Beşiktaş Achieves European Council’s Local Democracy Award!

The Beşiktaş Municipality has been awarded with the "Partner of the European Local Democracy Week" by the European Council…

As part of the European Local Democracy Week coordinated by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, our Municipality has been awarded the title of "Partner of the European Local Democracy Week" this year, too in recognition of our commitment to the promotion of local democracy and citizen participation through the projects and events we carried out with in 2020.

The European Local Democracy Week Annual Coordination Meeting was held online on Friday, February 26, 2021 this year due to the pandemic. At the meeting, 16 municipalities from the member countries of the European Council (Turkey, Portugal, Ukraine, Tunisia, Romania, Serbia and Sweden), made a presentation about their activities that won them the award. The activities our Municipality carried out as part of the ELDW were explained by F. Ekin Danacı, who is the Project Coordinator of our Foreign Affairs Directorate.

The activities and practices we carried out in 2020 which have brought us the Partner of the European Local Democracy Week include; 

- Public Health Digital Management Center,

- Online Medical Consultation Service

- Waste Mask and Glove Boxes,

- Solidarity Boxes,

- Equality Starts at Home Campaign,

- Beşiktaş Municipality Draws Attention to the Istanbul Convention and Murders of Women,

- Barbaros Square hosts Modular City Park,

- Antistress Movement

After the end of the presentations, the certificates were presented online to the representatives of the winning municipalities.

Having achieved the same title last year, our municipality had received the 2019 Partner of the European Local Democracy Week award in Strasbourg with the participation of our Mayor Mr. Rıza Akpolat. Stating that he was honored to receive this meaningful award once again, the Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat said, "Beşiktaş will continue to be an exemplary district in terms of democracy, participation and accountability in our country and to contribute to the struggle for democracy in our country. As a district where we try to put the democratic life into practice with all institutions and rules, Beşiktaş will continue to set an exemplary model through new and original practices as a municipality where the will of the people is always reflected in all administration processes.

About ELDW:

The European Local Democracy Week (ELDW), launched in 2007 as an initiative of the Council of Europe and its Congress, is held annually around October 15th by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, with the purpose of commemorating the European Charter of Local Self-Government signed on October 15th, 1985 and raising citizens' awareness of and participation in local democracy in Europe.

During the week, local elected representatives and citizens across the member states of the Council of Europe are brought together at public events and discussions to meet and engage with their citizens on issues of current interest and are fostered to develop targeted programs and activities according to their own priorities. The local governments attending the event are awarded with the tittle of ‘Partner of the European Local Democracy Week’ by the Council of Europe. The organization also aims to promote and support democratic participation on local level.