Ozurgeti CSO Raises Capacity in Strategic Community Planning

Local government budgets are often based on short-term annual cycles, which poses a challenge to addressing long-term community needs. To improve the ef-fectiveness of public services in addressing these needs, the Ozurgeti Young Scientists Club (OYSC) worked with local government institutions in Lanchkhuti and Ozurgeti to improve long-term planning strategies.

According to Mindia Salukhvadze, the Head of OYSC, connecting annual budg-ets to a long-term plan is vitally important for meeting community needs. “Long-term strategic development plans are required which would give them oppor-tunity to spend their money more effectively,” Ms. Salukhvadze said.

„ოზურგეთის ახალგაზრდა მეცნიერთა კლუბი“ საჯარო მოხელეებს ადგილობრივი მმართველობის პროცესებში მოქალაქეთა მონაწილეობის შესახებ ტრენინგს უტარებს/The Ozurgeti Young Scientists Club conducts a training for public managers on citizen participation in local government.

OYSC targeted the managers of pre-schools, museums, departments of public works (including parks maintenance and street lighting), the Local Tourism Cen-ter, and the Agro-business Center to increase the transparency, accountability, and effectiveness of these institutions.

OYSC identified these particular institutions because together they constitute approximately one-third of the annual budgets in Ozurgeti and Lanchkhuti.

Through advocacy efforts that included teaming with other local CSOs and conducting public awareness campaigns in the media, OYSC succeeded in devel-oping official partnerships with six government institutions in Lanchkhuti and Ozurgeti.
OYCS held group consultations and trainings about citizen participation in pub-lic planning with these institutions, and worked with them to develop long-term strategic plans to guide annual budgets. The Lanchkhuti and Ozurgeti local councils later approved these strategic plans.

The project improved local government capacity in strategic planning and public management, and improved local government cooperation with local CSOs. OYSC and local government officials have an official agreement to develop simi-lar plans for six other government institutions in the coming year.

EWMI G-PAC funded OYSC’s project through the Citizens’ Advocacy Grant Program.