Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697742380096.pdf (Georgia)
STRENGTHENING GOOD GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES AT THE LOCAL LEVEL PROGRAM DECEMBER 18, 2020 ONLINE CONFERENCE The online conference – Strengthening Good Governance Principles at the Local Level - is a one-day event to be held on December 18, 2020, with the support of the global philanthro- pic organization, Luminate.
The conference aims to explore challenges, planned reforms, needed interventions and innovative approaches at the local level in terms of transparen- cy, quality of governance, delivery of municipal services and citizen engagement.
To this end, the event intends to foster discussion with the participation of organizations, experts, donor community, working on local self-government, as well as representatives of both local and central governments on the following issues: Local Self-Government Reform/Decentralization Strategy Transparency and Accountability Quality of Municipal Service Delivery Citizen Engagement and Accountability 2 CONTEXT Over the last two decades, Georgia has implemented signiﬁcant reforms to develop good gover- nance principles.
At the same time, decentralization and local self-government reforms were underway, with the aim to strengthen local self-governments.

However, the need for decentrali- zation remains one of the challenges of the country.

The 2017 constitutional changes created additional guarantees for the implementation of local self-governance, and should be assessed positively.
In particular, the separation of powers between state authorities and local self-government was recognized in accordance with the protection of the principle of subsidiarity; the state’s obligation to provide a self-governing unit with relevant ﬁnancial resources was established; the right of organizational independence and intermunicipal cooperation of the municipality was recognized; and the state’s obligation to hold consultations on self-governance issues was established.
At the same time, in March 2018, the Government established a working group on a new Decentra- lization Strategy.

As a result, at the end of 2019, the Government of Georgia adopted the Decen- tralization Strategy for 2020-2025, with the purpose of establishing credible, accountable, trans- parent and result-oriented local self-governments.

To achieve this goal, the government strives to achieve the following objectives: A.
Introduction of effective and innovative management systems and quality service delivery at the local level; B.

Introduction of a high standard of transparency and accountability; C. Supporting high quality engagement in the decision-making and implementation processes by the local self-governments.
According to the strategic document, the aim of the Government is to develop the principles of good governance in the activities of local self-government bodies, to ensure the engagement of local population in the implementation of local self-governance, and to create sustainable mechanisms for public-private cooperation.

3 Discussions on these issues will be held with the participation of ﬁeld experts, central and local governments, civil society, international donors and research organizations.
In particular, the main issues to be discussed during the conference are as follows: 1.

TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY the introduction of the principles of good governance is crucial for the democratic consolidation of the country.

Democratic principles and high standards of accountability must be implemented equally at both central and local levels.
With this in mind, improving transparency standards in municipalities is one of the most signiﬁcant components of the Decentralization Strategy (2020-2025).

Implementing better governance at the local level is also one of the directions and goals of the Public Administration Reform (PAR).
In addition, in line with Georgia's National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Open Government Partnership (OGP) Action Plans, several munici- palities have adopted Building Transparency and Integrity Strategies, the full implementation of which will enable them to respond effectively to existing challenges.
In terms of transparency and accountability at the local level, several needs can be identiﬁed: improving access to and disclo- sure of public information, increasing the transparency and efficiency of the activities of legal entities under City Halls, strengthening transparency and competition of public procurement, etc.

The relevant panel discusses the main challenges, needs, results achieved so far, and future prospects.

2.
2.

CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY During the latest wave of local self-government reform, in 2014 a new organic law “Local Self-Go- vernment Code” was adopted, which initiated signiﬁcant changes in terms of citizen engagement at the local level.
New legislative guarantees/forms of participation appeared in the law (General Assembly of the settlement, Civil Advisory Council, petition, participation in the meetings of representative bodies, hearing of reports of high officials and members of Municipal Councils).

The proposed new participation mechanisms aimed to increase citizen involvement in the decision-making process at the local level.

However, practice has shown that they have been unevenly introduced in municipalities.
Several reasons for this can be distinguished: lack of technical and material capabilities, experience and political will of the municipalities.

No less important is the awareness, readiness and skills of the local population to be engaged in the political process, and to contribute to resolution of local problems.

