Adjara. Transparency International Georgia's Committees of Concerned Citizens, On May 14, applied to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Adjara with a request to rehabilitate the public school building in the village of Bodzauri Khulo Municipality. According to the TI Georgia, the school needs to renovate the gym, equip a reading space and a comfortable ramp for people with disabilities, and upgrade the school computer room and laboratories. On May 27, the organization received a letter from the Ministry stating that they will take the needs of the Bodzauri school into account in the 2023 budget. “We welcome the position of the Ministry and call on the school administration and the local community to be involved in the process of preparing the project proposal to solve the identified problems”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Georgia’s civil society and grassroots movement “Step Towards Europe”, met with Carl Hartzell, Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia and handed over a letter addressed to the President of the European Commission. “We, the authors of the letter, ask the President of the European Commission Dr. Ursula von der Leyen for the support for Georgia’s application for candidacy for EU membership. Granting the candidacy status would be a recognition of the European aspirations of the people of Georgia and a way to accelerate the country’s progress in the policy areas of crucial importance. We genuinely hope that in June, Georgia, along with Moldova and Ukraine, will earn the status of a candidate country of the European Union. Granting Candidate status would open a new chapter in the history of the three nations”. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Mtskheta-Mtianeti. On May 30, members of the Taso Foundation team held a working meeting with Dusheti Municipality Mayor and City Hall representatives. The aim of the meeting was to select new target communities/villages in Dusheti Municipality and to determine future plans for gender budgeting. The project is implemented in partnership with UN Women Georgia , Kakheti Regional Development Fund (KRDF), and CARE Caucasus. The Project is supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in Georgia and the Austrian Development Agency. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Take a Step Towards Europe! - Public figures with this slogan presented a campaign at the Stamba Hotel and declared their vision in a manifesto. “Therefore, today, we - the people of Georgia stay firm in our shared conviction – our future is in the European Union and with the free world that delivers its promise of security, peace and dignity for every citizen. With this choice we honor the struggle and sacrifice of many generations of Georgians who have fought for freedom, statehood and a better future. As this is a moment of truth for Georgia, future generations will judge us for what we have done –what you have done – when the fate of the country had been decided. Free country has always been earned but never granted, and it has been a destiny and privilege of those who despite differences and disagreements all agreed that it is their irrevocable birthright and they won’t ever settle for less”. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

The CSO Meter supports regular and consistent monitoring of the environment in which civil society organizations (CSOs) operate in the Eastern Partnership countries. It consists of a set of standards and indicators in 10 different areas to measure both law and practice. It is based on international standards and best practices. “The CSO environment has not deteriorated since the last reporting period, and it largely remains the same. The country still struggles with issues that were addressed in previous recommendations, such as the revision of the Code of Administrative Offences to eliminate unjustified interventions into the right to peaceful assembly, the adaptation of regulations which will make public participation obligatory during the process of elaboration of draft laws or strategic documents by the government, the addition of municipalities to the list of grant-issuing entities, the development of unified legislative standards for state funding, and improvement of the internet infrastructure, competition and quality to ensure that Georgian citizens equally exercise digital freedoms and use new technologies for meaningful engagement in development processes”, is noted in the report. Read more…

The web portal CsoGeorgia.org releases a weekly newsletter of grants competition, contests, vacancies, fellowships, and tenders for civil society organizations, and for any interested person. Newsletter...

