The final meeting of the Council of Europe project on “Strengthening Participatory Democracy and Human Rights at Local Level in Georgia” was held on 28 November 2023 at the Tbilisi City Assembly to assess the achievements and discuss recommendations for the new project.

The meeting brought together Steering Committee members, representatives of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG), the Administration of the Government of Georgia, the Public Defender’s Office (PDO), the Management Systems Development Centre (MSDC), International Association Civitas Georgica, the donor - Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) and representatives from the Council of Europe.

Mathieu MORI, Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe underlined the stakeholders’ valuable contribution in the joint endeavour to advance decentralisation reform, good governance, human rights, and equitable society throughout Georgia, as well as the leading-edge nature of this project considering the priorities of the Congress in the promotion of human rights at the local level. Mr MORI highlighted the project's alignment with the Council of Europe's post-Reykjavik Summit agenda focusing on strengthening democracy, human rights, and citizen participation at the local level.

Alexander KARNER, Head of the Austrian Development Agency in Georgia, acknowledged the project as a flagship initiative and highlighted its success in strengthening citizens’ participation, with very concrete and tangible results, fostering constructive dialog between local authorities, national stakeholders, and the civil society organisations and enhancing human rights protection at local level.

Project partners from public institutions and civil society expressed their appreciation to the project for achieving remarkable results throughout Georgia, laying a foundation for sustainable citizens participation and human rights localisation in 18 municipalities of Georgia. They also stressed the necessity of expanding the scope of a future project in order to ensure, that the successful practices are replicated and further developed in other municipalities as well.

Among the ideas and priorities discussed for future cooperation project, stakeholders addressed the importance of institutionalising civil participation mechanisms and expanding them to the national level, enhancing media cooperation to ensure a greater visibility and impact in Georgian Society and strengthening sectorial expertise of civil society organisations for their meaningful engagement in local decision-making on human rights and participatory democracy issues.

The event was organised in the framework of the project “Strengthening Participatory Democracy and Human Rights at Local Level in Georgia”, implemented by the Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities within the  Council of Europe Action Plan for Georgia 2020-2023 with a financial support of the Austrian Development Cooperation.