According to recent polls, only 7% of the population is informed about the activities of the municipality1.
Also, the number of people who have information about the newly introduced participation mechanisms is negligi- ble2.

During the conference we will discuss successful examples of the introduction of participa- tion mechanisms, identiﬁed problems and possible innovative approaches to encourage the local population to participate in the decision-making process.

3.
3.

QUALITY OF DELIVERY OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES One of the main functions of municipal bodies is to provide particular services to the local popu- lation.

Their quality and efficient delivery is of great importance in shaping the attitude of citizens towards the government.

At the same time, a well-functioning service delivery system affects daily lives and well-being of citizens.
The experience of the new coronavirus pandemic has also shown that innovative approaches to public service delivery are not fully adopted at the moment and services need to be digitized.

Additional challenges are the lack of a uniﬁed standard of services, the quality of service delivery and its evaluation practices.

At present, the introduction of the uniﬁed electronic service has started in 21 pilot municipalities.
The purpose of one of the conference panels is to review current challenges, ongoing projects and plans in terms of development and provision of municipal services.

CONTEXT Over the last two decades, Georgia has implemented signiﬁcant reforms to develop good gover- nance principles.

At the same time, decentralization and local self-government reforms were underway, with the aim to strengthen local self-governments.

However, the need for decentrali- zation remains one of the challenges of the country.
The 2017 constitutional changes created additional guarantees for the implementation of local self-governance, and should be assessed positively.
In particular, the separation of powers between state authorities and local self-government was recognized in accordance with the protection of the principle of subsidiarity; the state’s obligation to provide a self-governing unit with relevant ﬁnancial resources was established; the right of organizational independence and intermunicipal cooperation of the municipality was recognized; and the state’s obligation to hold consultations on self-governance issues was established.
At the same time, in March 2018, the Government established a working group on a new Decentra- lization Strategy.

As a result, at the end of 2019, the Government of Georgia adopted the Decen- tralization Strategy for 2020-2025, with the purpose of establishing credible, accountable, trans- parent and result-oriented local self-governments.

To achieve this goal, the government strives to achieve the following objectives: A.
Introduction of effective and innovative management systems and quality service delivery at the local level; B.

Introduction of a high standard of transparency and accountability; C. Supporting high quality engagement in the decision-making and implementation processes by the local self-governments.
According to the strategic document, the aim of the Government is to develop the principles of good governance in the activities of local self-government bodies, to ensure the engagement of local population in the implementation of local self-governance, and to create sustainable mechanisms for public-private cooperation.

Discussions on these issues will be held with the participation of ﬁeld experts, central and local governments, civil society, international donors and research organizations.
In particular, the main issues to be discussed during the conference are as follows: 1.

TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY the introduction of the principles of good governance is crucial for the democratic consolidation of the country.

Democratic principles and high standards of accountability must be implemented equally at both central and local levels.
With this in mind, improving transparency standards in municipalities is one of the most signiﬁcant components of the Decentralization Strategy (2020-2025).

Implementing better governance at the local level is also one of the directions and goals of the Public Administration Reform (PAR).
In addition, in line with Georgia's National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Open Government Partnership (OGP) Action Plans, several munici- palities have adopted Building Transparency and Integrity Strategies, the full implementation of which will enable them to respond effectively to existing challenges.
In terms of transparency and accountability at the local level, several needs can be identiﬁed: improving access to and disclo- sure of public information, increasing the transparency and efficiency of the activities of legal entities under City Halls, strengthening transparency and competition of public procurement, etc.

The relevant panel discusses the main challenges, needs, results achieved so far, and future prospects.

2.
2.

CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY During the latest wave of local self-government reform, in 2014 a new organic law “Local Self-Go- vernment Code” was adopted, which initiated signiﬁcant changes in terms of citizen engagement at the local level.
New legislative guarantees/forms of participation appeared in the law (General Assembly of the settlement, Civil Advisory Council, petition, participation in the meetings of representative bodies, hearing of reports of high officials and members of Municipal Councils).

The proposed new participation mechanisms aimed to increase citizen involvement in the decision-making process at the local level.

However, practice has shown that they have been unevenly introduced in municipalities.
Several reasons for this can be distinguished: lack of technical and material capabilities, experience and political will of the municipalities.

