The last workshop of the project “Active Cities Active Citizens” took place at the municipal conservatory "Odysseas Dimitriadis" on April 18, 2024. The workshop focused on sustainable mobility and it was organized by the Lead Partner of the project, the municipality of Kallithea.
Ioannis Emirzas, the deputy mayor of the city, welcomed the participants on behalf of the municipality of Kallithea and presented the legal framework of public consultations in Greece and the work of the Public Consultation Committee, which constitutes an important advisory body of the municipality.
Mr. Emirzas referred extensively to the example of the public consultation held in Kallithea in the context of the traffic study and development of the surrounding area of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, which welcomes more than 7 million visitors a year. "More than 1,000 citizens participated in the consultation and their observations were transferred to the services which incorporated them into the final design" said the Deputy Mayor.
Then the project partners exchanged views on their experiences in implementing public consultations in their country and the involvement of civil society during an interactive workshop that was coordinated by a professional moderator from System&G.
In the form of a world café the partners discussed consecutively how local authorities can ensure active participation of stakeholders, NGOs, and citizens in public consultations and how to prepare their services to better implement them.
At the end of the workshop each table moderator presented the results of the discussion in the plenary and partners had the opportunity to ask questions and get some clear ideas and best practices from the workshop.
Some key points identified during the workshop:
“NGOs involvement is strongly encouraged as a sign of democracy and transparency, but those with relevant competencies and knowledge should be prioritised. Collaboration between NGOs and the public sector can be beneficial for both sides”.
“Planning and implementing civic engagement require thorough research and adaptation of the means to the relevant target groups. Social media, traditional voting, workshops, exhibitions, awards and more can be used to activate and engage the citizens”.
“Stakeholders can be institutions, unions, NGOs, political parties, and more. Their participation in public consultations should be recognized and appreciated as they can contribute with their expertise and knowledge. But clear targets and goals should be established beforehand for their participation”.
“Citizens’ participation should be encouraged at all different policy issues. But it is clear that citizens engagement follows different methods than stakeholders’ engagement as more interactive tools are needed to attract their attention”.
Mr. Emirzas stated: “Citizen participation is a foundation for democracy at the local level. Through our collaboration within the program we are looking for new ways to involve citizens in the decision-making process, to hear their voice and to strengthen it. As a municipal authority, we are determined to move forward with them."
After the end of the event the partners received a guided tour to the building of the Hellenic Parliament.
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