The Weitz Center for Development Studies (formerly the Development
Study Center), founded in 1963, has been engaged since its
establishment in activities related to regional and local development
in Israel and, within the framework of MASHAV, in the developing
world.
The Weitz Center has been training professionals from developing
countries in the internationally recognized Rehovot Approach to
development, which aims at the alleviation of poverty and the
promotion of social-economic development.
About 3,000 professionals have taken part in the Weitz Center
training programs, the objectives of which are to enhance the ability
of participants to improve the situation of underdeveloped regions of
their countries, through an integrated development strategy and the
application of appropriate methodology for planning and
implementation.
Training courses of the Weitz Center are interdisciplinary and
application oriented. The Integrated Rural Regional Development
Planning (IRRDP) course has been recognized and recommended by the
Social and Economic Council of the United Nations, as stipulated in
Resolution 1086 (1972).
The IRRDP Course is divided into a five month academic stage held in
Israel, and a two month practical stage, conducted in a selected
region of a developing country. During the second stage,
participants, grouped into interdisciplinary teams, prepare a
development planning project under the guidance of Weitz Center
experts.
Fifty-six IRRDP Courses have been conducted since 1969 with the
participation of 2,000 professionals from developing countries.
Forty-two different countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America and
the Mediterranean have hosted the practical stage of the course.
Ethiopia hosted the course in 2000.
The host country where the practical stage is conducted benefits not
only from the training of its professionals but also from an
integrated development plan which includes macro-regional and
sectorial plans, as well as several derived "Project Profiles," which
can be later implemented. Many of the host countries have implemented
most, or a large part, of the planning project.
The Weitz Center also conducts programs on specific subjects related
to social-economic development, such as Industrial Development in
Rural Areas, Local Economic Development, Rural Tourism Projects and
Public and Business Administration in Rural Areas.
Special tailor-made training courses have been conducted in the past
years for professionals from Egypt on the Development of
Micro-Regions and Areas of Rural Settlements as well as for
participants from the Palestinian Authority. These courses are
designed to meet the unique demands of the participants. An
evaluation study carried out among former participants showed a
positive long-term impact, and alumni assessed the program as being
effective and relevant to their national agenda.
During 2000 the Weitz Center conducted a three-week tailor-made
course for participants from Guatemala on Rehabilitation in the
Community and Local Economic Development in Guatemala, within the
framework of the Israel-Canada Project. All participants were
professionals working with the disabled population, victims of the
civil war in Guatemala.
Through rural regional development programs, Israel has been able to
contribute to promoting sustainable development. The exposure to the
Israeli experience in rural development, the analysis of what can or
cannot be adapted to local conditions, the integrative approach, and
the applied orientation, enable participants to identify by
themselves appropriate methods to meet development challenges.
Weitz Center for Development Studies (DSC)
Director General: Julia Margulis
P.O. Box 2355
Rehovot 76122
E-mail: dsc@netvision.net.il
Tel: 972-8-9474111
Fax: 972-8-9475884
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