International Conference on ‘Effective Democratic Local Governance’
International Conference
On December 4-5 2006, the Center for Effective Governance Systems and Territorial Arrangement Reforms (CEGSTAR) organised a two-day international conference on ‘Effective Democratic Governance at Local and Regional Levels’. The conference, which was held in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, attracted over one hundred participants from around Europe including leading politicians and high-profile experts in the fields of governance and decentralization.
Participants at the conference in Tbilisi
Photo Courtesy of Temo Khomeriki
Present at the conference was Teimuraz Khomeriki (2003 John Smith Fellow) who currently works for CEGSTAR as a Project Associate on financial and economic issues. Temo provides expertise on these issues in relation to local self-governance and decentralization. In addition, Temo coordinates CEGSTAR’s international projects.
The objective of the conference was to promote the importance of reforming local self-governance in Georgia to Georgian politicians and to the Georgian public. Twenty key-note speakers from the Council of Europe, Germany, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Poland, Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, and Azerbaijan delivered expert speeches on various topics including:
1. The administrative and territorial reforms in transition countries
2. The financial resources of local authorities
3. Human resources of local authorities: the status of local government officials
4. The participation of citizens in the activities of local government bodies.
Those present were able to use the conference to exchange experiences and ideas and to make plans for future collaboration. There was huge support among participants and a number of international donors to establish the conference as a permanent forum for the promotion of best practice and expertise among eastern European and south Caucasian countries. The conference succeeded in emphasizing the importance of decentralization reform and self-sufficient local self-governance systems, and increased awareness among politicians about these issues.
Study Visit to Poland
From January 15th-25th 2007, CEGSTAR also hosted a study visit to Poland for Georgian parliamentarians and government officials. The visit was organized in collaboration with a number of Polish institutions including the Senate of Poland, the Education for Democracy Foundation, and the Polish-American Freedom Foundation. The primary purpose of the visit was to study Poland’s experience of decentralization and local self-governance reform and to establish a basis for future cooperation between the Polish and Georgian institutions acting in this area.
Temo Khomeriki (2003 John Smith Fellow) took part in the programme. He and the other participants met with Polish politicians and executives in order to discuss Polish-Georgian cooperation. They met with: Mr. Bogdan Boruzevich, the Marshal of the Senate of Poland; the vice-chairpersons of the Senate and Sejm of Poland; the Chair of the Senate Commission on Local Self-Governance; and many others.
Jerzy Regulski (former minister in charge of LSD reforms in Poland), Temo Khomeriki (2003 JS Fellow), Ginka Chavdarova (Acting Executive Director of Association of Municipalities, Bulgaria), Ursus Furman, (Expert on LSGs, Germany)
Photo Courtesy of Temo Khomeriki
The visit allowed parties involved in decentralization reform in Georgia to learn about the Polish experience of implementing reform. In addition, it enabled participants to establish contacts with Polish institutions and experts for future collaboration. As a result of the visit, CEGSTAR acquired a partner organization in Poland, “Foundation in Support of Local Democracy” (FSLD). CEGSTAR and FSLD aim to develop a joint project together that will support local authorities.
Temo (second from right) and other members of the group at the Solidarity Centre in Gdansk, Poland.
Photo courtesy of Temo Khomeriki
The John Smith Memorial Trust wishes Temo and his colleagues at CEGSTAR all the best for their future efforts.