Tbilisi City Hall open governance

Tbilisi City Hall has presented its Open Government Partnership Tbilisi Action Plan 2017, a document which envisages steps that will provide open and more affective governance in the capital city.

The document was written with the support of local NGOs and foreign organisations, and included five key commitments that could make the functioning of the local government more transparent and effective.

The five key commitments were as follows:

Encouraging a multi-discipline mechanism of Open Government and Civic Participation, and the development of Information and Civic Activities portal called 'Smart Map'.

The introduction of a Petition System to Tbilisi City Hall, specifically electronic petitions.

Interactive accessibility to budget spending and introduction of civil control.

Implementation of Participatory Budget Mechanism, with the involvement of the public and all interested sides.

The introduction of civic control and accessibility mechanisms for municipal services.

The activities of Tbilisi City Hall are very frequently criticized by the opposition and the civil sector. In addition, a large portion of the public are also unhappy with the current situation in terms of road infrastructure, city development, ecological issues and parking problems.

Despite the fact the City Hall claims they are doing everything in line with the law, the ecological situation in Tbilisi remains problematic.

Construction issues have also become a matter of public concern, as Tbilisi has practically turned into a place of blocks of flats without enough breathing space.

The drafting of such a document is a positive step, However, it will depend on how is it will be implemented.