Conference on Participatory Democracy at Local Level in Yerevan

YEREVAN, JUNE 17, ARMENPRESS.On June 19 2013 a Conference on Participatory Democracy at Local Level will be held in Yerevan (Institute of Ancient Manuscripts – address). The conference is organized under the Armenian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in close co-operation with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

It will address the issues related to participatory democracy at local level, in particular the current situation in member states, the role of participatory democracy in improving the efficiency of local authorities and the ways of strengthening participatory democracy at local level. The Conference will also be a good opportunity for an exchange of good practice and the progress achieved in member States of the Council of Europe.

Herwig van Staa, President of the Congress, Vice-Presidents and members of the Congress, as well as Armen Gevorgyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Territorial Administration of Armenia, representatives of other relevant state structures, local self-government bodies, civil society as well as international and local experts will participate in the Conference.

The discussions will be organized around three main topics, the role of direct participation for today’s democracy, combining direct and representative participatory models of democracy and new forms of civic participation and e-democracy.

Conclusions of the three sessions will be drawn at the end of the conference which will be closed by President van Staa and a representative of the Armenian authorities.

The conference is open for the media.

On the eve, 18 June, the Congress will hold its Bureau meeting in Yerevan (National Library) at the invitation of the Armenian Chairmanship. The Bureau is the political and executive body of the Congress.

Herwig van Staa and Vache Terteryan, First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Territorial Administration, will hold a press conference at 11.00 the same day in the National Library.

In the same context, Herwig van Staa, will hold bilateral meetings with high-level representatives of the government and the parliament, including Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Deputy-Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and the President of the Armenian National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan.