Citizen Participation in Public Policy
Background:
Inclusive and transparent decision-making on major issues of public policy in the South Caucasus is a rarity. The realities of political processes and trends in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia demonstrate that ordinary citizens have been effectively alienated from the decision-making process by the governing elites and powerful business interest groups. EPF’s Citizen Participation in Public Policy initiative aims at making the voices of ordinary citizens heard by the decision-makers and major stakeholders in the South Caucasus.
Goal:
To promote wider public participation in decision-making processes and increased citizen understanding of key public policy issues in the South Caucasus.
Impacts:
The International Center for Human Development (ICHD) in Yerevan developed the Town Hall Meeting (THM) methodology to solicit wider public opinion on issues of major concern. THM is a unique process to address the needs of ordinary citizens and decision makers based on the methodology developed by the organization America Speaks. Diverse groups of citizens participate in round-table discussions (10-12 people per table), deliberating key policy issues in depth. Each table conversation is led by a trained facilitator to ensure that participants stay on task and that each table has a democratic process. Participants receive detailed, balanced background guidebooks to increase their knowledge of the issues under consideration. Technology transforms the individual table discussions into one large group discussion. Each table submits recommendations and ideas using groupware computers and each participant can vote on specific proposals using polling keypads/computer program.
Phase One of the Initiative was about ICHD adjusting the existing THM software to introduce multi-language support, developing Azerbaijani and Georgian language packs and training the Azerbaijani and Georgian counterparts to enable them to conduct THM activities independently. By the end of Phase One (June 2008) the Azerbaijani and Georgian partner organizations were able to implement Town Hall Meetings independently. On May 28, 2008, in Tbilisi, Georgia, the Georgian and Azerbaijani partners conducted a pilot THM on the issue of high school violence in Georgia, proving that they had successfully comprehended the THM techniques and mechanisms. After the THM, the Georgian partner analyzed the town hall meeting data and produced a paper that included policy recommendations to address the issue. The resulting analytical paper was highly praised by relevant governmental stakeholders in Georgia, particularly by the Ministry of Education and Science. This ensures that both the Georgian and Azerbaijani partners are now capable of independently organizing local THMs. In compliance with the approved strategy of the program, the three partners discussed possible follow-up activities to build on the achievements of the regional collaboration among the three partners. In particular, the partners developed a trilateral concept paper to address the water management issues in the Kura-Araks river basin through regional THMs. Also, as a direct result of the knowledge transfer facilitated by this program, the Armenian and Azerbaijani partners won GBP 200,000 in funding from the UK’s Global Conflict Prevention Pool to conduct a series of Town Hall Meetings in Armenia and Azerbaijan about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Invitation to the Conference: The EU and Civil Society in the South Caucasus: a Common Effort to Build Sustainable Peace
Grant Competition for Social Enterprises
Call for Participants: Getting Involved!
Public Discussions: European Integration and Eastern Partnership: Challenges and Opportunities
