Day of Local Government in Armenia

10 November 2008

Message from Yavuz Mildon, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities - Council of Europe

Celebrating local democracy is a way of reaffirming that our democratic edifice is built from the bottom up, that it is in our communities where democratic processes take root, and that the democratic participation of our citizens, is the very backbone of democracy.

This is why the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe welcomes and fully supports the initiative of the Communities’ Association and the Government of the Republic of Armenia to celebrate Day of Local Government, on 10 November 2008, and mark it with joint activities raising public awareness of the importance and workings of local governance.

Day of Local Government in Armenia fits perfectly with the European Local Democracy Week, a Council of Europe initiative which became an annual event in municipalities across our continent. The purpose of the Week, much as the purpose of Day of Local Government, is to foster knowledge of local democracy and promote democratic participation at the local level. It is only logical that, to stir up people’s enthusiasm for democracy and have them regain the taste for democratic management of affairs, we must begin at the level closest to them – in our towns and cities.  

In the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, a representative body of more than 200,000 communities of our continent, we are convinced that informed and motivated citizens, who feel empowered and involved in decision-making on matters which concern them, are key to the participatory democracy which we are seeking to build. Raising the awareness of our citizens and receiving their feedback on our action is a way of inspiring their more active participation in the process of governing themselves.

Day of Local Government is a symbolic occasion to show the continuity of daily action for the benefit of communities in Armenia, reaffirm the commitment to local democracy and awaken people’s activism. We strongly hope that organising special events in local communities will become a tradition in your country pursued through the years. We are convinced that this tradition will contribute to consolidating and strengthening democracy at the local level in Armenia, and look forward to a future visit of the Congress President to discuss these issues with the country’s national and local authorities.