CIEDEL

The “International Study Centre for Local Development” (CIEDEL) was set up in 1990. Part of the Catholic University of Lyon (France), CIEDEL has an independent status since 2005 (NGO, PL 1901).

CIEDEL acts as an interface between thinking and action on local development issues. It gives priority to an approach based on the stakeholders themselves. 

As a university-based institute, CIEDEL:

• Provides an academic and professional training course on Local Development, in Lyon
• Is a support organisation for development actions with / to private and public structures, in France and abroad, mainly in Africa, Middle East, Asia and South America.

Besides training, the CIEDEL implements five additional activities:

1. Field consultancies and expertise on local development, decentralisation, international and decentralized cooperation issues,
2. International networking between training centres for local development agents , through the PROFADEL Programme,
3. Support to local agents and stakeholders in the Rhône-Alpes Region (France), through the RESACOOP Network,
4. Coordination of the RAFOD, an external structure for CIEDEL alumni’s network and for support to development training,
5. Knowledge production on various topics covering local development, decentralisation and decentralized cooperation.