The Conference will be spread over two days. On the first day the participants will be invited to discuss the Polish experience of decentralization and local government reform. Discussion will focus around both the successes and the shortcomings of the Polish experience with especial reference for what it has to offer to the ongoing transition in parts of Europe and beyond.

The second day of our event will consist of a workshop session exploring the possibility of creating a Network in Support of Decentralisation in the countries of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. The idea of the network is to create a body which can support the UN-HABITAT "International Guidelines on Decentralisation and the Strengthening of Local Authorities" and the "International Guidelines on Access to Basic Services". The workshop will discuss self-assessment instruments for monitoring progress and initiatives for supporting countries who are or may in the future be seeking assistance with their decentralization efforts.

The participants of the conference are expected to be: central government officials, local government representatives, experts and representatives of NGOs. The conference will be held in the English language with translation available on the first day into the Polish language.

Registration form for participation in the conference is available at http://www.habitat.ezapisy.pl

The list of proposed hotels with the prices negotiated and rooms pre-booked will be available from the 12th of August on the FSLD and UN-Habitat websites. Travel and/or accomodation will NOT be funded by the conference.

21.06.2010