No less important is the awareness, readiness and skills of the local population to be engaged in the political process, and to contribute to resolution of local problems.

According to recent polls, only 7% of the population is informed about the activities of the municipality1.
Also, the number of people who have information about the newly introduced participation mechanisms is negligi- ble2.

During the conference we will discuss successful examples of the introduction of participa- tion mechanisms, identiﬁed problems and possible innovative approaches to encourage the local population to participate in the decision-making process.

4 4 3.
4 4 3.

QUALITY OF DELIVERY OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES One of the main functions of municipal bodies is to provide particular services to the local popu- lation.

Their quality and efficient delivery is of great importance in shaping the attitude of citizens towards the government.

At the same time, a well-functioning service delivery system affects daily lives and well-being of citizens.
The experience of the new coronavirus pandemic has also shown that innovative approaches to public service delivery are not fully adopted at the moment and services need to be digitized.

Additional challenges are the lack of a uniﬁed standard of services, the quality of service delivery and its evaluation practices.

At present, the introduction of the uniﬁed electronic service has started in 21 pilot municipalities.
The purpose of one of the conference panels is to review current challenges, ongoing projects and plans in terms of development and provision of municipal services.

CONTEXT Over the last two decades, Georgia has implemented signiﬁcant reforms to develop good gover- nance principles.

At the same time, decentralization and local self-government reforms were underway, with the aim to strengthen local self-governments.

However, the need for decentrali- zation remains one of the challenges of the country.
The 2017 constitutional changes created additional guarantees for the implementation of local self-governance, and should be assessed positively.
In particular, the separation of powers between state authorities and local self-government was recognized in accordance with the protection of the principle of subsidiarity; the state’s obligation to provide a self-governing unit with relevant ﬁnancial resources was established; the right of organizational independence and intermunicipal cooperation of the municipality was recognized; and the state’s obligation to hold consultations on self-governance issues was established.
At the same time, in March 2018, the Government established a working group on a new Decentra- lization Strategy.

As a result, at the end of 2019, the Government of Georgia adopted the Decen- tralization Strategy for 2020-2025, with the purpose of establishing credible, accountable, trans- parent and result-oriented local self-governments.

To achieve this goal, the government strives to achieve the following objectives: A.
Introduction of effective and innovative management systems and quality service delivery at the local level; B.

Introduction of a high standard of transparency and accountability; C. Supporting high quality engagement in the decision-making and implementation processes by the local self-governments.
According to the strategic document, the aim of the Government is to develop the principles of good governance in the activities of local self-government bodies, to ensure the engagement of local population in the implementation of local self-governance, and to create sustainable mechanisms for public-private cooperation.

Discussions on these issues will be held with the participation of ﬁeld experts, central and local governments, civil society, international donors and research organizations.
In particular, the main issues to be discussed during the conference are as follows: 1.

TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY the introduction of the principles of good governance is crucial for the democratic consolidation of the country.

Democratic principles and high standards of accountability must be implemented equally at both central and local levels.
With this in mind, improving transparency standards in municipalities is one of the most signiﬁcant components of the Decentralization Strategy (2020-2025).

Implementing better governance at the local level is also one of the directions and goals of the Public Administration Reform (PAR).
In addition, in line with Georgia's National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Open Government Partnership (OGP) Action Plans, several munici- palities have adopted Building Transparency and Integrity Strategies, the full implementation of which will enable them to respond effectively to existing challenges.
In terms of transparency and accountability at the local level, several needs can be identiﬁed: improving access to and disclo- sure of public information, increasing the transparency and efficiency of the activities of legal entities under City Halls, strengthening transparency and competition of public procurement, etc.

The relevant panel discusses the main challenges, needs, results achieved so far, and future prospects.

2.
2.

CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY During the latest wave of local self-government reform, in 2014 a new organic law “Local Self-Go- vernment Code” was adopted, which initiated signiﬁcant changes in terms of citizen engagement at the local level.
New legislative guarantees/forms of participation appeared in the law (General Assembly of the settlement, Civil Advisory Council, petition, participation in the meetings of representative bodies, hearing of reports of high officials and members of Municipal Councils).

The proposed new participation mechanisms aimed to increase citizen involvement in the decision-making process at the local level.

