FSLD's Activity in Caucasus and Central Asia

The most important activities in Caucasus and Central Asia:

Armenia

Azerbaidjan

Georgia

Kazakhstan





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ARMENIA

A study tour for a group of employees of the Armenian National Assembly to the Polish Parliament (2002):
The visit took place on 13 - 20 October 2002 within the USAID Armenia Legislative Strengthening Program. The purpose of the visit was to become familiar with the structure and functions of the Polish Parliament, especially the work of the Chancellery of the Sejm and Senate. The delegation was composed of 11 employees of Armenian National Assembly who represented various departments of the Assembly's chancellery, including the chief of the chancellery and Armenian co-ordinator of the project from USAID in Armenia.

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AZERBAIDJAN


The Increase of Involvement of the Individual Actors of Public Life in Drawing Up a Municipal Budget:
Between 2006 and 2007, the FSLD implements this project. Its objective is to share experiences from drawing up transparent municipal budgets actively involving local communities with the local authorities of the Sheki region. The project is implemented in partnership with the ULUCHAY Charity Society from Sheki, Azerbaijan, within the framework of the regional East-East Programme of the Open Society network, and financed from the Stefan Batory Foundation' and the FSLD's funds.

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GEORGIA


1. Study tour as an element of the programme of Swedish Association of Local Authorities (2000):
In June/July 2000 the FSLD Training Centre in Szczecin organised a study tour for 16 representatives of local governments from Georgia. The Georgian group was acquainted with and compared the structure and system of local government in Sweden and Poland.

2. Study tour of MPICC (Georgia) new trainers - consultants (2001):
In April 2001 FSLD organized a study tour for 8 local government trainers from Georgia. The tour was an element of a comprehensive training program - a subproject of the decentralization program implemented by the Government of Georgia with assistance from the World Bank. During a training program the participants completed two-month courses in Georgia and took part in study tours in Poland and France.

3. The principles of the decentralisation process and opportunities for reforming regional policy in Georgia - on the basis of Polish experiences from local government reforms (2004-2005):
The project was aimed at presenting experiences from the Polish political decentralisation reform and the functioning of local governments to Georgian parliament members representing the newly established Commission for the Effective Management System Reform and Local Order, the representatives of Georgian local government institutions and NGOs. A project implemented by the Management Board Office within the framework of the RITA programme.

4. The role of the media in decentralisation and implementation of reforms in Georgia - recommendations based on Polish experiences (2005):
A study tour for Georgian journalists and the representatives of the PR department of the parliament and the mayor's office in Tbilisi, organised in May and June 2005 and financed from the RITA programme. The tour was aimed at providing knowledge on decentralisation in Poland, familiarising Georgian journalists with the specificity of Polish transformation in the media as regards political, economic, social and technological conditions, providing knowledge and specific examples of the role of the media in implementing Polish reforms as well as getting familiar with journalist practice in co-operation with the central and local government and good practices in the municipalities' information policy.

5. Introduction of active teaching methods into training for public administration officials and the representatives of NGOs, preparation for project management (2005):
A project implemented by the Management Board Office in co-operation with the Georgian Association of Local Government Practitioners (SATMA) from the funds of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (August-September 2005). The project was aimed at improving the efficiency of training offered by SATMA to public administration officials and the representatives of NGOs.

6. Preparation for Drawing Up a Participation-Based Strategy of Socio-Economic Development for the City of Kutaisi on the Basis of Polish Experiences from Selected Local Governments and NGOs (2006):
A study visit to Poland financed by the Stefan Batory Foundation within the framework of the East-East Programme was a response to the request of the mayor of the City of Kutaisi. A seven-day study visit to Poland took place in October 2006. Its participants were ten representatives of regional and local authorities, NGOs, and members of a special task force established in order to implement the local government reform in the Imereti Region.

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KAZAKHSTAN


1. Consultations on decentralisation of the local government system (2000):
As part of co-operation between the two countries, in December 2000 professor Jerzy Regulski visited Kazakhstan to provide consultations on decentralisation of the local government system to the government of that country.

2. Educating Educators for Civil Society and Democracy in Kazakhstan (2001):
FSLD is extending cooperation with the Government of Kazakhstan, providing technical assistance in the area of methods used in this country to introduce democratic reforms. In 2001 FSLD experts from the Pomerania-Kujawy Training Center in Bydgoszcz and the Training Center in Szczecin went to Kazakhstan to share their experience in the local government reform in Poland and use of democratic methods of management at various levels of central and local government structures - from the parliament to the gmina council.

3. Co-operation with regional training centers (2002):
In January 2002 a study tour for directors of eight Kazakh training centres and representatives of International City/County Management Association (IMCA) was organized at the Foundation's Office in Warsaw and two training centres - in Bydgoszcz and Szczecin.
During that visit the guests were familiarized with the activities, structure and functions of FSLD, the local government system in Poland, development of civil service in Poland, and in particular with the system of training for civil servants and the role of NGOs in this process.