On 28 November 2024, the Congress concluded a series of thematic online workshops for Belarusian democratic forces, focused on the development of a local self-government system in a future democratic Belarus and its alignment with the European Charter of Local Self-Government and other European standards of local democracy.
Some 20 representatives of the Belarusian democratic forces delved into key concepts of local self-government and local democracy, roles and responsibilities of local authorities, decentralisation of power, reform management, and transition stages toward a free and democratic Belarus.
An interactive programme allowed to combine learning experiences through expert presentations and interactive peer exchanges, with examples from European countries that conducted similar reforms. The participants concluded that the workshops would inform current and future work of the Belarusian democratic forces, including on legislative drafting, and provide guidance for strategy and policy work in 2025.
The workshops were organised by the Congress as part of the project “Leading the change for democracy and human rights at local level with Belarusian democratic forces” (2024–2025) within the Council of Europe Contact Group on Co-operation with Belarusian Democratic Forces and Civil Society.
