The first Steering Committee meeting of the Project "Strengthening participatory democracy and human rights at local level in Georgia" was held in Tbilisi, Georgia, in a hybrid format. The meeting brought together the main partners of the project, who discussed the achievements in 2021, the priorities and needs, and the outlook for 2022, which includes capacity development activities and the creation of relevant platforms of exchange.
The Steering Committee includes representatives of the government, the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, Administration of the Government of Georgia, the Public Defender’s Office, the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG), the donor of the project – Austrian Development Agency, as well as four civil society organisations.
During the discussion, Steering Committee members agreed that cooperation and coordination among all actors are key to successfully implement the project. The importance of active engagement of the representatives from local authorities and civil society in the strategic planning of activities to make sure to address the actual needs was stressed by several members of the Committee. All parties reiterated their readiness to cooperate with the Council of Europe to further enhance the efficient engagement of citizens in decision-making and to strengthen human rights at local level in Georgia.
The meeting was opened and moderated by Stefan SIRBU, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia, who underlined the importance of the project as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Georgia 2020-2023.
Andreas KIEFER, Secretary General of the Congress for Local and Regional Authorities, acknowledged the continuous support and active engagement of project partners and stakeholders. He also highlighted the vital need to better include underrepresented groups in local democratic processes and to mainstream human rights in local policy-making.
Daniel POPESCU, Head of Department of Democracy and Governance, stressed the necessity of obtaining comprehensive feedback from the national counterparts and the agility of the project to respond to the actual needs of the stakeholders in the field of participatory democracy and human rights.
Alexander KARNER, Head of the Austrian Development Agency in Georgia, addressed the progress of the project and highlighted the need for strengthening participation at the local level as well as dialogue and consultations at all levels.
The project “Strengthening participatory democracy and human rights at local level in Georgia” is implemented by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the Directorate General of Democracy, Division Elections and Participatory Democracy, within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Georgia 2020-2023 with the financial contribution of the Austrian Development Agency. The project aims to strengthen institutional frameworks for citizen participation, support local authorities and their national association in their efforts to protect and promote human rights and ensure that civil society organisations have real impact on local decision making.
