Context
Since 2009, as part of the Eastern Partnership, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia have been committed to promoting, democracy, the rule of law and economic development through national reforms. In ratifying the European Charter of Local Self-Government, Armenia and Georgia have pledged to respect self-determination at the local level and make public administration more competent, democratic and responsive to citizens’ needs.
The German Government has been supporting corresponding reform efforts in the South Caucasus since 2005. However, with regard to the quality and provision of local public services, there is still much work to be done. In rural and remote regions, in particular, access to such services is often insufficient.
Objective
Public institutions in the South Caucasus are better equipped to provide citizen-oriented services.
Approach
The programme is strengthening the capabilities of the public authorities and personnel in state institutions and promoting regional and local administrations. It focuses on the following measures:
- It supports the optimisation of legal and institutional framework conditions for citizen-oriented services.
- It develops the capacities of key actors for citizen-oriented services and implements mechanisms for citizen participation as well as for gender sensitive service delivery.
- The programme supports procedures, institutions and instruments related to regional development and local economic development.
In addition to support from Germany, the programme is co-financed in Armenia by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and in Georgia by the European Union. In addition to the implementation of support services of municipalities hosting displaced Armenians from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the activities in Georgia focus since March 2023 on the implementation of the EU-co-financed component.
Last update: February 2025