On 27-28 October 2016, community leaders from Artik, Urtsadzor, Vardenik and Akhtala – mayors, council members, municipal staff, young local leaders, NGOs and active citizens – participated in the peer review “Engaging citizens in local policy making”, organised by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in Artik and Urtsadzor, Armenia. “Involving citizens in decision-making processes will not only increase the transparency of local authorities, but will lead to increased trust, respect, mutual reliability and shared responsibility' stressed Saša Paunović, Deputy Head of the Serbian delegation to the Congress and Mayor of Paraćin (L, SOC). This conviction is shared by Malcolm Byrne, former member of the Congress, Councillor of Wexford County, Ireland, who presented his experience in participatory planning and in engaging youth at local level. Through open and critical discussions with mayors and local communities’ stakeholders on the successes, challenges and lessons learned, the peer review enabled clear measurement of the citizen participation initiatives in Artik, Urtsadzor, Vardenik and Akhtala and their results. 

More information
Photos [Flickr]