However, practice has shown that they have been unevenly introduced in municipalities.
Several reasons for this can be distinguished: lack of technical and material capabilities, experience and political will of the municipalities.

No less important is the awareness, readiness and skills of the local population to be engaged in the political process, and to contribute to resolution of local problems.

According to recent polls, only 7% of the population is informed about the activities of the municipality1.
Also, the number of people who have information about the newly introduced participation mechanisms is negligi- ble2.

During the conference we will discuss successful examples of the introduction of participa- tion mechanisms, identiﬁed problems and possible innovative approaches to encourage the local population to participate in the decision-making process.

3.
3.

QUALITY OF DELIVERY OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES One of the main functions of municipal bodies is to provide particular services to the local popu- lation.

Their quality and efficient delivery is of great importance in shaping the attitude of citizens towards the government.

At the same time, a well-functioning service delivery system affects daily lives and well-being of citizens.
The experience of the new coronavirus pandemic has also shown that innovative approaches to public service delivery are not fully adopted at the moment and services need to be digitized.

Additional challenges are the lack of a uniﬁed standard of services, the quality of service delivery and its evaluation practices.

At present, the introduction of the uniﬁed electronic service has started in 21 pilot municipalities.
The purpose of one of the conference panels is to review current challenges, ongoing projects and plans in terms of development and provision of municipal services.
1 The Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC), Public Policy Survey, 2015 http://caucasusbarometer.org/ge/ti2015ge/LOCGOVTU/ 2 The Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC), Public Policy Survey, 2015 http://caucasusbarometer.org/ge/ti2015ge/LOCGOVTU/ 5 agenda online conference DECEMBER 18, 2020 Registration Link: https://bit.ly/2JQs227 Facebook Live: facebook.com/IDFI.official 13:00-13:10 OPENING REMARKS MR. GIORGI KLDIASHVILI Executive Director, Institute for Development of Freedom of Informa- tion (IDFI) 13:10-14:10 LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT REFORM: CHALLENGES, ONGOING REFORMS AND THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY ENGAGEMENT MODERATOR: MR. DAVID APRASIDZE Project Manager, Konrad Adenauer Foundation MS. MZIA GIORGOBIANI Deputy Minister, Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia MS. NINO KAKUBAVA Project Manager, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) MR. ARCHIL ZHORZHOLIANI Good Governance for Local Develop- ment Programme Adviser, GIZ MS. LINA PANTELEEVA Governance Specialist, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 14:10:14:20 - Break 6 14:20-15:20 DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY PRINCIPLES AT THE LOCAL LEVEL MODERATOR: MR. MIKHEIL DARCHIASHVILI Governance Program Manager, USAID Project Good Governance Initiative in Georgia (GGI) MS. NANA TAVDUMADZE Chief of Staff, Ozurgeti Municipality Assembly MS. PELAGIA MAKHAURI Deputy Head of Analytical Depart- ment, Ministry of Justice of Georgia MR. GIORGI NASRASHVILI Good Governance Expert, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) MR. NIKOLOZ ROSEBASHVILI Head of Department of Local Self - Governance and Policy, Ministry of Regional Development and Infras- tructure of Georgia MS. SALOME SAGHARADZE Project Coordinator, Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) MS. TEONA TURASHVILI Media, Internet and Innovations Direc- tion Head, Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) 15:20-15:30 - Break 15:30-16:30 PROMOTING CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL DECISION-MAKING PROCESS MODERATOR: MS. TINIKO BOLKVADZE Participatory Democracy Program Manager, Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF) 7 MS. NATIA APKHAZAVA Head of Branch in Batumi, Civil Society Institute (CSI) MR. REVAZ BARBAKADZE Chairman, Rustavi Innovation Hub MS. MARIKA GORGADZE Deputy Chief of Party, USAID Good Governance Initiative Project (GGI) in Georgia MR. IRAKLI MELASHVILI Independent Expert MR. ZVIAD KORIDZE Regional Ofﬁces Manager, Transparen- cy International Georgia 16:30-16:40 - Break 16:40-17:40 INCREASE ACCESS TO AND QUALITY OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES MODERATOR: MS. MAGDA POPIASHVILI Editor-in-chief, Droa.Ge MR. LASHA MACHAVARIANI Acting Chairperson, Municipal Services Development Agency MR. ZVIAD MODEBADZE Program Coordinator, ASB Georgia MS. LIZI SOPROMADZE Chair of the Board, Regional Develop- ment Center MR. GIORGI TOKLIKISHVILI Local Governance and Regional Develo- pment Specialist, Centre for Training and Consultancy (CTC) 17:40-18:00 - Wrap up / Final Remarks WORKING LANGUAGE: GEORGIAN SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATION WILL BE PROVIDED IN ENGLISH * 8 Speaker MR. DAVID APRASIDZE PROJECT MANAGER, KONRAD ADENAUER FOUNDATION Davit Aprasidze is currently holding the position of manager of the project – Georgian Civil Society Sustainabi- lity Initiative, funded by the European Union and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stitung.
At the same time, he is a professor of political science at Ilia State University.

