promotion of consortia of value chains including all relevant actors, guiding and training them.

•• Process of establishing a micro-finance programme for the LEDAs, involving 80 institutions, for more than 3.000 entrepreneurs.

•• Financial management agreements in programme areas with financial institutions for resource mobilisation.

•• Strengthening the financial funds of the LEDAs of Valverde, Monte Plata, Dajabón and Bahoruco.

•• Flexible and streamlined model and method for fundraising to support local economic development strategy, articulated in the design of project profiles and in the funds management and mobilisation.

•• Creation of spaces for territorial and national dialogue among historically disconnected actors, fostering a process for a more democratic economy.

•• Innovative documentation represented by the ART notebook for Human Development, and Local Economic Development Agencies; and the dissertation “LEDAs and Democratic Governance”.

In accordance with each chain and in order to enable local services, LEDAs have formulated a substantial portfolio of innovative projects in each territory and as a network, with an impact on employment, income and inclusion of vulnerable populations in the territorial economic circuit.

NATIONAL POLICIES

AREA

PRACTICES

143

STANDARD PRACTICES

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Creation for a LEDA (El Seibo) and support to the LEDAs of Dajabón, Bahuruco, Valverde, and Monte Plata.

•• Through workshops and seminars, and an agreement with UNDP, territorial association and collective management were promoted, in order to influence changes in the quality of life of the inhabitants of the territory.

•• Influence on public policy with LEDAs incorporated into the National Planning System, and provincial planning.

•• Implementation of 4 local investment funds, amounting to nearly $ 600.000 in 4 LEDAs.

INTERNATION.

LEDAs

AREA

PRACTICES

South-South agreement between the Dominican Republic and the network of Colombian LEDAs (ADELCO), for technical assistance and cooperation.

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES Creation of the Microfinance Republic with loan officers who visit the SMMEs in the territory to identify needs and support — jointly with the LEDAs— with micro-credit, in the context of the national government’s microcredit funds.

Sri Lanka STANDARD PRACTICES

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Creation of a LEDA in the Southern Province: Rueda.

INTERNATION.

LEDAs

TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES

NATIONAL POLICIES

AREA

PRACTICES

145

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

Uruguay PRACTICES STANDARD

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

•• Bilateral working agreement with many national public entities and the central administration.

•• Support for the national network of the LEDAs.

•• Two competitions (2009 and 2010) for the best innovative practices in human development.

•• University diploma in Territorial Economic Development.

Bilateral working agreements with many national government and public agencies for micro-credit in the territories; support for strengthening and creating 3 LEDAs; support for innovative processes and investment dissemination, rural, social, and SMMEs development.

•• Analysis and prioritisation of endogenous territorial potentialities in 12 departments.

•• Training in tourism guides, local economic development and LEDAs, marketing techniques, active employment policy and economic development.

•• Projects that create social inclusion: tiling school, support for beekeepers and fruit and vegetable farmers, low resource ventures.

•• Implementation of the participatory approach to set up more than 80 workshops, with around 1.500 participants for the validation and prioritisation of value chains.

•• Over 40 productive projects on economic development for social inclusion in 11 departments were carried out, in accordance with the prioritisation exercise.

•• Publication of six issues of the innovative journal “Cuadernos para el Desarrollo Local”.

Innovative projects for productive infrastructures, support for priority production chains, promotion of tourism and culture, social inclusion, territorial marketing. Business Intelligence Network.

Creation of 2 LEDAs (Rivera, Florida) and support for Paysandú, Rio Negro, Cerro Largo, Tacuarembó, and Durazno.

•• Inclusion in LEDAs statutes and plans, elements to generate equitably and sustainably decent jobs and income, without compromising environmental resources, in order to overcome economic marginality, cultural fragility and social exclusion, and improve the environment and social cohesion.

•• Development of policies and actions that contribute to enhancing the departmental territory to attract production and services including territorial marketing, infrastructure development, innovation, and to promote quality management for Quality Labels.

INTERNATION.

