Tbilisi. Representatives of the Parliamentary Committee for Regional Policy and Self-Government, international organizations and CSOs have discussed draft amendments to the Local Self-Government Code at the meeting on February 6. Submitted draft law was developed by the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure. According to the "Open Society - Georgia" Foundation, it is partly based on the draft law developed by CSOs, which the Foundation and 16 CSOs have submitted to the Ministry on December 24 as part of the "It's Time for Self-Government" campaign. Potential amendments to the "Self-Government Code" aim to improve citizen participation mechanisms in self-government and introduce new forms of participation. Source: web page of the "Open Society – Georgia" Foundation in the social network.

Tbilisi. The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information has released publication: "Tbilisi City Hall's Expenses in 2013-2014". The Institute has requested from the Tbilisi City Hall various pieces of public information. "We welcome the fact that the Tbilisi City Hall has not left any of the Institute's requests unanswered", the publication says. Based on received documentation, the Institute has analyzed the bonuses and salary supplements issued by the Tbilisi City Hall in 2013-2014, business trip and representative expenses, urgent state procurements, registered vehicles, and the results of audits carried out over this period. For the full text. Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. The project "Enhancing Civil Knowledge and Involving Civil Society in Regional Planning" was presented on January 23, which is implemented by "Sida" and the Regional Network of Civil Society Organizations (R-CSN) with support from the UN Development Programme (UNDP). As part of the project, with support of the local CSOs, it will be possible to increase the population's awareness and involve them in broad consultations for formulating the 2016-2018 regional development strategy action plans across 6 regions: KvemoKartli, Guria, Samegrelo-ZemoSvaneti, Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi-KvemoSvaneti, MtskhetaMtianeti. Project activities will contribute to increased awareness of the population of target regions on the significance and necessity of involvement in the planning processes. Source: the organization's web page in the social network.

Shida Kartli. According to the Local Governor (Gamgebeli) of the Gori Municipality, Davit Oniashvili, who has met with the Gori youth self-government, youth centers will be set up in the Gori villages, which will strive to solve youth problems and cooperate actively with the Gori youth self-government group. The meeting, at which youngsters have discussed problems of concern to the rural population, was organized as part of the project of CSO "Friendship Bridge Qartlosi" - "Enhancing Youth Participation at Regional Level in Georgia". Source: qartlosi.org

Tbilisi. From October 2014, Caucasian Institute for Economic and Social Research (CIESR) has launched the implementation of the project – "Monitoring of budgetary process for local self-governments’ transparency”.The project aims to support the transparency and efficiency of local self-governments. In particular, monitoring of financial and budgetary issues in Samtredia and Martivli municipalities. It will be achieved through intense cooperation and experience exchange with local non-governmental organizations.The project is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Project duration is 9 months.

Tbilisi. The Association of Young Economists of Georgia has released the analysis of the Kobuleti budget. The report includes the analysis of the draft budget and quarterly performances of the 2014 Kobuleti Municipality budget. Further, it analyzes the 2014 budget priorities, projected/performed revenues and expenses. The report aims to analyze the budget and provide recommendations to the spending institution. Report on the Kobuleti budget. Source: economists.ge

Tbilisi. International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy released a statement. "ISFED’s reaction about the problem identified in the process of filling vacant positions by contestants in Khelvachauri Municipality Sakrebulo had a successful outcome. ...Taking into account recommendations of civil sector in the process of local self-government appointments is a positive development. This will ensure transparency and fairness of the process". For the full text  Source: www.isfed.ge

Tbilisi. The "Open Society – Georgia” Foundation and CSOs working on self-government have organized the event on December 24 – "Challenges of the Self-Government Reform – Prospects of Citizen Participation in Self-Government”. Meeting participants have discussed draft amendments to the Organic Law of Georgia "the Local Self-Government Code”, which provide for improvement of citizen participation mechanisms in self-government and creation of rural public assemblies. Further, results of works carried out as part of the project "Promoting the Creation of Additional Forms of Citizen Participation in Self-Government” were presented. For the full text. Source: droa.ge

Tbilisi. Concept of the Tbilisi City Hall web portal was presented on December 23 in the "Courtyard Marriott" Hotel, which aims to replace Tbilisi City Hall's current web page with a more transparent and open web portal. It will provide to citizens all necessary information, and the opportunity to contact the Mayor, ask questions to agencies of their interest, receive answers, evaluate local administrations' work and be involved in the decision-making process. Presentation and examination of the web portal concept were organized as part of the project "Introducing New Standards of Transparency and Accountability in the Tbilisi City Hall", implemented by the Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information, with support of the "Open Society - Georgia" Foundation and in partnership with the Tbilisi City Hall. For the full text. Source: web page of the "Open Society - Georgia" Foundation in the social network.

Tbilisi. Transparency International – Georgia has published Mikheil Kukava's blog post: "2015 Tbilisi Budget: Novelties and Problems". "On December 19 the Tbilisi City Council has approved the capital's budget for 2015. Compared to the original version of the budget, the final text includes number of amendments, and especially in the area of healthcare and social welfare. Compared to 2014, the capital's revenues in 2015 will increase by 47.59 million GEL (7.2 percent), while expenses – by 38.15 million GEL (5.78 percent)", the organization's web page states. For the full text. Source: transparency.ge

Adjara. At the initiative of the Civil Society Institute, the 2015 Batumi budget was examined on December 16 in the Batumi Civic Engagement Center for the Public Assembly chairs. Representative of the Batumi City Hall's Financial Department has thoroughly explained to this audience the purpose of the budget expenses. Following the presentation of the budget, citizens have expressed their views. As part of their official duties, the Public Assembly chairs have to inform the Assembly members about the budget, while after getting familiar with the document, they have to present problems by territorial units and in case the city budget does not provide for solution of a particular problem, they have to address the Batumi City Council with a recommendation on behalf of the Civil Advisors' Council.

