Session at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

As part of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, a session titled "Democratic Belarus: Institutions, Representation, and Preparing for Democratic Change" brought together around 30 participants, including former political prisoners, civil society activists, representatives of Belarusian democratic political forces, and experts. We are proud to note that approximately half of the participants are members of the Personnel Reserve initiative.

The first session was led by Aliaksandra Mamaeva, who presented the system of international representation of the Belarusian democratic forces, their cooperation with European institutions, and encouraged participants to actively use these opportunities to promote the Belarusian agenda and strengthen international advocacy.

The second session focused on preparing for the transition period and the future of a democratic Belarus. Yury Hubarevich, Coordinator of the Personnel Reserve initiative and a member of the Coordination Council, outlined why preparations for democratic change must begin today.

"Local self-government is not merely one level of public administration. It is at the local level that people first experience their ability to influence decisions affecting their everyday lives. That is why reforming local self-government must become one of the key pillars of a future democratic Belarus."

Yury Hubarevich also emphasized that the success of future democratic transformation depends not only on new legislation, but also on the people who will implement it:

"Preparing for democratic change is not only about drafting new laws. It is also about preparing the people who will serve in new institutions, make responsible decisions, and implement reforms at both the national and local levels. This is precisely why we are developing the Personnel Reserve initiative."

Meetings like this help bring together experts, representatives of democratic forces, and future leaders to prepare for democratic transformation. The goal is to ensure that Belarus is equipped not only with a vision for reform, but also with capable and well-prepared professionals ready to turn that vision into reality.