What is Delnet

Delnet supports local development processes, reinforcing the capabilities of local socio-economic actors.

Delnet is a training unit within the Enterprise, Microfinance and Local Development Programme of the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization, a specialized body of the United Nations.

The International Training Centre of the ILO was set up in 1965 in Turin (Italy) to provide training in areas such as development management, job creation, improvement of working conditions, workers’ rights, equal opportunities, social dialogue and so on.

Aim
Delnet’s aim is to facilitate access to global and local knowledge in order to help local actors to encourage and manage development in their area. For this purpose, it offers a set of courses (distance-learning, face-to-face or a mixture of the two) in the following topics:

• Management of local development
• Gender approach to local development
• Sustainable tourism and local development
• Disaster risk reduction within the framework of sustainable local development  

We consider that training is not sufficient on its own to enable local actors to tackle the great development challenges in their areas. Training activities must be combined with a knowledge management system and mechanisms for working with other institutions.

This means that Delnet course participants have access to an integrated combination of

• Training
• Specialized information
• Technical advice
• Networking

Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

Delnet is organised in order to derive maximum benefit from the advantages offered by information and communication technologies (ICTs) and reach places where it is normally difficult to receive information in real time. The Delnet Programme overcomes distance and barriers of geography and time to allow people and institutions working in different countries to gain access to common services and receive ongoing support in topics of local development.

With the aim of facilitating learning and communication, Delnet offers participants a virtual campus that is easy and flexible to use where participants can follow their own learning pathways and exchange up to date information on local development.

All you need to take part in Delnet is basic computer literacy, a computer with standard specifications and an Internet connection.

History

Delnet was set up in 1998 as a response to a set of common needs displayed by local actors throughout the world.

Initially the unit began operating exclusively in Spanish and two years later, in May 2000, it was extended to include Portuguese. Training courses have also been available in English since May 2003

Since it was first set up, Delnet has applied a philosophy of thematic diversification that has led it to create and implement its courses on subjects relevant to local development. Beginning with its course in Management of Local Development, in April 2002 it introduced a course in Gender Approach to Local Development.  Throughout the period 2005/2006, it also introduced courses in Sustainable Tourism and Local Development and in Disaster Risk Reduction within the Framework of Sustainable Local Development.

At the same time, activities were implemented to support local development in the Balkan region, both in English and in local languages. Croatia project / Kosovo project implemented with members such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the government of Norway.

During the years that Delnet has been in existence, various made-to-measure training programmes have been prepared and implemented at the request of local, national and international institutions with the aim of covering their institutional development needs on the subjects of local development and decentralisation.