Democratization: Civil Society and Democratic Governance was called upon to facilitate this process and was requested to organize a regional expertlevel meeting in 2007. II. Supporting political parties The effective representation of citizens requires responsive political parties. Political parties are indispensable instruments in democratic societies for aggregating and representing citizens’ interests and priorities in a common policy platform. In 2006, the ODIHR completed piloting a methodology for developing the capacity for critical self-assessment within political parties in order to strategize their development more effectively. The ODIHR is conducting a pilot project in Georgia; it has engaged all six main political parties; a leading Tbilisi think tank, the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Development and Democracy (CIPDD); and the Netherlands Institute for Multi-party Democracy (NIMD) in a joint interactive assessment project. Following the change of government in November 2003, the political scene in Georgia presented an opportunity for assisting a modern multiparty framework. The purpose of the project was for Georgia’s political parties to define themselves more clearly by addressing questions related to their party history, identity, philosophy, structure, procedures, and membership. The parties looked at themselves critically and identified ways of modernizing and democratizing their structures, and also examined interaction among themselves. This exercise resulted in the publication of a book entitled The Political Landscape in Georgia, which was officially presented in Georgia and during the SHDM in November. The publication has since been integrated into the Political Science curriculum at the University of Tbilisi. This analysis provided local and foreign analysts, international donors, and organizations with a better understanding of the background and political forces at work in the country and has served as a catalyst for refining discussions on the current political situation. The 34 Annual Report  publication also offers recommendations on needs and strategies to further develop effective political parties. Based upon these recommendations, the ODIHR implemented throughout 2006 (and will continue to do so throughout 2007) a multipronged programme of activities requested by the parties themselves. These include a series of tailor-made workshops on: 1) regional party politics; 2) strategic planning; 3) party funding, including training of trainers and the development of an interactive web-based tool (VoteMatch) to assist voters in finding information about party programmes; and 4) stimulating inter-party dialogue at the highest level. The continuity of the engagement of the three partners, since early 2005, has developed a momentum based on an authentic commitment for further co-operation and multilateral dialogue between the parties involved in the programme. The Georgian parties participating in the programme have realized that an authentic multi-party system requires the involvement of all stakeholders in all phases of its development and consolidation. Legal frameworks, rules and procedures, traditions and practices need to be debated and, where necessary, negotiated by all parties involved and not by only a part of the political spectrum. Through a consistent multi-party approach, opposing parties have become aware of their common cause in building an effective political-party framework together. Other participating States have indicated that they are interested in developing similar programmes based on this methodology. III. Building local capacity for political analysis One of the fundamental elements of sound democratic governance is a broad and wellinformed public debate on government policies. Such a debate can only be effective if participants (such as journalists, politicians and academics, as well as the public at large) have necessary information at their disposal. Such debates serve a number of purposes that are