During the closing conference organised in Yerevan on 4 December 2018, the results of the Local Governance Programme implemented in Armenia in co-operation with international agencies were presented jointly by donors, implementing partners and beneficiaries.
The presentation of achievements of the “Institutional support to the Communities Association of Armenia (CAA)” project carried out by the Congress was focused on the recognition of the Association as an important and respected stakeholder in the field of local democracy in Armenia. The most important mission of the CAA is to advocate for local authorities at national level and to voice their needs and concerns. In the course of several past years, the CAA indeed became recognised as an association that protects the interests of local authorities and that invested in building the trust between local and national authorities.
“We, local elected representatives, are promoting and implementing the grassroot level approach, with the aim to discuss current issues, address concerns and work directly with our citizens. But we need to empower all Armenian mayors and communities to follow the same approach and to raise their voice so that they can be heard at the national level. And if we join our forces in pursuing solutions for common issues and interests, our position will be stronger and more valid. But this can be done only with the support of the CAA, the united voice of Armenian communities“, emphasised Vahagn Gevorgyan, Mayor of Abovyan Municipality and the member of the Republican Council of the CAA.
“Local authorities can be stronger if they have a strong partner, such as the CAA is. We in the Council of Europe are proud of the results that we have been able to deliver and provide within this Programme and in particular under the Council of Europe Action Plans for Armenia,” emphasised Natalia Voutova, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Armenia.
The closing conference was organised by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development (MTAD) and the Swiss Development Co-operation Agency (SDC), in co-operation with the Council of Europe, GIZ, UNDP and USAID, within the joint programme “Local Governance Programme in Armenia” implemented from 2014 to 2018.