LEDAs

TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES

NATIONAL POLICIES

AREA

Creation of the South Cone LEDAs Network, including Uruguay, Argentina and Chile.

146

ART Geneva STANDARD

REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

NATIONAL POLICIES

AREA

PRACTICES

LEDAs

TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES

Publication of a series of documents such as the “LEDAs and Human Development”, “Review of the state of the art on LEDAs”, “LEDAs and aid effectiveness”, “Local Development and Globalisation”, “The local economic development approach: potentialities and limits of ART Initiative through analysis of study cases”.

INTERNATION.

ILS LEDA Global Network, which facilitates the linking of networked LEDAs, including relations with similar bodies elsewhere in the world, and the implementation of joint international projects.

•• First Global Forum of Local Development Agencies “Territory, Economy and Local Governance: New Perspectives for Changing Times”.

•• Introduction of a Quality Label for LEDAs involved in the ILS LEDA network to be characterized as agencies that work for human development and the Millennium Development Goals.

•• Support for the establishment of a network of LEDAs throughout Latin America, with a strong vocation in promoting human development: REMALDH (Mosaic-Network of Latin American LEDAs for Human Development).

147

NON-REPLICABLE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

ANNEX 2 LIST OF THE INNOVATIONS

149

NATIONAL POLICIES STANDARD NO.

INNOVATIONS

PG.

WEB REFERENCE

1

CEDET in Ecuador

20

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/01cedet_ecuado_571941.pdf

2

The Dominican Network of LEDAs

20

http://www.ilsleda.org/leda/agencies-details. php?id=79&lang=es

3

RADEL: the Network of LEDAs in Uruguay

21

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/ radel_informe_f_094450.pdf

4

ADELCO: the Network of Colombian LEDAs

22

http://www.ilsleda.org/leda/agencies-details. php?id=75&lang=es

INNOVATIVE NO.

INNOVATIONS

PG.

WEB REFERENCE

5

The Forum of the Latin American Network of LEDAs in Ecuador

25

http://www.ilsleda.org/news/detail.php?id=38&lang=es

6

The Contest for best innovative practices for human development in Uruguay

26

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/06concurso_nac_899629.pdf

7

The course for forming a network of project experts in the Dominican Republic

28

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/07. formulacion__934230.pdf

8

The Conference “European Integration, Knowledge, Innovation, and democratic governance” in Albania

29

http://www.ilsleda.org/news/detail.php?id=60&lang=es

9

The agreement between ART Colombia and ADELCO (the national LEDAs Network)

30

Not applicable

10

The diploma in Ecuador

31

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/papers/diplomado_en_ de_739499.pdf

11

The Human Development Laboratories in the regions of Vlora and Shkodra of Albania

32

http://www.ilsleda.org/news/detail.php?id=83

12

ICO applied to LEDAs in Colombia

33

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/12guia_de_anal_424465.pdf

150

TED STRATEGIES STANDARD NO.

INNOVATIONS

PG.

WEB REFERENCE

13

The sheet to analyse the demand for territorial development services in the Dominican Republic

40

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/13ficha_de_ana_446164.pdf

14

Report on territorial competitiveness in Dajab贸n (Dominican Republic)

41

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/14documento_mt_458575.pdf

15

Map of competitive resources in the region of Vlora in Albania

42

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/ map_of_resource_012740.pdf

16

Main guidelines for integrated provincial development in Ecuador: the case of Carchi

46

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/16priorid_art__602211.pdf

17

Main guidelines for a strategy for local economic development in Lebanon: the North Lebanon case

48

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/ lebpsgann1864195.pdf

18

The promotion of territorial marketing in Colombia

50

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/ presentacio_769_870150.pdf

19

A cycle for social inclusion in the Dominican Republic: social animation aimed at making local economic development more inclusive

52

Not Applicable

20

Local economic diagnostic analysis in Uruguay: the case of the Department of Rivera

53

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/20diagnostico__628639.pdf

INNOVATIVE NO.

INNOVATIONS

PG.

