“Mayors – Leaders for change” in Tbilisi
24 – 26 November 2015, Tbilisi Georgia
Involving citizens in the decision-making process, a key feature for enhanced democracy in Georgia
Strasbourg, 26 November 2015 – Eighteen Georgian mayors and “gamgebelis”, heads of provincial municipal districts, are currently engaged in sharing best practices and increasing their knowledge of standards of local self-governance within a workshop “Mayors - Leaders for change” organised by the Congress of Local and Regional Democracy of the Council of Europe in Tbilisi from 24 - 26 November 2015.
This workshop aims at providing a platform for exchanges on local democracy. The group, selected following a national call for interest, is reflecting on the challenges of engaging citizens in ethical decision-making processes, as well as issues related to enhancing trust in local authorities. “Georgian mayors and “gamgebelis” are striving towards European democracy and to further exchange with peer mayors from Europe. Our goal is to have as many satisfied citizens as possible, but this is impossible without their involvement in decision-making processes” stressed Mr Davit Narmania, Mayor of Tbilisi, Head of the delegation of Georgia to the Congress.
Members of the Congress, Mrs Angelika Kordfelder, Germany (L, SOC) and Mr Saša Paunović, Serbia (L, SOC), as well as local and international experts, discussed key principles of leadership and local democracy with the workshop participants. While exchanging views on the practical aspects of mayors’ roles and responsibilities and citizens’ engagement, the participants have emphasised their commitment to enhancing their leadership skills in the context of local governance and decision-making processes. “The better we inform our citizens, the better change will be accepted; the higher the mayor’s motivation is, the more likely is the success” concluded the participants, who will meet again in early 2016 to continue their peer-to-peer work.
This workshop is the first country-based event organised by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, in close co-operation with the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG), within the framework of the thematic programme “Strengthening institutional frameworks for local governance”. The programme is funded jointly by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe, through the Programmatic Co-operation Framework (PCF) 2015-2017 for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. Targeted co-operation activities aim at reinforcing the capacity of Eastern Partnership countries to put domestic reforms into effect in the field of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
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