The Social Dialogue Academic Network provides an answer to the shared challenge assumed by Latin American Universities, the International Labour Organisation and the Universities of Bologna, Italy, and Castilla La Mancha, Spain, to include the issue of Social Dialogue as a fundamental principle to consolidate and sustain democratic processes in all training, research and extension programmes.

>> Social Dialogue Academic Network

- Presentation

- Origin

In March 2002, in the city of Almagro, Spain, a Meeting of seven Latin American Universities and two Higher Education Centres, the ILO and the already mentioned European Universities was held in order to conduct the Network's foundation ceremony and set its objectives.

The founder Universities and Centres from Latin America were the following:

University of Buenos Aires, UBA - Argentina
University of the Republic- Uruguay
University of Chile - Chile
University of Campinas - Brazil
University of Carabobo - Venezuela
Autonomous University of Mexico, UAM de Iztapalapa - Mexico
Pontifical Catholic University of Lima - Peru
Latin American Faculty for Social Sciences (FLACSO) - Mexico's office
Latin American Council for Social Sciences (CLACSO)

The Meeting of Almagro set the following objectives, through the Act of Almagro on Social Dialogue:

> incorporate the issue of Social Dialogue in university curricula with an inter-disciplinary approach

> promote graduate and postgraduate theses and monographs,

> develop an inter-disciplinary research policy on Social Dialogue,

> develop a university policy of extension and co-operation with social actors,

> in addition, it was agreed that the International Labour Office, through its Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, its sub-regional and area offices and Cinterfor/ILO, acted as the support and co-ordinator of the Network.

After the Meeting of Almagro the following universities have become part of the Network:

University General Sarmiento - Argentina
University of Mar del Plata - Argentina
Centre of Labour Studies and Research, CEIL/Piette - Argentina
National University of Costa Rica - Costa Rica
Distance Learning State University of Costa Rica - Costa Rica

Pedro Guglielmetti*