The BePART Forum is a joint initiative of the Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity (DGII)/Division of Elections and Participatory Democracy, the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations (CINGO) and of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
The Division of Elections and Participatory Democracy promotes and assists the implementation of standards and mechanisms to engage citizens in political decision-making at all levels in Council of Europe member States. Working together with public authorities on different governance levels and representatives of civil society of all sectors, the Division encourages and supports key stakeholders to initiate processes that allow citizens to make their voices heard and to shape political decisions, additionally to the participation in elections.
Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations (CINGO)
The Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) of the Council of Europe is the voice of Civil Society in the organisation. As the representative body of the INGOs enjoying participatory status with the Council of Europe, the Conference facilitates the participation of organised civil society in the work of the Council of Europe. It serves as a platform where civil society can interact with the Council of Europe in the attainment of its goals. It also promotes participatory democracy, active citizenship and freedom of association.
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is an institution of the Council of Europe, responsible for strengthening local and regional democracy in its 46 member States and assessing the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. As the voice of Europe’s municipalities and regions, it works to foster consultation and political dialogue between national governments and local and regional authorities, through cooperation with the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.
The Congress is made up of two chambers: the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions. It has 306 representatives and 306 substitutes, all appointed for five years, representing over 130,000 local and regional authorities in the Council of Europe’s 46 member States. The Congress’s work is organised with three committees: a Monitoring Committee, a Governance Committee and a Current Affairs Committee.
BePART Forum is developed by the ISIG. The Institute of International Sociology of Gorizia is a non-profit cultural institution founded in 1968. ISIG works in the fields of research, planning, consultancy, training for local development, international cooperation and the promotion of peaceful coexistence.