IBAM
Instituto brasileiro de Administração Municipal

The Brazilian Institute of Municipal Administration (Instituto Brasileiro de Administração Municipal, IBAM) was created in 1952 with support from the Brazilian municipal movement. It is a non-profit organization whose goal is to strengthen local governments in the context of a democratic society.
Since 1997, IBAM has collaborated in implementing a series of awards in association with UN HABITAT, the Iberoamerican and Caribbean Forum on Best Practices, Caixa Econômica Federal (CAIXA), the Brazilian Service of Assistance to Microenterprise and Small Businesses (Serviço Brasileiro de Apoio à Micro e Pequena Empresa, SEBRAE) and the National Program for Conservation of Electrical Energy (Programa Nacional de Conservação de Energia Elétrica, PROCEL / ELETROBRAS)
Its objectives are to identify, document, evaluate and disseminate good practices in local development and transfer lessons learned.
It has a data bank of the Best Practices and Local Leadership Program (BLP/UN HABITAT), containing 2,700 practices from 140 countries (2007 data), available at: www.bestpractices.org and www.mejorespracticas.org
The data bank contains experiences related to local development, especially poverty reduction, urban development, social and economic development, environment, housing, infrastructure and public services, health and social services, education and culture, administration and government, and human rights.
Selection and evaluation criteria are established in the rules of the various programs/awards supported by IBAM, and mainly focus on impacts, sustainability (environmental, social, economic and institutional) and participation. These are the most important criteria for programs and awards for best practices from UN HABITAT, the Iberoamerican and Caribbean Forum on Best Practices, and the Caixa Económica Federal.
The methodology for identifying experiences includes the following steps:

• Broad national, regional and international call for entries - in the case of BLP/UN HABITAT, using electronic and print media;
• Documentation by local stakeholders, through questionnaires and supporting material;
• Technical assistance for the documentation process;
• Analysis and validation of reports;
• Evaluation by technical advisory committees at various levels (local, national, regional and/or international);
• For awards, selection by a national or international jury.

Creation and transfer of knowledge about local administration occur through case studies, training workshops, courses and seminars, technical documents and publications.
Publications are mainly manuals and guides, case studies and audiovisuals. Recent publications include:

• Case study: "Programa de Desarrollo Comunitario - Tá Rebocado," by IBAM, published by the Iberoamerican and Caribbean Forum on Best Practices das part of the Aprendiendo de la Innovación series, 2006
• Case study: " Programa Município Sustentável: Soluções para o Desenvolvimento Local de Rio das Flores," by IBAM, published in Temas Selectos del Hábitat Latinoamericano A Través de Estudios de Caso, Aprendiendo de la Innovación series, Iberoamerican and Caribbean Forum on Best Practices, 2007.
• Case study: "Desenvolvimento Sustentável Solidário da Região Sisaleira," by IBAM for the Associação de Desenvolvimento Sustentável e Solidário (APAEB), electronic version, 2008.
• Case study: "Governança Solidária Local," by IBAM for the Iberoamerican and Caribbean Forum on Best Practices, electronic version, 2008.

  
IBAM – INSTITUTO BRASILEIRO DE ADMINISTRAÇÃO MUNICIPAL
ADDRESS: Largo do IBAM, N.1, Humaitá, 22271-070
CITY: Rio de Janeiro, RJ
COUNTRY: Brasil
TELEPHONE: 55-21-2536-9703/9745
INSTITUTIONAL WEB: www.ibam.org.br

PERSONAS DE CONTACTO:  Marlene Fernandes
OCCUPATION: Asesora Internacional y Coordinadora del Centro de Referencia Melhores Práticas /ENSUR
EMAIL: marlene@ibam.org.br
Carlos Alberto Arruda
OCCUPATION: Asesor Técnico del Centro de Referencia Melhores Práticas/ENSUR
CORREO ELECTRÓNICO: carlos@ibam.org.br