Mr. Aprasidze pursued his studies in Georgia and Germany, in particular, he received his PhD degree in Political Science from the University of Hamburg.

He was also awarded with Fulbright scholarship to research at Duke University, North Carolina, US.

David has a rich experience of working in civil society and the public sector.

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Speaker MS. NATIA APKHAZAVA HEAD OF BRANCH IN BATUMI, CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTE (CSI) Natia Apkhazava has 14 years of experience working at the civil society organizations.

Her activities strive to meet the following goals - transparent and participatory self-governance, elaborate and lobby normative acts, enhance cooperation between public agencies and CSOs, as well as strengthen engagement of stakehol- ders in decision-making process.
Natia is a civil activist and a member of the Batumi Mayor's Civil Advisory Board, as well as one of the founders of the society "Batomi".

Natia Apkhazava graduated from Shota Rustaveli State University with a degree in Law and has a Master's degree in Constitutional and Administrative Law.
She holds the certiﬁcates in a number of international and regional programs, including Public Administration - University of Malmo (Sweden) and Practical Course in Government Accountability under the Open World Program (USA).

10 Speaker MR. REVAZ BARBAKADZE CHAIRMAN, RUSTAVI INNOVATION HUB Revaz Barbakadze has twenty years of experience of working at the civil society organizations.
At different points of time, he was involved in projects for the purpose of developing local self-government and local community, enhancing citizen participation, social integration of ethnic minorities, etc.

Since May 2019, he has been leading the “Rustavi Innovation Hub”, as the chairman and the founder.
Rustavi Innovation Hub works on the issues such as: development of innovative methods of participation, youth employment, creation of closed-loop economic models, enhancing intersectoral cooperation, improvement of self-government services, etc.

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Speaker MS. TINIKO BOLKVADZE PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY PROGRAM MANAGER, OPEN SOCIETY GEORGIA FOUNDATION (OSGF) Tiniko Bolkvadze has been the coordinator of a wide range of programs at the Open Society Georgia Founda- tion since 2005.
At different points of time, she has led projects and programs for the purspose of improving efficiency and quality of decentralization reforms and participatory democracy.

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Speaker MS. MZIA GIORGOBIANI DEPUTY MINISTER, MINISTRY OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE OF GEORGIA Mzia Giorgobiani has many years’ experience of working in managerial positions in public sector.
During her experience in the Ministry of Finance she went through different career stages from the position of the Advisor of Humanitarian and Technical Assistance Department to the Deputy Head of State and Foreign Funding Department, where she was coordinating the development of cooperation strategy with international partners, as well as implementation of obligations under the Association Agreement Between Georgia and the EU; she worked at international ﬁnance institutions and in investments projects, funded by the partners of Georgian public sector, participated in annual and intermediate budget planning.
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Speaker MS. MARIKA GORGADZE DEPUTY CHIEF OF PARTY, USAID GOOD GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE PROJECT (GGI) IN GEORGIA Ms. Mariam Gorgadze has been engaged in the Public Administration Reform through USAID funded governance projects since the beginning of 2011.

During this period, she has been engaged in the governance reform in different capacities.
Ms. Mariam Gorgadze worked for the US Treasury Department, Office of Technical Assistance, OTA from December 2001 till July 2011 on expert and managerial positions.

