Tbilisi. On International Human Rights Day, December 10, the opening event of IDFI’s Winter School "Rule of Law and Human Rights" was held. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-year law school students of the universities authorized in Georgia participate in the winter school. The following important issues will be discussed within the scope of the school: the principle of separation of powers, constitutional control and litigation, the independence of the judiciary, open governance and accountability of the government, freedom of information, the right to private and family life, the role of the Public Defender and the State Inspector’s service, freedom of expression. Read more…  Source: The webpage of the organization

Tbilisi. According to the information of Rondeli Foundation the training programme for Georgia's future civil service leaders has been launched. “The first lecture on national security was conducted by Giorgi Bilanishvili, a research fellow at the Rondeli Foundation. The director of the Eesti Diplomaatide Kool/Estonian School of Diplomacy, Mr. Ekke Nõmm has welcomed the first cohort of the programme virtually”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. On November 27-28, a seminar on child rights for parliamentarians and the Permanent Parliamentary Council on Child Rights was organized by the Parliament of Georgia and UNICEF. “The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, its basic principles, and general implementation mechanisms were discussed at the seminar”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Kakheti. On November 18-22, 2021 Rondeli Foundation organized another round of the regional training program Youth for Changes, this time in Telavi. During five days, the young activists representing Kakheti region got acquainted with the key foreign and domestic policy issues, as well as political ideologies and electoral processes in Georgia. The project also promotes skill development in areas of policy analysis and advocacy. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia is responding to the statement made by Gigi Ugulava during a rally on November 9, 2021, which poses a threat to the child's psycho-emotional state and violates the best interest of the child- to be protected from any form of violence. The Public Defender emphasizes that it is inadmissible to use children, their personal lives and family status as tools of political debate. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI) publishes an analysis of decisions made by the National Communications Commission on the issue of protection of rights of children. The organization has reviewed decisions made in regard to unsuitable programs for minors and considers that the Commission finds it difficult to set specific standards for general and, in some cases, vague perceptions stipulated by law. Read more… Source: gdi.ge

Tbilisi. UNICEF Georgia releases an article: Four things you can do to support your teen’s mental health. Whether you and your teen are getting along well or having challenges, it is important to show that you love and support them, that you can help them navigate tough times and that you are always there for them. Here are four things to keep in mind when having that ‘how-are-you-doing?’ conversation with your teen and to show that you are always there for them. Encourage them to share their feelings Take the time to support them Work through conflict together Care for yourself Read more… Source: www.unicef.org

Children and young people could feel the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health and well-being for many years to come, UNICEF warned in its flagship report today. “According to the latest available estimates, more than 1 in 7 adolescents aged 10–19 is estimated to live with a diagnosed mental disorder globally. Almost 46,000 adolescents die from suicide each year, among the top five causes of death for their age group. Meanwhile, wide gaps persist between mental health needs and mental health funding. The report finds that about 2 per cent of government health budgets are allocated to mental health spending globally”. Read the press release... Source: www.unicef.org

Ajara. The Civil Society Institute and the Khelvachauri Youth Center, within the framework of the “First time at the self-government elections” campaign, invite young people to meetings that aim at raising their awareness about activities and importance of self-government, strengthening the role of young people in self-government development, and supporting participation in the elections.  October 2, 2021 is a day when the self-government elections take place and it is important to ensure that as many young people as possible, especially those who participate in the elections for the first time, make an informed choice.  The meeting schedule is as follows: September 28 - 14:00 – Machakhela Village, at the Tskhemlara Bridge; 16:00 – Charnali Village, at the garden. September 29 - 14:00 - Online meeting with young people of the Khelvachauri center. Link   The “First time at the self-government elections” campaign is implemented by the Civil Society Institute within the framework of the “Building a Robust Alliance of Local Development Actors in Georgia” (Phase Two) project, with the support of a German organization “Bread for the World” and in collaboration with the Youth Center of Khelvachauri Municipality.  Read more…  Source: The website of the organization

Tbilisi. According to information released by Social Justice Center, deprivation of the right of ethnic Georgians to receive education in their own language in Gali took the most severe forms. “Restriction of studies in the native language for Georgian schoolchildren in the Gali district is a problem not only by cause of its discriminatory and assimilative content but also in terms of development of pupils and young people. Due to the fact that schoolchildren speak Megrelian or Georgian at home, while study all subjects in Russian and learn Abkhazian along with foreign languages at school, they cannot speak any of those languages fluently as a result”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. Within the framework of the “First time at the self-government elections” campaign, an online meeting with young people living in Batumi, Shuakhevi, Khelvachauri, Ozurgeti, Chokhatauri, and Gori municipalities was held on September 9 and 10. The purpose of the meeting was to clarify the essence of self-governance, competencies, forms of citizen participation, and electoral procedures for young people, especially those for whom the 2021 self-government elections are the first elections. The “First time at the self-government elections” campaign consists of various stages and serves personal development of young people, enhancement of their role, and encouragement to participate in local self-government activities. The campaign is implemented by the Civil Society Institute (CSI) within the framework of the project - “Building a Robust Alliance of Local Development Actors in Georgia” (Phase II), with the support of a German organization - “Bread for the World” and in partnership with youth centers operating in target municipalities as well as with Innovation and Civil Development Center - “Progress House”. Read more…  Source: The website of the organization

