Tbilisi.The International Day of Zero Waste is an annual event facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).  This day underscores the importance of strengthening waste management globally and emphasizes the need to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns. The event is organised with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Norway, under the initiative: “LEAD: Leadership, Equality, Advocacy, Democracy”, within the framework of the project End Plastic Pollution in Georgia, implemented by CENN, in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia. More... Source: CENN

Save the date! Zero Waste Day awaits on March 30.  Ready to take part? Begin by making a conscious effort to minimize the use of single-use plastic items. Kickstart your journey by eliminating plastic straws from your daily routine and replacing them with eco-friendly, reusable alternatives if needed.  Source: CENN

Tbilisi.CENN, with support from the United Nations Development Programme and in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, is launching the "End Plastic Pollution in Georgia" project.  This one-year initiative aims to enhance the capabilities of stakeholders and raise public awareness regarding circular models for plastic waste management. Encourage companies and organisations to avoid or reduce procurement and consumption of single-use plastic (SUP) items, replace them with more sustainable and durable products and establish circular practices. The campaign is organised with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Norway, under the initiative: “LEAD: Leadership, Equality, Advocacy, Democracy” More... Source: CENN

Kvemo Kartli. CENN, in the frame of the ongoing “Climate-Resilient Agriculture – PRAISE Marneuli” project, funded by the Swiss organisation HEKS/EPER, hosted a thematic camp on environmental protection and climate-resilient agriculture for youth.  As a result of participating in the camp, 15 young people from Marneuli municipality have strengthened their knowledge of food systems, rural development and agriculture, climate change mitigation and adaptation, food loss and waste, and waste management.   More... Source: CENN

Tbilisi. On October 9, an international conference Uniting Business Europe will be held in Georgia for the first time, organized by the UN Global Compact and the Georgian Network in partnership with other European local networks.  Discover how we're bringing together businesses and organizations from more than 30 countries across Europe to drive positive change and sustainability.  More… Source: UN Global Compact Network Georgia

Tbilisi. Georgia's climate commitments under the #UNFCCC were the focus of the meeting bringing together the representatives of the Georgian Government, international and non-government organizations and expert. Discussing the groundwork for the Fifth National Communication and the First Biennial Transparency Report, the meeting participants emphasized climate change mitigation strategies and the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The meeting was part of the wider initiative to assist Georgia in crafting its report for the UNFCCC aligning with its international commitments. Implemented by the Environmental Information and Education Centre and the Regional Environmental Centre Caucasus (REC Caucasus), this partnership is supported by UNDP and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Source: UNDP

Tbilisi. Ahead of World Environment Day, UNDP’s new research sheds light on environmental education and awareness in Georgia. 9 out of 10 respondents feel the negative impact of Climate Change. 91% of respondents believe that water pollution should be punishable by the law. 90% recognize the importance of waste separation practices. Read more... Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. In October 2021, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution recognizing that a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right…  “An estimated one in six premature deaths is caused by pollution. Tens of millions of people are displaced each year by Climate Change. Biodiversity loss threatens the collapse of entire ecosystems. We need government and the international community to act with single-minded purpose and solidarity to deploy every possible resource to protect and fulfil the human right to a healthy”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Adjara. Batumi introduces a new approach to waste management aiming to reduce and sort municipal waste for recycling. The new waste management plan builds on the partnership of Batumi City Hall and UNDP’s Accelerator Lab resulting in a 16-fold increase in plastic waste collection in a year. The initiative is implemented by UNDP with assistance from Embassy of Sweden in Tbilisi. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Germany. CENN has joined the delegation of Georgia to Germany for the expert exchange visit dedicated to localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals and experience exchange on efforts supporting this process organised by GIZ and German LAG 21. During the visit, the participants got to know the best practice examples in the direction of environmental protection, sustainable tourism, energy efficiency and sustainable economy. In the frameworks of the ongoing “Continued nationalization of SDGs in Georgia” project, supported by GIZ on behalf of the German government, CENN actively works with the SDG Secretariat of Georgia to ensure multi-stakeholder dialogue in the process of implementing SDGs in Georgia. The action envisages empowering different stakeholders and creates a clear space and mechanisms for CSOs to engage in SDG-related planning, monitoring and reporting processes. Read more... Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Kvemo Kartli. CENN, with the financial support of HEKS-EPER, promotes environmental education among young people from Marneuli municipality. With the initiative of the Marneuli Girls’ Empowerment Club, a tree planting activity and an open discussion on economic, social and environmental aspects of green spaces and youth role in creating and conserving green spaces were conducted in two villages of Marneuli municipality: Maradisi and Tsitelsopeli. The tree-planting activity and the open discussion were convened within the “Climate Resilient Agriculture - PRAISE Marneuli” project, which is implemented by CENN with the financial support of HEKS-EPER. Read more… Source: The page of organization on the social network