She has actively supported the Ministry of Finance of Georgia to develop and implement PFM reforms such as the introduction of MTEF, program and capital budgeting, PEFA standards and etc.

She has practical knowledge and understanding of the public ﬁnance management in Georgia.

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14 MR. MIKHEIL DARCHIASHVILI GOVERNANCE PROGRAM MANAGER, USAID PROJECT GOOD GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE IN GEORGIA (GGI) Mikheil Darchiashvili has many years of professional experience in diplomacy, international relations and development.

Mikheil Darchiashvili served as Deputy Defense Minister of Georgia from July 2013 till November 2014.
During his tenure as Deputy Defense Minister, he was responsible for defense policy and planning and international relations with particular focus on Georgia’s NATO membership process and US-Georgia Defense Cooperation.

From 2008 to 2013 Mr. Darchiashvili served at the Embassy of Georgia to the United States, initially as Senior Counselor, later as Minister Plenipotentiary.
From 2004 to 2008 Mr. Darchiashvili served initially as First Secretary later as Political Counselor at the Georgian Mission to NATO, Brussels, Belgium.

His professional carrier also included different positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.

Since 2015, Mikheil Darchiashvili has been working at the USAID Project Good Governance Initiative in Georgia (GGI) and is responsible for OGP and Anti-Corruption related issues.
Mikheil Darchiashvili is a member of Governing Board of the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA), affilia- ted professor and lecturer in defense and foreign policy.

He is also a member of the Governing Board of the Atlantic Council of Georgia.

15 Speaker Speaker MS. NANA TAVDUMADZE CHIEF OF STAFF, OZURGETI MUNICIPALITY ASSEMBLY Nana Tavdumadze currently serves as Chief of Staff at Ozurgeti Municipality Assembly, she is also a Local Repre- !

sentative of Ozurgeti at OGP-Local.


Nana has been engaged in various international, as well as local projects aimed at strengthening the principles of good governance.

Ms. Tavdumadze leads the process of elaborating innovative mechanisms for citizen participation at the local level.

At the same time, she is the coordinator of the Ozurgeti civil budget - "Be Self-governed”.
Apart from the above-mentioned, Nana serves as the Executive Director of the project - Participatory CHARETTE for the Tourism Development Strategy of Guria, she is also a Visiting Expert at NALAG, as well as the founder of the project N4ED (Best Practices of Local Self-Government).

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Speaker MS. NINO KAKUBAVA PROJECT MANAGER, UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP Nino Kakubava has been engaged in decentralization reform and strengthening good governance at the local level.
The project titled “Fostering Decentralisation and Good Governance at the Local Level” assists Govern- ment of Georgia to advance decentralization and aims to enhance capacities of the local and national duty bearers and empower the right holders with the focus on all social and economic groups – women, men, youth, ethnic minorities and vulnerable population.

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Speaker MR. GIORGI KLDIASHVILI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (IDFI) Giorgi Kldiashvili is a founding member and Executive Director of the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI).

He has more than 10 years experience of working on openness and anti-corruption policies in Georgia and internationally.
Giorgi has been carrying out projects, studies, assessments and providing trainings for different international and civil society organizations and government entities.

Giorgi Kldiashvili is an author of a number of publications related to access to information, anticorruption policy and good governance, accountability and transparency, e-Governance and e-Democracy, open data, civil service and public administration, media and internet.
In addition to his work in applied policy research with IDFI, as a historian by specialty, he has academic credentials as a researcher, undertaking studies in American and Soviet Studies.

He is professional archive researcher, and has been working in the historical archives of Georgia and abroad for more than a 20 year.

Giorgi holds graduate degrees in Contemporary History and worked as a professor of American Studies at the Institute of American Studies at Tbilisi State University.
Giorgi Kldiashvili was a CSO Steering Committee Member of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2017-2020. !

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Speaker MR. LASHA MACHAVARIANI ACTING CHAIRPERSON, MUNICIPAL SERVICES DEVELOPMENT AGENCY Lasha Machavariani has been working for the Municipal Services Development Agency since 2020 and serves as the Acting Chairperson since November.

He has held various positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the ﬁeld of international relations.
In particular, he has been a Senior Advisor regarding International Relations and ﬁght against crime for the last four years.

