The recent Recommendation CM/Rec(2023) 5 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the principles of good democratic governance acknowledges the practice of good administration as a fundamental of good democratic governance. Principle 8 on Leadership, capability and capacity notes that there should be consistent and sustainable efforts towards strengthening the organisational leadership of government and public institutions, and the capabilities and capacities of all public officials, so that the fundamentals of good democratic governance are effective.

The Cypriot Ministry of Interior, recognising the promise and impact of this programme and its relevance to implementation of CM/Rec(2023)5, has seamlessly integrated the LAP into the “Cyprus Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021-2026”, funded by the European Commission, denoting the strategic alignment of national objectives with the Council of Europe’s standards and vision.

Thanks to the joint efforts of the Ministry, the Union of Cypriot Municipalities and the Union of Cypriot Communities, this LAP will bring together a diverse group of local public officials from Cyprus. Their journey through the programme will not only arm them with advanced governance and leadership techniques but also offer a platform to exchange experience and insights with Peers. Such a collaborative environment often gives rise to pivotal realisations, accentuating the programme's essential role in modern governance. By integrating the principles and skills from the Leadership Academy, Cyprus aspires to enhance its local governance reforms and deliver improved public services to its people.

Following the launch of the Leadership Academy, the third project Steering Committee meeting offered project stakeholders the opportunity to discuss the project’s capacity building component with CEGG experts present in Limassol. The experts provided feedback about the ongoing training and presented the findings of the Training Needs Assessment (TNA) conducted between February and October 2023. The TNA will be presented together with the National Training Strategy  at a public event in December and will contribute to shape the upcoming capacity building activities.