A Journey of Continuous Improvement in Georgian Municipalities

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Since 2020, OGP Local has welcomed eleven new local members from the Eastern Partnership region; in 2020, we welcomed Akhaltsikhe, Khoni, and Ozurgeti in Georgia; Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia and Ternopil in Ukraine and Vanadzor and Gyumri in Armenia, and in 2022 Kutaisi and Rustavi from Georgia and Armavir and Yerevan from Armenia joined the Partnership.

Ozurgeti and Khoni are two municipalities in Georgia that joined OGP Local in 2020. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and with local elections looming in the near future, Khoni and Ozurgeti government and civil society managed to co-create a one-year action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... that included commitments on involving people with disabilitiesA government is not open unless it is accessible to all, and governments are working to ensure people with disabilities are afforded equitable services and opportunities to participate. Technical spec... in decision making (Khoni), increasing fiscal openness (Ozurgeti) and improving access to public services to marginalized communities (both). By the end of 2021, both municipalities had implemented their commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... and submitted all their evaluation and learning reports. 

Ozurgeti and Khoni set out to be more inclusive and reach out to new stakeholders and invite them to be part of the co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive... for their 2022 action plan. Khoni kicked off their co-creation process inviting organizations that had participated in the previous action plan but also including youthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... groups, teacher representatives, private sectorGovernments are working to open private sector practices as well — including through beneficial ownership transparency, open contracting, and regulating environmental standards. Technical specificat... and a group representing internally displaced persons. This kick-off meeting was held in a center for the integration of internally displaced persons which symbolizes nicely the intention of City Hall and the civil society organizations leading on the OGP Local process to be more inclusive to stakeholders in Khoni. 

Representatives from civil society, youth groups, school teachers and private sector listen to Mayor Mr. Lado Jurkhadze explain the OGP Local process.PHOTO: Khoni Municipality

Ozurgeti also wants to improve their co-creation process by being more inclusive. They have planned a series of citizen consultations which kicked off in a meeting with the Vice-mayor, the Chair of the Local Council, Council Persons and youth from local schools. The event was held in Ozurgeti’s Innovation Center, a space where young people can build their capacities to be more innovative and entrepreneurial. 

A Councilwoman of Ozurgeti’s Sakrebulo, a civil society representative and students brainstorm ideas on how to make their government more accountable.PHOTO: Municipality of Ozurgeti

Khoni and Ozurgeti have just started their co-creation processes and still have more work to do before they submit their new action plan and commitments; however, they are committed to continuing improving how City Hall and the Local Council respond to the needs of their citizens, by being more transparent, creating spaces for citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More, and being more accountable for their actions.