CAF expands its online training offering to promote development and integration in the region during the pandemic

Since the declaration of a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), it has become essential to reduce the movement of the population to the minimum possible in order to ensure community safety. This is why CAF (Latin American Development Bank), in addition to providing support to the countries' health systems, has decided to reinforce its free online courses in order to support the quarantine process in the region.

The WHO called for the avoidance of social contact and travel to stop the spread of the coronavirus, and along these lines, CAF, in addition to providing financial and technical support to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 in member countries, wants to acknowledge and help those who remain in their homes as part of the main step in community care and makes 12 free online courses (MOOC) available.

CAF, in addition to making available a series of resources such as a fast-disbursing Emergency Line of Credit worth up to $2.5 billion for member countries, a contingent line of credit of $50 million per country for immediate health emergency care, and non-reimbursable technical cooperation resources of up to $400,000 to mitigate the effects of the spread of the virus, wants to accompany citizens by reinforcing their training online so that everyone can follow the recommendations to stay home.

CAF's training objective is to share theoretical and practical resources based on good examples, lessons learned, and case studies, to finally convert these lessons into better management and results oriented towards the development, integration, and growth of the Latin American region. 

The aim is to bring knowledge and information to those who are in key positions in the implementation of public policies in national and sub-national governments, and to the population in general, so that through methodical work, it is possible to evaluate the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects and public policies, identify best and most efficient methods, and incorporate innovations applied to each reality, in order to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness of operations in Latin America.

All of the virtual courses - some already in their second or third edition - were developed by CAF; some of them, in conjunction with internationally recognised organisations, such as the Getulio Vargas Foundation of Brazil, SPANCOLD (Spanish National Committee on Large Dams) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). The areas addressed are child malnutrition, energy, infrastructure, PPPs, project management, financial inclusion, innovation, patents, water and sanitation, and impact assessment, among others.

• Energy efficiency in buildings' is a course developed in collaboration with the International Energy Agency (IEA) with the aim of providing planning, policy and financial tools with which we can overcome the barriers facing energy-efficient buildings. The approach is interdisciplinary and practical, applying fundamental concepts based on examples from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the rest of the world.
• How to implement programmes to reduce chronic child malnutrition' is the central question of the course in which CAF seeks to bring together information and knowledge so that public officials can analyse the context of government programmes aimed at reducing chronic child malnutrition, implement them and evaluate their results from a multi-sectoral approach that allows for the incorporation of different players and sectors to improve public management. In order to achieve this objective, the resource draws on good examples and lessons learned from Peru.
• Project management applied to the public and private sector' is a course that provides access to a series of resources developed by CAF in conjunction with the Getulio Vargas Foundation for project planning, programming, execution and control. The objective of the course is to strengthen the capacities and skills of professionals who manage projects in the public and private sectors.
• Given that Latin America is a region characterised by abundant water resources but where there are hidden asymmetries in their distribution, CAF and SPANCOLD (Spanish National Committee on Large Dams) developed the course 'Design, Operation and Safety of Dams and Reservoirs' in order to provide an overview of the most important criteria for optimal design and appropriate management of infrastructure to ensure safe and efficient operation. This course is aimed at civil servants, technicians or engineering students.
• In its third edition, the course 'Introduction to Impact Assessment for Public Management' allows students to acquire the key concepts to understand how the experimental and quasi-experimental methodology can be used in order to make better decisions within an organization and finally promote a process of learning and continuous improvement.
• The course 'Impact Evaluation for Public Management (Intermediate Level)' in its second edition explores in depth the key concepts seen in "Introduction to Impact Evaluation for Public Management". It covers more technical issues associated with the most commonly used methodologies to measure the impact of public programmes and policies. At the end of the course, participants will be able to understand the differences between the various techniques available when planning an impact evaluation, and will also be able to access and use the evidence generated by impact evaluations to make decisions about the best use of their institution's resources.
• The course 'Energy Project Management', in its second edition, is an opportunity to learn a common language of concepts, processes, techniques and tools proposed by PMI® applied to the energy sector. Through practical cases and examples, you will learn this important methodology in an applied way. The course is mainly aimed at leaders, planners, controllers, risk specialists and project implementers.
• The course 'Financial Inclusion in Latin America' seeks to prioritise financial education and innovation for the design of products and services focused on customer needs. The course addresses a discussion on public policies for financial inclusion through national strategies in developing countries. Previous basic knowledge is recommended.
• Technological innovation and the protection of inventions through patents have been fundamental in the economic, commercial and technological development of the world. With this in mind, we have re-edited the course 'CAF Method for the Accelerated Development of Patents', whose main objective is to enable participants to write a patent description report, including drawings, management of databases such as Google Patents and the United States Patent Office, as well as to define patenting strategies in order to optimise time and resources and generate an impact on the development, growth, competitiveness and productivity of the region.
• In its third edition, the course 'Sustainable road construction' focuses on the construction of new road works, but also and more centrally, on the maintenance of existing ones. In this course, CAF proposes to review the most appropriate techniques to prevent and treat each pathology that may affect the pavement of our roads to make the transport of people and goods more efficient, safe and comfortable, in pursuit of sustainable development.
• The course entitled 'How to Develop Rural Water and Sanitation Systems' deals with the sustainability of water and sanitation services in the rural areas of Latin America, incorporating good examples and lessons learned from the respective countries. During the course, the context of the projects, relevant aspects of their formulation, implementation and the evaluation of results will be analysed, with the final objective of contributing to improving the management and sustainability of water and sanitation services in rural areas, one of the major pending tasks of the sector in the region. The course will review case studies from Bolivia and Ecuador.
• In order to provide knowledge and tools for public officials or people committed to promoting women's economic autonomy, CAF is re-releasing the course 'Business Development with a Gender Perspective' for the second time. The objective is to provide knowledge and resources for the promotion of women's entrepreneurship so that the public sector and business service providers can meet the needs of women entrepreneurs and contribute to the economic empowerment of women.

You can review all available courses at: https://www.caf.com/es/actualidad/capacitacion/