In 2003, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe was instructed by the Council of Europe and European Commission to carry out a new joint activity with a view to promoting the setting up of a national association of local authorities of Georgia.

To this end, a steering group made up of around 20 Georgian local and regional representatives was set up.

Various institutions were invited to take part in steering group meetings as observers, including the State Chancellery of Georgia, the parliamentary committee on local self-government and regional policy, certain Georgian associations of local and regional authorities, some local and international NGOs (Urban Institute, National Democratic Institute, GTZ, the national association of local and regional authorities of Norway – KS) and some international organisations (European Union, OSCE).
 

Set up to represent, at national level, the interests of all of Georgia's local authorities and to encourage the development of a culture of partnerships between local and central authorities, the association strives to improve local democracy.

It plays an active part in legislative processes relating to local self-government, thus ensuring that its members' needs and aspirations are taken into account in their dealings with central government, inter alia producing comments on draft legislation and providing expert advice expressing their needs and requests.

The association also represents Georgia's local authorities at international organisations. It is represented, for instance, on the Georgian delegation to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (suspended between 2002 and 2005), in pursuance of Article 3 of the Charter of the Congress.
 

…and at international level

The association promotes dialogue and better co-operation among the various organisations with an interest in local self-government issues, but also with citizens, so as to spread good practice and to compare successful local democracy experiments.

-Finally, the association provides services to its members through its various committees, particularly the training committee, and provides regular information, while striving to draw closer to the regions.