Lasha Machavariani holds Master's degree in International Business Management, International Relations and Conﬂict Management.

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Speaker MS. PELAGIA MAKHAURI DEPUTY HEAD OF ANALYTICAL DEPARTMENT, MINISTRY OF JUSTICE OF GEORGIA Pelagia Makhauri serves as the Deputy Head of Analytical Department at Ministry of Justice of Georgia (also the Secretariat of the Anti-Corruption Council).

She has been working at the analytical department since 2016.
Prior to the public sector, Pelagia has been devoted on anti-corruption and anti-fraud meausures to the Legal Department of the European Commission (the European Anti-Fraud Office – OLAF).

Ms. Makhauri holds the bachelor’s degree in Law from Tbilisi State University and Master’s degree in European Law from Leiden University, Netherlands.

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Speaker MR. IRAKLI MELASHVILI INDEPENDENT EXPERT Irakli Melashvili is a local self-government expert and an accomplished trainer.
He has many years of experience of working in the public sector, as well as in non-governmental and media organizations at different points of time.

In 2012-2013, Mr. Melashvili held the position of the Advisor to the Prime Minister of Georgia.

Later, he served as the Head of the Department for Relations with the Regions and Local Self-govern- ment Bodies at Chancellery of the Government of Georgia.
For many years he has been engaged, also coordi- nated the projects regarding citizen participation in local budgeting, decentralization and election monito- ring.

Irakli Melashvili is the author of dozens of academic articles and publications.

He is also a Visiting Lecturer at Ilia State University and Caucasus University.

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Speaker MR. ZVIAD MODEBADZE PROGRAM COORDINATOR, ASB GEORGIA Zviad Modebadze has many years of experience of working in Georgian and international non-governmental organizations.

Currently he serves as the Head of the Civil Society Program at the German non-governmental organization - Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB).

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Speaker MR. GIORGI NASRASHVILI GOOD GOVERNANCE EXPERT, UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP) Giorgi Nasrashvili has been working for 2 years on strengthening good governance, Open Government Partnership and citizen participation within the framework of the UNDP project “Fostering Decentralisation and Good Governance at the Local Level”.

Giorgi has many years of working experience in non-governmental and media organizations.

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Speaker MS. LINA PANTELEEVA GOVERNANCE SPECIALIST, UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID) Lina joined the USAID Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Team in 2012 and has been overseeing the programs for strengthening governance.
She is currently leading USAID Good Governance Initiative Project (GGI) in Georgia, which has been in place since 2015 with the purpose of strengthening the overall transparency, accounta- bility, and effectiveness of governance in Georgia at the central and local levels, including through improved civic engagement in decision-making and monitoring process.

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Lina has almost twenty years of experience in managing international projects.
Prior to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), she worked for the United Nations Development Program and the Eurasia Foundation, where she led projects in Governance, Civil Society and Media Development, and Conﬁdence Building in the South Caucasus.

Lina was graduated from Tbilisi State University, Faculty of International Law and International Relations.

She also holds a Master's degree in Peace and Conﬂict Studies from Uppsala University, Sweden.

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Speaker MS. MAGDA POPIASHVILI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, DROA.GE Magda Popiashvili has been the editor-in-chief of the web portal "Droa.ge" since 2017, at the same time she serves as the chairman of the "Georgian Media Club".

Magda has many years of experience of working for NGOs and the media outlets, as well as in the public sector.
In particular, she held leading positions regarding public and media relations at Tbilisi City Hall, the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia and the Office of the Personal Data Protection Inspector.

Magda Popiashvili is the author of numerous studies and publications, as well as the manager of number of projects on local government legislation, as well as participatory budgeting issues.

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Speaker MR. ARCHIL ZHORZHOLIANI GOOD GOVERNANCE FOR LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME ADVISER, GIZ Archil Zhorzholiani serves as an adviser of the program "Good Governance for Local Development” at the German Corporation for International Cooperation GmbH (GIZ).
He is also a Visiting Lecturer at Tbilisi State University and the University of Georgia, more particularly, Archil is currently leading a course on Decentrali- zation and Citizen Participation in Governance, which was developed in 2011 with the support of Erasmus University, International Institute of Social Studies (The Hague, Netherlands).