Young Georgians and Ossetians from across the conflict divide worked jointly to create over 100 posters, blogs, graphic comics, quizzes, videos, and animations reflecting life in their communities.   The artwork and written stories are presented at the web platform House of Peace, developed by the non-governmental ‘Coalition for IDPs’ Rights’ with support from the European Union in Georgia and UNDP Georgia.  Read more…   Source: The webpage of the organization

Adjara. On the 12th of August, Natia Loladze, the President of the Georgia Red Cross Society attended the “Regional Youth Forum” in Adjara which was supported by the Youth Agency, the European Union, the United Nations Populations Fund, and the local partners. „Participants of the meeting discussed the “National Youth Strategy 2025” and set up the future goals for strengthening the individual development of the Youth, supporting their education, and encouraging their involvement in the civil activities“. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI) has completed a three-year project - “Fostering Religious Tolerance and Cultural Diversity in Public Schools of Georgia” implemented from September 2018 with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Georgia. The project aimed to raise awareness of cultural diversity, tolerance, and equality in public schools, improving the content of the school curriculum and textbooks. Read more… Source: tdi.ge

Tbilisi. On August 2-7, 2021, the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) and State Inspector's Service held the joint summer school on personal data protection. “Third- and fourth-year students, also master students of the School of Law of Authorized Universities in Georgia, attended the summer school.188 candidates participated in the competition, of which IDFI and the State Inspector's Office selected 20 students based on pre-defined evaluation criteria and interviews. Within the school, the participants were introduced to the issues related to personal data protection”. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. On August 6, Education Development and Employment Center was held an online meeting with regional hubs within the “Civil Society STAR Initiative: CSOs as Sustainable, Transparent, Accountable and Resilient Development Actors in Georgia” project. The meeting aimed to introduce and discuss the planned activities for the establishment and development of the Youth Councils. Learn more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Public Defender of Georgia publishes a special report: “The Administration of Justice on Crimes of Sexual Abuse and Sexual Exploitation of Children”.  “The study of Public Defender’s Office revealed that, State does not have services specifically focused on rehabilitation or provision of support to child victims of sexual abuse, which would allow relevant professionals to plan long-term work with both children and their families. The currently available state services are drastically inconsistent with the needs existing in the country”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. UNICEF Georgia is calling all interested civil society organizations, international and national non-governmental organizations having a focus on children and adolescents, to register and build their profiles at www.unpartnerportal.org. A newly launched “United Nations Partner Portal’, is a platform collectively used by UNICEF, UNHCR and WFP globally to manage partnerships. All civil society organizations, international and national non-governmental organizations that wish to be considered for partnership opportunities with UNICEF need to register and create a profile in the UN Partner Portal. Read more… Source: www.unicef.org

Tbilisi. On June 30, 2021, the Public Defender of Georgia submitted a list of issues relating to the protection of the rights of the child to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (for the 90th pre-sessional working group meeting). Ombudsman indicates in the document that the ineffectiveness of the prevention of child suicide, response to domestic violence and child care system remains a challenge in Georgia in terms of the protection of the right to life. She also notes that the State fails to identify victims of sexual violence in a timely manner or to take effective measures to support and rehabilitate them. The Public Defender focuses on the extreme poverty of children in the country, the needs of children living and working on the streets, and the challenges faced by children with disabilities. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Kakheti. Based on a quiz conducted by the Rondeli Foundation, an award ceremony was held on July 1, 2021, in Village Jokolo, Akhmeta Municipality. “Winners received awards such as laptops, tabs and smartphones. The project - Community Youth Engagement in Pankisi and Khulo - is implemented by the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies with the support of the US Embassy in Georgia and aims to raise civic awareness and informal education among young people (14-18-year-olds) in Pankisi Gorge and Khulo Municipality”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. On June 29 graduation ceremony for the class of 2020 and welcoming reception for the new group of the program Capacity Building of the Georgian Leadership Community (CBGL) was held. “The Series of Policy Documents 2020 were distributed among the participants and guests at the ceremony. Throughout a seven-month-program the participants in parallel to attending lectures individually developed policy documents. Like in preceding years, selected best 9 policy documents were published separately.  The Rondeli Foundation has been implementing CBGL program since 2009, with the support of the Swedish International Development Agency (#Sida)”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. SOS Children’s Villages Georgia releases an official statement in response to information broadcasted through mass media about two alleged cases of violence that took place in the service of a small family house of the organization in the past. “We, at the organization, are deeply concerned about the fact that living in a small family house turned to be traumatic for our two former beneficiaries and it is very difficult for us to hear their stories. The Association expresses its maximum readiness and openness to facilitate any kind of investigation process within the framework of law; moreover, provide psycho-emotional and legal assistance to both the alleged victim of violence and former foster children through the established practice of the organization. All revealed facts, regardless of the age of the case, always create a precondition for reviewing current systems of monitoring, existing within the organization, in order to ensure upbringing and development of each foster child in a safe and secure environment”, - is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: The website of the organization on a social network