Tbilisi. CENN's online #ACT4CLIMATE campaign reached more than half a million people. CENN shares the #ACT4CLIMATE campaign 2022 annual report, which presents the results achieved over the course of one year. “In 2022, CENN launched the online campaign with the aim of raising public awareness concerning environmental issues and encouraging climate action. The campaign urged people to take effective steps to protect the environment and contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change. CENN would like to thank the thousands of people who actively participated in the campaign and helped #ACT4CLIMATE achieve its goals. We hope that even after the end of the campaign you will continue to contribute to climate change mitigation”. Read more… Please see the following link to download the report… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Samtskhe-Javakheti-Imereti. Solar-power electric fences and flashes (Foxlight) were installed in the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park. Over 10 shepherds and beekeepers will use this technology to prevent wolves, brown bears and lynxes from attacking their crops and livestock, at the same time keeping these unique species safe and alive. The initiative is part of the UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) that has been supporting Georgia for over a decade in biodiversity conservation, promotion of renewable energy and the involvement of local communities in environmental activities. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Adjara. Batumi shares waste management practices with Samtredia. Representatives of two municipalities met in Batumi to discuss different models of waste sorting and recycling. They also visited waste collectors to see how plastic waste gets prepared for recycling. “UNDP’s behavioural experiment, carried out in Batumi and Tbilisi, proved that people are ready to recycle if they get better access to municipal infrastructure and services. We strongly believe that waste sorting and recycling will become a reality in Georgia, benefitting people, cities and the environment”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. At the request of locals, an interdepartmental commission established by the Decree of the Government of Georgia is examining events that transpired in Itkhvisi in March 2022, three months after geodynamic processes damaged residents’ homes in the area. The absence of an independent expert and a local representative in the commission's composition creates mistrust among Itkhvisi’s residents. Doubts are exacerbated by the fact that people are unaware of the commission's methodological approach. Furthermore, before the completion of the commission's work, officials of the local government offered insufficient and legally ambiguous compensation to affected families. The local population requests more information about the commission's work and asks the involved state authorities to ensure the commission's operations are transparent by making its protocols, plans, and deadlines public. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. Social Justice Center publishes the survey “Environmental Impact Assessment - Safeguarding Development in Georgia?.” “It is true that even a perfect legislation does not guarantee decisions that fully protect social and environmental interests when economic activities are being planned, however, if there are any shortcomings in the legislation that create a risk of making unscrupulous or incompetent decisions, then the risk of neglecting public interests is higher. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify specific shortcomings in the Environmental Assessment Code and to recommend relevant legislative changes. This study does not have an ambition of fully analyzing the compliance of Georgia’s Environmental Assessment Code with the EU EIA Directive and the Aarhus Convention, nor does it claim to be fully analyzing the shortcomings in the Code”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. Over 30 young climate activists, aged 13 to 16 years, learn about climate change, networking and leadership in the Green Camp #ClimateAmbassadors. The Green Camp is organized by UNDP Georgia and the Environmental Information and Education Centre of Georgia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture. It’s part of a nationwide climate programme supported by the Green Climate Fund and the governments of Georgia, Sweden and Switzerland. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Adjara. NGOs are responding to the changes in the Spatial Planning, Architectural and Construction Code of Georgia, initiated in the parliament by the Batumi Municipality. “We believe that the package of legislative changes contains the danger of further aggravation of the problem of chaotic development of the city of Batumi, creates risks of unjustified, potentially corrupt decisions by the Batumi City Hall, and avoidance of construction regulations by construction companies as a result of special privileges granted to them”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. United Nations Development Programme - UNDP and SAWA Global Cinema Advertising Association launched an eight-week campaign aimed at raising awareness of the climate emergency… The campaign is shaped around UNDP’s #DontChooseExtinction initiative and the Frankie the Dino ad which has already reached an audience of 1.5 billion and garnered 3,000 media mentions. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Georgia joins 57 countries in preparations for the Stockholm+50 conference in Sweden on 2-3 June. This global event will commemorate 50 years since the UN Conference on Human Environment when environmental protection first appeared on the UN General Assembly’s agenda in 1972. Planned in April, the consultations will involve wide circles of Georgia’s society to ensure that everyone has a say in the transformation of environmental protection, climate action and green recovery… The national consultations in Georgia are organized by UNDP with assistance from the Swedish Government. Source: www.ge.undp.org

Tbilisi. Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN) publishes an informative blogpost on the food labeling. “Many people throw away perfectly edible food due to misunderstandings about the expirations dates. The dates on the packaging do not always mean that the products are expired and their consumption poses health risks. This misunderstanding among consumers leads to generating unnecessary food waste. In order to reduce food waste it is important to understand the following labels”… Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. CENN is launching an environmental social media campaign #ACT4CLIMATE, calling on the public to take effective steps to mitigate the effects of climate change. “As part of the campaign, throughout the year, each month will be dedicated to a different topic. You will receive important information on the topic each month - how you can participate in the fight against climate change”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network