Adjara. On December 11, the Batumi City Council has hosted the official closing of the Youth Internship Program and the presentation of competition projects. The City Council members have identified the best project winners and awarded them with special certificates. Youngsters have presented five projects: "Studying the Needs of Persons with Disabilities", "Supports in the Batumi Streets and Cycle Tracks", "Vouchering of Children from Socially Unprotected and Multi-Children Families in Private Kindergartens", "Studying the Needs of the Youth" and "Green Batumi". According to the decision of the City Council members, the interns of the Commission for Health and Social Issues have won with 15 votes for the project "Studying the Needs of Persons with Disabilities". 25 youngsters have undertaken internship in the field commissions of the City Council over six months, while the commission chairs were their direct coordinators. The Batumi City Council, along with CSO union "Progress" for promoting development and cooperation, is implementing the youth internship program in the city's self-government for two years now. The Program aims to involve youth in the activities of the City Council's field commissions and the City Hall's relevant services, as well as to raise their awareness.

Kakheti. The Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia has held a meeting in Telavi, attended by representatives of community centers of village Gulgula, Pshaveli, Kisiskhevi and Napareuli. Representatives of community organizations have briefed the audience about problems experienced by their villages and discussed ways of possible solution.

Kvemo Kartli. CSO "Partnership for Human Rights" has delivered a training for persons with disabilities living in the Rustavi Municipality. Main goal of the training was to enhance the opportunities of persons with disabilities in advocating the issues of persons with disabilities in the work of the self-government authorities. During the training, persons with disabilities have got familiar with the notion of local self-government, forms of activities of local authorities, forms of citizen participation in the exercise of local self-government and the role of self-government in the protection of rights of persons with disabilities. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) is implementing monitoring of bodies of local self-government in all self-governing communities and cities of Georgia by means of 73 observers. ISFED requested access to public information regarding staff changes in self-government agencies throughout Georgia for the period from July 1 through October 1, 2014. For the full text Source: isfed.ge  

Samegrelo. "Transparency International – Georgia" has held a discussion in Zugdidi over "What should citizen participation be like in the activities of local authorities". The discussion was organized as part of an anti-corruption week, which the organization is arranging from December 3 through 9 in relation to the International Anti-Corruption Day. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. The Heinrich Boll Foundation has presented a new initiative on December 1 in the City Council. In particular, the Foundation's South Caucasus Regional Bureau suggests Georgian municipalities discuss the development of a gender-sensitive naming policy for the streets and squares. The Foundation offers that like other European municipalities, when granting names to streets/squares, the names of women, who had played an important role in the country's history but are in fact forgotten by the public, are taken into account/given advantage. The Boll Foundation has collected the biographies of 50 women, their places of residence/work, which are the basis of this initiative. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Adjara. Representatives of the Civil Advisors' Council have met with the Batumi City Council members on November 28 in the conference hall of the Batumi City Council. At the introductory meeting the participants have discussed future partnership issues. The Advisors' Council already has new members, including the CSO, media and business representatives, as well as the Chairs of Public Assemblies of territorial bodies. The advisory body functioning with the City Council has 19 members. At this meeting the representative of the Civil Society Institute, Natia Apkhazava was elected as the Speaker of the Civil Advisors' Council by a majority vote.

Samegrelo. The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy has organized round tables with representatives of local self-government authorities in Oni and the self-governing city and community of Zugdidi. Representatives of the City Council, Local Administration and the City Hall have attended the meetings. Meeting participants have discussed supplementary mechanism of citizen participation in the exercise of local self-government, one of the key goals of which is to increase citizen participation in the exercise of self-government. For the full text Source: the organization’s page in the social network.

As part of the "It's Time for Self-Government" campaign, the Georgian Rural Assembly holds meetings with the local population in the villages of Guria, Samegrelo and Shida Kartli. Members of the Rural Assembly have already organized 16 such meetings. At meetings with the population they have discussed the public self-government concept. In particular, need to develop additional forms of citizen participation, powers of the public self-government authorities, obligations of the local authorities, determination of territorial scopes of the public self-government, status, procedure for setting up and structure have been discussed. Source: the campaign's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. A meeting of the Self-Government and Regional Development Working Group of the Regional Civil Society Network (R-CSN) was held on November 9. 14 regional CSOs have attended the meeting. Meeting participants have planned organizational works for drafting legislative initiative on the transitional provisions of the Self-Government Code concerning citizen participation. A plan was drawn up, according to which the regional network members will hold meetings in up to 100 villages and municipalities in the coming two weeks with the population as well as members of the self-government authorities. The meeting was organized as part of the project "Local Governance Regional Initiative" (LGRI), implemented by CSO "Cida" and supported by the "Open Society - Georgia" Foundation. Source: the page of "Cida" in the social network.

Adjara. The Civil Society Institute, Batumi City Council and its Civil Advisors' Council have organized on November 5-6 information meetings with the Batumi population. Together with the Mayor's trustees and deputies, representatives of the Civil Society Institute have informed locals in 13 territorial units of the Municipality about the principles of work of public assemblies. Further, they have informed them that until November 20 all interested citizens can request an application form in the local administration by place of residence and register as the assembly member. Following the registration, assembly members will elect the Chairman who will automatically become a member of the Civil Advisors' Council. Until November 25 the civil society, business and media organizations will hold meetings and name two Council members each. By the end of November, to boost citizen participation in the Municipality's governance, newly staffed Civil Advisors' Council will continue implementing activities together with the City Council.