Good Governance for local development in the South Caucasus

laufendes projekt

Context:Since 2009, as part of the Eastern Partnership, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia have been committed to promoting stability, democracy, the rule of law and economic development through national reforms. In ratifying the European Charter of Local Self-Government, Armenia and Georgia have pledged to respect self-determination at the local level and make public administration more competent, democratic and responsive to citizens’ needs.The German Government has been supporting corresponding reform efforts in the South Caucasus since 2005, including in the areas of public finance, municipal administration, and legal and judicial reform. However, with regard to the quality and provision of local public services, there is still much work to be done. In rural and remote regions, in particular, access to such services is often insufficient.Objective:Public institutions in the South Caucasus are better equipped to provide citizen-oriented services.Approach:The programme is strengthening the capabilities of the public authorities and personnel in state institutions and promoting regional and local administrations. It focuses on the following measures:• It supports the optimisation of legal and institutional framework conditions for citizen-oriented services.• It develops the capacities of key actors for citizen-oriented services and their funding and implements mechanisms for citizen participation.• The programme supports procedures, institutions and instruments related to regional development and local economic development.• It fosters learning processes and the sharing of experiences across national borders.In addition to support from Germany, the programme is co-financed in Armenia by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and in Georgia by the European Union. Since March 2023 activities In Georgia focus on the implementation of the EU-co-financed component through which economic development is promoted by income generation/economic activation in municipalities, tourism development and urban renewal activities. The measures in Armenia promoted by SDC are implemented in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Council of Europe (with the latter until the end of 2022).

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