Georgian Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers
The Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe was transferred from France to Georgia during a meeting held in Strasbourg, the Organisation's headquarters, on 27 November 2019, in the presence of representatives of its 47 member States, and attended by Gunn-Marit Helgesen, First Vice-President of the Congress.
The new Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, David Zalkaliani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, outlined the priorities of the Georgian Chairmanship for the next six months. These include human rights and environmental protection, the participation of civil society in decision-making, child-friendly justice, and education, culture and youth engagement in strengthening democracy.
Mrs Gunn-Marit Helgesen welcomed the Georgian Presidency's emphasis on the local and regional dimension as well as on legal instruments, such as the Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government, ratified by Georgia on the same day. This ratification represents a tangible result of the Congress' regular political dialogue with the Georgian authorities, particularly in the light of the commitments made by that country following its ratification of the European Charter of Local Self-Government on 8 December 2004.
The Congress closely follows the priority areas of the Chairmanships of the Committee of Ministers which are of particular interest to local and regional authorities. With respect to the priorities of the Georgian Chairmanship, these include the following events:
- 27 February 2020 (Strasbourg)
High-level international conference on environmental protection and human rights - 6 March 2020 (Strasbourg)
International Conference on Civil Society Participation in Decision-Making - 30 March 2020 (Strasbourg)
Round table on the theme "Education and culture in the service of strengthening democracy" - 21 April 2020 (Strasbourg)
Round table on religious tolerance
Priorities of the Georgian Chairmainship
The Georgian delegation to the Congress comprises of 5 representatives and 5 substitutes.
The head of the delegation is Mr Kakha KALADZE.
Local and Regional Democracy in Georgia
Institutional Communication Unit
Dmitri MARCHENKOV