This is Margahovit village of Lori region. Armenian Young Lawyers Association has organized a community meeting in “World cafe‘ format“ for the inhabitants of the village using IT means. How well are they involved in the decision making processes of the community and in the control of the activities of the community administration.
„The RA law on Local Self Governance is a very democtaric law which gives a wide range of opportunities to citizens to participate andhave control but we must find out how they are used in Armenia,“ said the president of the Armenian Young Lawyers Association, Project manager of “Citizens’ Participation in the Decision Making Processes of Local Self-Governance Bodies: Introduction of EU Experience”, Karen Zadoyan.
„The communtiy has a newspaper, „Zoravig of Margahovit“ where the activites of the community administration and the village are published. The inhabitants of the community are aware about the activities carried out in the community,“ mentioned the Secretary of the Community administration of Margahovit, Siranush Gasparyan.
The Czech Republic has a big experience in involving citizens in the decision making processes of the Local Self Governance Bodies. The experince of a small Czech city,Český Brod was presented as a successful example. City forums, documents of strategic importance and public discussions on specific topics, etc.: this is the working style of the city administration.
The idea of city forums is significant and interesting. „It is possible to implement the Czech experince here as well,“ thinks the participant, director of the Educational, cultural and sport complex of Margahovit, Naira Safaryan,
The topic of dicsussion was encouraged by the audiance. The inhabitants of Margahovid were divided into groups and started discussing the transparency, integrityissues of the activities of Elder‘s council andtheir participation, the weak and strong sides were also raised.
„Totally we try to make our work and decisions more transparent and open,“ said the deputy head of Margahovit community, Sasun Ananyan.
After some hours of discussions the participants of the groups presented the results of their work, combined with the standpoints of other groups.
„The head of the community cannot do anything alone. The issues must be raised in order to give solutions, and the issues are raised by the inhabitants,“ said the staff member of the Geological museaum, Elina Hovhannisyan.
The main problems of the village are visible for the inhabitants of the village, they have always been talked about in the commiunity administration, the Eldesr’s council are aware but the issues doesn’t relate to small sum, the village doesn’t have such a budget. The primary problem is still the poor road conditions of the villlage. The turists don’t visit the community with nice nature and the village with special cottages for turists because of bad roads.
„Mostly there is a lack of finances, I don’t see any other problems. There are initiatives, ideas, there is a willingness,“ said the operator of the Arts school of Margahovit, the coordinator of Margahovit community youth initiatives clubs, Emilya Martirosyan.
The expert of “Citizens’ Participation in the Decision Making Processes of Local Self-Governance Bodies: Introduction of EU Experience” Project, advocate, Artur Sukiasyan says that the RA legislation gives good opportunities to ensure citizens‘ participation in the decision making processes of the Local Self Governance Bodies.
„If the citizens use theit rights and the opportunities granted by the law they can completely participate in the activities of the Local Self Governance Bodies.“
„Here we face one problem, the problem of public awareness. How much the citizen is aware that he/she has the righ to regulate the community’s problems,“ mentions the expert of the same program, Syuzanna Soghomonyan.
Four times a year in the village the newspaper „Zoravig of Margahovit“ is published. The cheif editor, Hovhannes Sardaryan presents facts that people wait for the news of the newspaper. „We don’t publish the internal decisions of the Elder’s council since the newspaper is being published later but the things that aresubjects to the discussion of the whole village, there are cases when they are informed beforehand via the newspaper and there are cases, after the events.“
The community meeting came to its end. The participants consider the discussions quite effective. „Citizens’ Participation in the Decision Making Processes of Local Self-Government Bodies: Introduction of EU Experience” Project is implemented by the “Armenian Young Lawyers Association” NGO in partnership with the “Georgian Young Lawyers Association” GYLA and “Agora CE” NGO.The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
In the future the Armenian Young Lawyers Association will organize such meeting in one urban community of Lori region. Such kind of two meetings will be orgnized by the Georgian partner, Young Lawyers Association in SamtskheJabakheti region of Georgia respectively in facilitated World Café format. The main aim of them is to raise the problem of citizensparticipation in the decision making process of the Local Self Governance Bodies and the control over the activities and try to solve them through the implementation of legislative reforms in the Local Self Governance sphere.