He holds a Master of Science (MSc) from Lund University (Sweden) and a Master of International Politics from the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs.
Archil has many years of experience in project management, consultancy and practical work in various international organizations.

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Speaker MR. NIKOLOZ ROSEBASHVILI HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL SELF-GOVERNANCE AND POLICY, MINISTRY OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE OF GEORGIA 27 !

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Speaker MS. SALOME SAGHARADZE PROJECT COORDINATOR, GEORGIAN YOUNG LAWYERS ASSOCIATION (GYLA) Salome Sagharadze graduated from Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Law in 2013.
She also holds the master’s degree in Public Policy.

She has been working at the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) since 2013 and has been engaged in good governance projects.

Salome collaborates with international and local organi- zations in developing consultancy and training modules on good governance.

She is also the author and co-author of more than a dozen of studies in the areas of budget transparency, open governance and accoun- tability at both central and local levels.

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Speaker MS. LIZI SOPROMADZE CHAIR OF THE BOARD, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTER Ms. Lizi Sopromadze is an expert on local self-government.

She currently holds the position of the Head of the !

Regional Development Center.

In addition, Lizi is a lecturer at the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA).

Lizi has many years of experience of working on local governance, as well as civic engagement in decision-making process.
Since 2005 she has been cooperating with both local and international organizations.

Lizi is the author of numerous studies and publications.

29 Speaker MR. GIORGI TOKLIKISHVILI LOCAL GOVERNANCE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST, CENTRE FOR TRAINING AND CONSULTANCY (CTC) Giorgi Toklikishvili has 20 years of experience working on local self-government.

Since 2016 he has been leading the Local Government and Regional Development Program of the Consultation and Training Center (CTC).
Giorgi held the position of First Deputy Director of the Municipal Development Fund of Georgia in 2012-2013.

In the following years, he served as the head of the Center for Effective Governance System and Territorial Arrangement, at the same time he was a member of the Government Commission on Regional Development.

Giorgi Toklikishvili has been envolved in creating dozens of studies and practical guidebooks.
He is a co-au- thor of the Local Self-Government Index (LSG Index) and has been actively engaged in the assessment process since 2017.

LSG Index has been evaluating the transparency and accountability of Georgian municipa- lities, as well as citizen participation in decision-making process.

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Speaker MS. TEONA TURASHVILI MEDIA, INTERNET AND INNOVATIONS DIRECTION HEAD, INSTITUTE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (IDFI) Teona Turashvili is the Head of Media, Internet and Innovations Program at IDFI.

She has been envolved, also coordi- nated a wide range of projects ragarding e-governance, good governance, local self-government, internet and access to open data.

Ms. Turashvili is also the author of studies, reports and analytical papers on these issues.
Teona was engaged in the development of the Local Self-Government Index, which assesses transparency and accountability of Georgian municipalities, as well as civil participation in decision-making process.

Teona also participated in the process of developing Building Transparency and Integrity, as well as Open Data Strategies and Action Plans for several municipalities.

Ms. Turashvili holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences from the Warsaw University.
Teona is also a graduate student of MSocSC in Transformation in the South Caucasus at the Center for Social Sciences, at Tbilisi State University.

At the same university, she has obtained a bachelor degree of the faculty of the Social and Political Sciences.

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Speaker MR. ZVIAD KORIDZE REGIONAL OFFICES MANAGER, TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL GEORGIA Zviad is a journalist.

He has been a co-founder and a co-editor of “7 Days” as well as a chief editor of “Georgian !

Newspaper”.
Newspaper”.

In different times, he has led information services of “Rustavi 2”, “Imedi” and the “First Channel” along with working as a producer and a host in different media sources.

He was originally engaged in the project “We Set up a Community Radio” which was a joint initiative of “BBC World Service Trust” and Studio “Re” and until now, he is a consultant of the community radios in Ninotsminda and Marneuli.

In 2011-2012 Zviad Koridze was a chairman of the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics.
In 2014-2018 Zviad Koridze served as a head of the President's Pardon Commission.

At present, he is teaching at the Caucasus’ School of Media and GIPA.

Besides, Zviad Koridze is the author of several researches and bills.

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