Democratization: Civil Society and Democratic Governance Ghia Nodia, Director of the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development, one of the ODIHR’s partners in a pilot project on the institutional development of OSCE political parties in Georgia. this work will result in the publication of an analytical report in 2006. This will include a thorough analysis and background of current political frameworks and also detail the strategic steps to be taken to strengthen the democratic practices of party structures. This pilot project has already had a number of important first results: k Political parties have been involved as full stakeholders in this process, thereby allowing them to assume ownership of its progress and success; k The interactive assessment has led to an enhanced capacity among parties for internal critical thinking; and k The exercise has effectively demonstrated that multi-party co-operation is not only possible but also seen as desirable. This pilot project has already received the attention of other participating States and OSCE field operations. An assessment mission has already been carried out in Moldova, and other such missions are planned. II. Improving capacity for parliamentary reform Just as the democratic development of political parties can be rendered more challenging by local customs, traditions, and rules, parliamen- 32 tary reform entails more than a simple combination of capacity-building, developing rules and procedures, and training parliamentary staff and members of parliament. To be sustainable, it requires a well-developed local vision and strategy for both the mid- and long term. Parliaments want to develop more space and capacity to research and discuss their identity and position within society, including how they can best interact internally, as well as with external institutions and groups. Most important, parliaments undergoing reform should be in a position to develop their own roadmap and to retain full ownership of their reform processes. This strategic capacity is often weak in a number of parliaments in the OSCE region facing complex reform agendas. To address this deficiency, the ODIHR, in a second pilot project in the field of democratic governance in 2005, assisted the Georgian parliament in setting up a Centre for Parliamentary Reform. Georgia was a clear choice for such an initiative for several reasons: the existence of strong local political will to see through an ambitious programme of parliamentary reform; a multitude of donors and international actors; and a relative lack of strong internal capacity for planning and co-ordinating reform. The project was developed through an agree- ANNUAL REPORT 2005