UNDP ART GOLD Sri Lanka  reinforces the territorial development processes through mobilizing international cooperation resources, supporting decentralized cooperation and sustainable decentralised partnerships, north-south and south-south cooperation and through channelling specialized technical resources by activating thematic networks and universities associated with ART.

The ART Initiative – through the UNDP Hub of Innovative Partnerships - offers a range of international-level thematic services to the framework programmes using thematic networks of excellence, universities and United Nations initiatives. Through its specialized services ART International identifies relevant innovations for human development in collaboration with national scientific institutions and disseminates them in countries where the programmes are operating. It mobilizes technical assistance and transfers innovative ideas to interested countries via mechanisms for South–South and North–South co-operation. It promotes links between universities in the North and South and supports their involvement in innovative practices of international co-operation for human development. ART thematic networks exist in following areas:

ART Universitas
ART Universitas is based on the premise that universities and post-secondary institutions have an important role to play in local, national and global development processes. Not only do universities have the responsibility for forming present and future generations of development leaders and managers; in an increasingly knowledge-based society, they are also engaged with governments and public and private institutions to help define policy options. A strong alliance between universities and the United Nations is central to the production and circulation of knowledge for human development.

HDRNet
The Human Development Resource Network (HDRNet) is a specialised information gateway and electronic library on human development and international co-operation which is supported by ART Universitas.


IDEASS
IDEASS identifies and promotes internationally innovations that have demonstrated their contribution to human development. IDEASS supports the transfer of these innovations by organizing south-south and north-south cooperation projects in the countries where ART programmes are active, with the technical and financial contribution of interested international and decentralized cooperation actors.

ILS LEDA
ILS LEDA - International Liaison Services for Local Economic Development Agencies - supports Agencies for Local Economic Development (LEDAs) which operate in numerous countries, to harness the processes of internationalized territorial economic development. It provides networking services to local economic development agencies in developed countries and/or countries in economic transition, with the aim of helping them reach a higher level of efficiency in the delivery of their services and in the pursuit of their goals.