On October 24, 2023, Dusheti Municipality City Hall held a reporting meeting with the population of Dusheti, where the Mayor of Dusheti Municipality introduced the 2024 budget project and priorities to the local population, the development of which was preceded by the organization of a population forum (innovative model of the general meeting of the settlement) of the municipality’s 100- with the participation of more than

At the forum, residents evaluated the current year’s budget,

discussed the problems in the municipality, prepared ideas, and presented recommendations for the next year’s budget. In total, 45 ideas were proposed as recommendations to the local self-government. The ideas were related to infrastructure development, culture and arts, education, agriculture development, tourism development and entrepreneurship, environment protection, defense, social issues, sports, and youth. Out of 45 ideas submitted by the population, 12 were considered in the 2024 budget.

All persons who participated in the population forum were invited to the reporting meeting. Information about the event was also provided to other residents of the municipality, who did not attend the forum but are interested in getting to know the next year’s budget. The meeting had a format of presentation and later discussion. The population had the opportunity to talk face to face, discuss, and hear from the decision-makers about future plans and arguments about their planned priorities and the approved budget.

The forum was held within the framework of the project Fostering Decentralization and Good Governance at the Local Level in Georgia (DGG) implemented by the Education Development and Employment Center (EDEC) with the Financial support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It aims to increase the role of citizen participation, especially of young people and women in the municipalities of Baghdati, Ambrolauri, and Dusheti, in the process of decision and local policy-making, by promoting open dialogue between citizens and decision-makers in local self-government and introducing an effective model of engagement.