Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations
Meeting of the Committee on Sustainable Territorial Development
Strasbourg, 30 September 2009
Speech by Ulrich Bohner, Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
Dear Mr Chairman,
Dear representatives of non-governmental organisations,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to address you today on the subject which has become of increasing importance to all of us, all various entities of the Council of Europe, and to which the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations, much as the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities which I represent, have a special contribution to make.
Our special role comes from the proximity of both our institutions to the grassroots level, to the citizens themselves. We share common interests and complement each other in many fields, as show the terms of reference of some of our committees – such as the Committee on Sustainable Development of the Congress and your Committee on Sustainable Territorial Development. Last year, we recognised this complementarity of our action and the need for synergies in our activities in a cooperation agreement, backed by the resolution on partnership between local and regional authorities and NGOs, adopted by the Congress in 2008.
This is why I am especially pleased to be here today and share with you some of the recent efforts of the Congress to increase citizens’ democratic participation in our communities, in particular for the benefit of local sustainable development.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
If democracy is the power of people, then people’s participation in power-sharing and decision-making is its essential requirement. It has become especially clear when, looking for reasons for people’s disenchantment with politics and politicians – which is particularly reflected in falling voter turnouts during elections – the international community had to acknowledge a growing feeling among our citizens that they are unable to influence political decisions, that they exist separately from political life, and that they are powerless to change anything. In other words, that they don’t matter.
The result is, first, a lack of trust in political figures and then, an overall indifference and even apathy towards democratic processes and the democratic machinery as a whole.
This realisation highlighted the need to boost citizens’ involvement – sometimes, even to awaken their interest – and, most importantly, engage them in the decision-making, make them feel empowered and build their commitment to the democratic processes.
It is evident that the territorial level is where our citizens receive their first democratic experience, and it is equally clear that this is the level where their participation must begin. At the same time, local and regional authorities and non-governmental organisations, who both are enjoying higher levels of trust among local populations, are in a position to lead in the change of attitudes, to harness the constructive energy of our citizens and to set an example of genuine partnership with the residents of our communities.
Citizens’ participation is also essential for improving local governance, making it more transparent, more accountable and more ethical. Indeed, ethical governance is key to a relationship of trust between the electorate and elected representatives, and democratic participation – with greater public control that it entails – is certainly a major contributing factor to a stronger ethical component. Last but not least, increased participation also addresses the immaterial dimension of citizens’ needs, as a sign of recognition of everyone’s individuality and personal dignity, providing room for creativity and self-expression of citizens.
The most recent action of the Congress in this respect has focused on creating an “enabling environment” at territorial level, conducive to – but also inspiring – citizens’ active participation in local processes. We have also contributed to developing a legal framework for such participation and, last but not least, to mobilising European cities and regions for local and region input into finding solutions to global challenges.
We see these activities as being part of our overall action for sustainable territorial development. We depart from the premise that such an “enabling environment” in our communities can only be built through an integrated and sustainable approach which relates all aspects of community development – political, economic, social, cultural, ecological – to the question of sustainability. As John Prescott, then Deputy Prime Minister of Great Britain, put it at the Warsaw Summit of Council of Europe Heads of State and Government in 2005, our goal must be to build a Europe of sustainable communities.
Today, the words “development” and “sustainable development” have become all but synonyms. In today’s globalising world – and, I must add, the world experiencing a major international financial and economic crisis – it is hard to imagine a successful community which is still pursuing a piecemeal approach to development issues, without tackling the matters of local economy, environment, social and cultural development as integral components of one wholesome package.
In this spirit, the Congress has proposed a new model of modern urban environment and governance, built on the principles which are laid down in European Urban Charter II: Manifesto for a new urbanity. This new Charter, adopted in May 2008, offers a vision of urban communities that are citizen-centred, sustainable, cohesive and knowledge-driven, that are catalysts for cultural development, creativity and innovation. This vision of communities that are built FOR the citizens and WITH the citizens is founded on the close involvement of local residents not only in the decision-making but also in the building process. It is clear that if we are to achieve our goal of sustainable communities mindful of citizens’ needs, we must have citizens on board in this journey.
At the same time, the Congress has made recommendations for local authorities to make full use of e-tools and modern information and communication technologies. These tools can be instrumental in fighting isolationism and creating a truly “citizen environment” of consultations with local authorities, soliciting their input into the decision-making but, most importantly, making them feel involved and part of the community. As you know, it is an especially acute issue in remote and sparsely populated areas, peripheral and often rural communities, but not only. We believe that what is called today “e-democracy” is an extremely useful framework for enabling citizens’ participation, that must be exploited at all levels of governance, including civil governance – civil society.
