In the framework of the project “Strengthening Participatory Democracy and Human Rights at Local Level in Georgia”, 15 representatives from 8 Georgian municipalities visited different participatory projects in Austria from 23 to 26 May 2023. A 4-day study visit to Austria offered Georgian representatives from municipalities and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) the opportunity for exchanging good practice and challenges of introducing a participatory mechanism to engage citizens in political decision making.
During the visit, participants learned about a variety of ways to engage citizens, above all young people, in political life. Austria was an obvious choice for the study visit, as participatory democracy is highly valued there as an important democratic pillar and some municipalities and regions have a long-standing experience in institutionalising participatory methods like the Citizens Assemblies and the development of new innovative formats, such as the Children Conference.
“In theory, we have similar participatory methods in Georgia, but I am impressed, how well the processes are organised in Austria and how institutions and civil society work hand in hand to find solutions”, one of the participants expressed.
The Georgian delegation visited projects at local, Vienna district, regional and national level and got an insight of civil participation in municipalities of different sizes in Vorarlberg, Salzburg and Vienna. A cross-cutting issue discussed during the week was the importance of and the best ways for youth participation, and one of the most urgent questions for both countries was how to engage citizens most effectively in climate change mitigation and environmental-friendly urban planning.
The delegation was also introduced to the participatory budgeting initiative of the City of Vienna, used for the development of climate change mitigation measures, and the initiative of the Austrian parliament “Democracy Workshop” to familiarise young people with democratic and parliamentary processes. A Georgian municipality representative confirmed “I got during this visit a lot of practical insight, which I can definitely use in my municipality. And the inspiration and motivation we got these days are priceless”.
The fruitful and very lively exchange, which was jointly organised with the Austrian Zentrum für Verwaltungsforschung/KDZ, enabled the Georgian and Austrian participants also to establish contacts and discuss future co-operation. One of the CSO representatives mentioned at the end of the visit that “we can already think about concrete ideas how to bring Austrian examples to Georgia, especially democracy workshops for the youth in Austria are fascinating”.
The Study Visit to Austria was organised in the framework of the project “Strengthening Participatory Democracy and Human Rights at Local Level in Georgia”, by the Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity, Division of Elections and Participatory Democracy, within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Georgia 2020-2023 with the financial contribution of the Austrian Development Cooperation.
