Speech by Vice-President Liisa Ansala

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Council of Europe

“Support to Consolidating Local Democracy in Armenia”

(This project is implemented by the Council of Europe and funded by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark) - Dissemination Conference

Hotel Marriott, Yerevan, Armenia, 5 December 2016

Dear Deputy Minister TERTERYAN,

Dear mayors, local councillors and young leaders,

Dear friends from the Centre of Expertise,

Dear colleagues and experts participating in the project,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to be here today, representing the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities at this closing conference of the project on “Support to Consolidating Local Democracy in Armenia”.

It is a pleasure indeed to see such a diverse community from different European countries here today. To me, this is not only a sign of unity and solidarity between Europeans but also proof that participatory democracy and greater citizen engagement in local affairs is our common cause.

For the past three years, we have been working together to make sure that local governance is a matter not only for mayors and councillors but for all the community residents, who can participate in governing processes and influence decisions.

Our project has reached almost 400 councillors and young local leaders through workshops and seminars aimed at enhancing the leadership skills of local elected representatives and future leaders from the younger generation. Today, we will hear and discuss the presentations of their results.

Our project has also made a critical impact on four Armenian communities, bringing together its residents and local authorities for a dialogue on their common future, and concrete action to shape this future together.

Implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia, this project has indeed brought concrete changes to the lives of residents and local authorities of Akhtala, Artik, Urtsadzor and Vardenik. I would like to take this moment to welcome the past and present mayors of these communities who are here with us today, and to thank them for their support and active involvement in this project. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The project’s objective was two-fold: on the one hand, to improve the skills of elected representatives and young leaders to help them assume their leadership roles;

And, on the other hand, to boost the participation of citizens and civil society in decision making and problem solving in their communities, and to engage them in community-building efforts.

We in the Congress remain convinced that citizen participation in public decision making is the basis of participatory democracy. It is one of the key principles enshrined in the European Charter of Local Self-Government and its Additional Protocol on the right of citizens to participate in the affairs of a local authority.

Today, if we are to advance participatory democracy, we must build strong mechanisms of regular consultations between both local and central authorities as well as between local authorities and their residents and civil society. This is one recurrent issue we in the Congress hear in our monitoring of local and regional democracy. Establishing regular consultations is also part of our recommendation on local democracy in Armenia, adopted in March 2014.

A lack of consultations and interactions between authorities and citizens, a lack of citizen participation is one of the reasons for the low level of trust and confidence in local government. This problem was also noted in the Congress report on Armenia in 2014, which pointed out that there was no viable tradition of direct citizen participation in local governance, and recommended promoting citizen participation to stimulate local residents’ interest in the work of local councils.

The project we are closing today has served to bridge this gap. The project was crucial for creating a space of “learning by doing” whereby the residents – while contributing to finding solutions to their communities’ problems – improved their knowledge of the workings of local self-government, as well as their understanding of capacities and limitations of municipal autonomy. As a result, the project participants agreed a set of principles, guidelines, methods and useful tips to steer participatory processes, which can be applied to future projects in other communities. They will be presented during this conference, and I look forward indeed to our discussions today.

Dear friends,

It can be said without exaggeration that all the sides involved have benefited from this project:

the citizens who have learned to engage in local affairs;

the mayors and municipal councillors who have become more comfortable interacting directly with residents, with a better grasp of the local needs and with enhanced leadership and communication skills – a mayor and a councillor that engage with all stakeholders when looking for solutions to local problems, as a true leader for change;

finally, the Armenian authorities, because this project has also contributed to enhancing the framework for citizen participation in this country, and to the administrative-territorial reform being implemented in Armenia in the field of local self-government. As I have just said, this project is also directly related to the Congress recommendation, which underlined the importance of implementing the citizen participation provisions of the Charter and its Additional Protocol.

The new legislative framework in Armenia, its implementation and the local initiatives such as this project are the signs of a strong will of the Armenian authorities to include its population in the decision-making process. The signing of the post-monitoring road map between Armenia and the Congress in June this year is another proof of this will.

In this respect, the activities implemented by the Congress in Armenia are aimed at developing the competencies of local elected representatives, fostering dialogue among and between different levels of governance, enhancing citizen participation in and strengthening the capacities of the Communities Association of Armenia. The Congress also bears influence on the electoral process in this country through its recommendations following missions to observe local elections, in one of which I had the opportunity to participate earlier this year.

Dear friends,

It has been said that all good things must come to an end, but it is also said that every end is a new beginning. As we are coming to a close of this project, let us remember that its results, its methodology, the principles agreed by its participants will live on in future projects as this experience is repeated in other communities.

The space of “learning by doing” created by the project will remain in the communities involved, open to participation, open to discussions, as their residents will – and I am sure of it – will continue to hold community meetings to decide on common priorities for future development.

Good practices will be replicated and peer-to-peer exchanges will help local councillors and young leaders to engage in discussions at national level, in order to influence the reform process and create opportunities for further participation.

In conclusion, I would like to take this occasion to thank all of the partners involved in this project, in particular

-       the Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development and the Council of Europe Centre of Expertise;

-       the international and local experts that have guided this project over three years;

-       the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan and the local project staff here;

-       and the past and current mayors, councillors and young leaders of Armenian communities for their strong support in these efforts.

I would also like to give special thanks to the government of Denmark, whose generous financial support made this project possible.

Once again, thank you all for taking part in this conference, and I look forward to our fruitful and stimulating discussions today.