In this regard, I would refer you to the proceedings of last year’s Forum for the Future of Democracy, held in Madrid in October 2008, to which the Congress made a major contribution through its large participating delegation, and which dealt in particular with e-participation, along with e-voting, e-inclusion and provision of e-services. More particularly, I should mention the report by Congress member Helmut Himmelsbach from Germany on e-democracy and deliberative consultations on urban projects.
Prior to that, the importance of citizens’ participation was also among the central themes of the Forum for the Future of Democracy in Stockholm and Sigtuna, Sweden, in June 2007. The participants of that Forum, which focused on the interdependence of democracy and human rights, spoke at length about the need for empowering our citizens, empowering our local and regional communities, including through citizens’ participation. Again, the Congress was represented by a large delegation of twenty members, and a report by Anders Knape from Sweden served as our main contribution to the Forum.
In the field of the legal framework for citizens’ participation, I am proud to say that, with the Congress’ active support, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has just adopted an additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which focuses on democratic participation at local level.
In supporting this Protocol, we sought to reaffirm that there is no contradiction between the protection of local self-government and the protection of citizen participation, because a modern understanding of democracy and good governance includes the active participation of citizens at local level. Indeed, the question of citizens’ participation was already raised in the Local Self-Government Charter itself, whose Preamble affirms that “the right of citizens to participate in the conduct of public affairs is one of the democratic principles that are shared by all member States of the Council of Europe”. The new Protocol develops this principle in further detail. It will now be opened for signature by the European Ministers responsible for Local and Regional Government at their Conference in Utrecht, Netherlands, in November this year.
In a similar vein, the Congress – much as the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly – supported the drafting of a Code of good practice for civil participation in the decision-making process. Our cooperation in mustering support for this Code, which was proposed by you, non-governmental organisations, is an excellent example of synergies that can be created between the various entities of this Organisation. The Congress’ Standing Committee, which met in Brdo, Slovenia, on 10 June, adopted an opinion in favour of the draft Code, stressing that the participation of civil society in the conduct of public affairs is one of the democratic principles shared by all Council of Europe member states. We are convinced that this Code will have a stimulating impact on all our activities.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
One concrete example of the Congress’ work which is bringing tangible results in raising public awareness and increasing participation at local level is the European Local Democracy Week. Launched in 2007, this joint initiative of the Congress and the European Committee on Local and Regional Democracy has become a truly European annual event. It involves local activities organised simultaneously across Europe in the week around 15 October each year. Its aim is to foster people’s knowledge of the work of local authorities and strengthen the links between the authorities and the residents of their communities – and, ultimately, to enhance citizens’ engagement in community affairs. Last year, more than 750 municipalities in 33 European countries took part, and we hope that these figures will increase this year. I hope that civil society will also take an active stand in this event.
I would like to finish my intervention by giving another example of taking citizens on board in tackling common problems. Local and regional communities – both their authorities and populations – have shown remarkable ingenuity in adapting themselves to the consequences of climate change. The Congress, along with its institutional partners and civil society, has been mobilising European cities and regions to put pressure on governments and have them recognise the crucial role of local and regional action in this regard.
For us, it is of utmost importance that the territorial dimension is taken into account and receives the necessary support from governments in the framework of the new, post-Kyoto agreement on climate change, which should be concluded at the UN Conference in Copenhagen in December this year.
In two weeks’ time, the Congress will hold a debate on local responses to climate change during its 17th Plenary Session in October, at which we will reaffirm our position that local and regional authorities must be represented in negotiations on the new climate agreement, and that the agreed targets must take into account local and regional action, which should be duly supported by governments. Given the important role of civil society in this process, I am sure that you will join in as well, with your own contribution to this mobilisation effort. The success of the new agreement, much as the effectiveness of our efforts for sustainable territorial development, depends on it to a large extent.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is, briefly, some of the Congress’ most recent action in encouraging citizens’ participation and involvement in local sustainable development. I am confident that the Congress and the Conference of INGOs will create many synergies in this very important field of activities as the two leading actors in the matter. Our proximity to the citizens is our strongest comparative advantage, and I only wish for your Committee and our Committee on Sustainable Development to exploit this potential to the full.
Thank you.