WEB REFERENCE

21

Criteria for prioritising projects in the framework of regional development plans in the region of Vlora (Albania)

58

Not Applicable

22

The comprehensive development of the beekeeping value chain in Lebanon

59

Not Applicable

23

The strategic regional development plan in the region of Vlora (Albania)

61

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/23strategic_pl_712999.pdf

24

The action/research in Lebanon for stimulating shared strategies for territorial economic development

63

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/ lebpsgann2877333.pdf

25

Women entrepreneurship dynamics in the Sonsonate department (El Salvador): action/research

65

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/25presentacion_485075.pdf

151

26

The route for recognising the dynamic role of women entrepreneurship in local economies: a MyDEL Programme study

67

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/documents/panel_ emprendedoras_803888.pdf

27

Fund raising model in the Dominican Republic

69

Not Applicable

28

The booklet: ”What territorial economic development is: advantages and opportunities of having a territorial economic development agency” elaborated by CEDET in Ecuador

70

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/documents/28-folleto_ cedet_555980.pdf

29

Local Economic Development Agencies as tools for democratic governance in the Dominican Republic: an academic dissertation

72

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/29adels_y_gobe_937322.pdf

LEDA STANDARD NO. 30

INNOVATIONS

PG.

The LEDAs

81

WEB REFERENCE http://www.ilsleda.org/leda/

INNOVATIVE NO.

INNOVATIONS

PG.

WEB REFERENCE

31

Innovations in the AULEDA statute (Albania)

98

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/documents/31-new_ auleda_statute_1_787283.pdf

32

LEDA in the Dominican Republic: the UNDP agreement

99

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/32adelmopla-fo_504376.pdf

33

The Service Centres for Women’s Entrepreneurship in Central America

101

http://www.ilsleda.org/news/detail.php?id=36&lang=es

34

The LEDA Management Handbook produced in Albania

102

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/papers/14_leda_ managem_066938.pdf

35

The Guarantee Fund in Albania: the main articles of the UNOPS-BANK agreement

103

http://www.ilsleda.org/activities/national-level-details. php?id=288

36

The Leda Operational Handbook: an Art Gold Lebanon

105

http://www.ilsleda.org/knowledge-production/detail. php?id=66

37

The Local Economic development Agency in Oruro (Bolivia) (Main elements of the Statute proposal)

106

http://www.ilsleda.org/activities/national-level-details. php?id=302

SPECIFICS

152

NO. 38

INNOVATIONS

PG.

The action plan for transforming Albanian LEDAs into regional development agencies in accordance with national government policy

108

WEB REFERENCE http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/39plan_for_imp_693823.pdf

INTERNATIONALIZATION STANDARD NO.

INNOVATIONS

PG.

WEB REFERENCE

39

Local development: from micro activities to policy guidelines: empowering women in Latin America: A note from RIMISP prompted by the MYDEL programme (final recommendations)

111

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/papers/40-nota_ concept_737225.pdf

40

The global network of LEDAs: ILS LEDA

113

www.ilsleda.org

INNOVATIVE NO.

INNOVATIONS

PG.

WEB REFERENCE

41

The global forum

115

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/documents/42-nota_ conceptual_foro_adel_768376.pdf

42

The Quality Label for LEDAs

117

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/documents/i_qual_ program-presentation_764062.pdf

43

The Mediterranean beekeepers forum

119

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/activities_national/44coobeeration_817565.pdf

44

REMALDH: The Mosaic-Network of Latin American LEDAs for Human Development

120

http://www.ilsleda.org/regional-leda-network/details. php?id=3&lang=es

SPECIFICS NO.

INNOVATIONS

PG.

WEB REFERENCE

45

The ECCA

122

http://escuela-ecca.org/images/docgenerales/ecca.pdf

46

The MyDEL-CENPROMYPE agreement

123

http://www.ilsleda.org/usr_files/documents/47-info_ mydel_art_2010_878740.pdf

153

Articulation of Territorial and Thematic Cooperation Networks for Human Development