INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CITIZENS PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT

AN AMAZING FORUM FOR BEST-PRACTICE SHARING

The International Conference on Citizens Participation (Sofia, Park-hotel Moskva, March 19/20, 1998), organized by the FLGR with the kind support of the USAID and the LODE Programme of the Council of Europe, gathered over two hundred participants, two thirds of which were Bulgarian mayors, chairs of city councils, municipal public relations officers and specialists, representatives of the regional municipal associations, professional associations of municipal specialists. Among the participants were also representatives of international agencies and programs, the Presidency, the National Assembly, ministries, embassies, regional governments, various state agencies and committees, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and the media. The wide spectrum of participants assured that the conference included the perspectives and experience of all stakeholders in an effective, participatory democracy.

Above all the conference was an open forum, where existing Bulgarian and international best practice in citizen involvement was shared with emphasis on the advantages of citizen participation and on well accomplished mechanisms for encouraging and achieving successful partnership. The discussions reflected the three major areas of municipal activities, where citizen participation is of vital importance: Communication and Customer Service (covering access to information, media strategy, citizen committees and boards), Sustainable Development (local economic development and environment) and Social Activities (including unemployment, healthcare, education, youth). Along with existing Bulgarian best practice, international examples and models of citizen participation were shared by representatives of twelve different countries: the USA, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Great Britain, Spain, San Marino, Poland, Slovakia, Estonia and Romania. The participatory principle was employed even in the conference work itself, since both local government officials and NGO leaders facilitated the various conference panels and ultimately presented the conclusions and recommendations of each session in plenary.

A fair account of the conference shows that it was a wide and effective forum, through which we managed to:

• Heighten public awareness and understanding of existing successful citizens participation activities in Bulgaria.

• Disseminate relevant and useful know-how from international practice.

• Identify important factors that help or hinder citizen involvement in local decision-making.

• Facilitate the establishment of vital contacts among donor organizations, Bulgarian local self-government representatives and NGOs, as well as between Bulgarian municipalities and their foreign counterparts, for the sake of future partnerships.

• Involve the news media in their dual role as observers and participants in democratic society.

PARTICIPANTS ABOUT THE CONFERENCE:

The conference was extremely beneficial in terms of information and experience sharing among participants. Useful practical working models of NGOs and local authorities in Bulgaria, Europe and the US were presented. The conference allowed us to establish contacts with many international organizations, which I think will expand the opportunities for future cooperation.

Nelli Georgieva, Board Member, Education for Democracy Youth Center, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

It was an honor for me to participate in that conference, to meet interesting people and enrich my knowledge. I am grateful for the opportunity to share with you our experience and I hope that our collaboration will continue.

Paula Constantin, Project Coordinator, Foundation for Community Care Services, Bucharest, Romania

Please, accept my heartiest congratulations for the exceptionally successful and very useful conference, that you organized.

Yulia Angelova, Director, Open Society Club, Rousse, Bulgaria

I was happy to participate during the conference. It was an excellent learning experience for me.

Shari Garmise, Ph.D., Director of Research, Council for Urban Economic Development, Washington, USA

It was an honor to have participated in such a significant event. Once again, thank you and congratulations on a wonderfully organized and extremely useful conference.

Douglas Rutzen, Vice President, International Center for Non-for-Profit Law, Washington, USA

I thank you for inviting me to your wonderful country for this extremely interesting conference. Its topic is vital for the future of democratic states, especially with regard to the field which most interests me - youth participation in municipal and regional life. I should admit that I was not just a presenter at the conference, because I also learned a lot.

Riccardo Venturini, Member of the San Marino Delegation to the Congress of Local an Regional Authorities in Europe

This International Conference is definitely a positive input in the dissemination of information and best practice on how local authorities, civic and non-governmental organizations can work in partnership in more structured and effective ways.

The International Conference on Citizens Participation in Local Self-Government, initiated and organized by the Foundation for Local Government Reform, greatly assisted for the improvement of public understanding of local self-government, the opportunities it offers, as well as practical examples of how it works.

Diana Bebenova, Public Relations Officer, Municipality of Silistra, Bulgaria