The City of Helsinki Democracy Group has completed its work, and their task has been passed on to Helsinki City Board, which will discuss the matter in late April. Relevant boards and committees have been requested to review the Democracy Group’s final report.

Helsinki City Board has established Democracy Group to compile various democracy initiatives in the city, aiming to enhance opportunities for citizen participation. The group compiles the many activities in the city administration that advance democracy into one consistent democracy project.

Democracy Group’s activities stem from the strategy programme 2009-2012 approved by Helsinki City Council, particularly from the programme’s section Democracy and Participation. The group is a short-term body whose term extends from the beginning of April 2011 to year-end 2011.

The tasks laid out in the strategy programme are:

• To create opportunities for direct democracy such as referendums
• To improve the operational basis of citizen organizations and political parties
• To seek to test good practices of participatory democracy during the current Council term
• To build online services for electronic feedback and participation that allow citizens to become involved in the development of the city
• To improve citizen’s opportunities to review preparatory work and decision making
• To advance and support young people’s own, self-conceived projects
• To organize regional service panels in various districts to gather resident feedback on core services