Communities Empowered for Local Decision-Making (CELD)

The Communities Empowered for Local Decision-Making (CELD) Activity in Georgia is the flagship program of USAID/Georgia focusing on Strategic Objective (SO) 2.31 More Effective, Responsive, and Accountable Local Governance and Intermediate Result (IR) 2.31.3 Improved capacity of Local Communities to Engage Local Government to strengthen communities capacity to rebuild essential services, restore incomes and empower all citizens of Georgia to have an effective voice in government.

CELD is designed to achieve community level impact by using a bottom-up approach to systematically assist Georgian communities to nurture democratic reform efforts.

Georgias democratic development depends upon having local governments capable of delivering services while being responsive and accountable to citizens.

This activity will provide a grassroots network of reformed communities linked to and supportive of reform-minded organizations and leaders at the national level.

In addition CELD will simultaneously engage the central Government of Georgia to provide technical assistance in support of their efforts to meet the demand of local communities for more devolution of power from the central to the region, rayon, and local levels.