Guria. Ambassador Carl Hartzell travelled to Guria to highlight EU support to the region visiting alocal school and meeting the beneficiaries from EU-funded projects. Read more… Source: www.eeas.europa.eu

Shida Kartli. On May 21, 2022, within the framework of the EU-supported "Civil Society STAR Initiative" project, Education Development and Employment Center (EDEC) and Shida Kartli Regional HUB – Society “Biliki” organised the Regional Forum for Youth and Voluntary Development. The event was held at Gori State Teaching University. The forum was attended by the young people (high school pupils, students), volunteers, teachers, representatives of local civil society organisations (CSOs) and community-based organisations, self-government, media, and various groups of the community. The goal of the forum was to involve the youth of Shida Kartli region in decision-making process of the local community, to promote a culture of volunteering, to support the communication between the host volunteering organisations and volunteers. Moreover, it aimed to promote the role and activities of Youth Councils, to raise the awareness on regional community organisations, to inform the population about the implemented projects, and to increase the trust towards CSOs. During the forum, the young people with the facilitators worked in small groups to draft the project ideas. At the exhibition, Shida Kartli Municipal Youth Council introduced its work to the audience, aimed at promoting the role and activities of the Youth Councils. Stephan Malerius, Head of Regional Programme Political Dialogue South Caucasus, also addressed the audience. Within the forum, the panel discussion was organised on the topic - "Civic Activism and Volunteering", where Zaza Chipashvili, Gori School of Democracy, Lika Kiladze, Chairman of the Board (EDEC), Nino Samsonidze, Civil Society Institute (CSI), Dimitri Gogiashvili, Head of Youth Service of Gori Municipality delivered their speeches. The forum was organised within the framework of the European Union (EU) and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) funded project “Civil Society STAR Initiative“. Read more… Source: Project page on the social network

Tbilisi. Civil Society Institute (CSI), along with the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) and the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), on May 24th, presented a new 2021 country report for CSO Meter: A Compass to Conducive Environment and CSO Empowerment.  The CSO Meter is a monitoring tool used to assess the legislative and practical environment for CSOs, human rights defenders, and activists in Eastern European Partnership countries. The report covers 11 areas pertaining to enabling environment for CSOs and assigns quantitative scores under each area. The scores range from 1 to 7, where 1 signifies the lowest possible score (extremely unfavourable – authoritarian - environment) and 7 signifies the highest possible score (extremely favourable environment).  According to the 2021 CSO Meter report, the environment for CSOs, human rights defenders, and activists in Georgia was assessed with a score of 4.7 out of 7 (Legislation: 5.2, Practice 4.3).  Based on the 2021 CSO-Meter findings, Georgia ranked as a medium-risk country for CSOs.  The Report is implemented by the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting (ECNL).  Country Report 2021...

Tbilisi. GCSD launches a new project “Towards a Better Understanding of NATO”. “The main aim of the project is to introduce students, and different groups of society, NATO-related actual topics and foster discussion on them”. The project is implemented by GCSD with the financial support of the NATO Public Diplomacy Division. For more, follow the link…  Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Guria. Representatives of civil society organizations operating in the Imereti region, visited to successful organizations in Ozurgeti Municipality -  “Innovation and Civic Development Centre” and “Institute for Change and Innovation”. The study visit was organized by LDA Georgia.  During the visit, the participating organizations were given the opportunity to receive information about the establishment and implementation of civil society organizations operating in the border regions. Also, get acquainted with successful examples. As a result of the activity, the experience of CSO’s/CBO’s representatives of Imereti region increased in the direction of management and development of the organization. The circle of contact persons in the form of organizations working in the bordering regions has also increased. We would like to thank Innovation and Civic Development Centre" and "Institute for Change and Innovation" for hosting. The study visits are being organized within the framework of the project “Civil Society STAR Initiative,” with the support of the European Union and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Read more… Source: LDA Georgia’s page on the social network

The web portal CsoGeorgia.org releases a weekly newsletter of grants competition, contests, vacancies, fellowships, and tenders for civil society organizations, and for any interested person. Newsletter...

Tbilisi. Non-governmental organizations express solidarity with Nika Gvaramia and Mtavari Arkhi team. “The decision of the Tbilisi City Court of May 16, 2022, and the imprisonment of Nika Gvaramia is perceived as a warning and threat to other independent media outlets to stop critical coverage of the government’s performance, to cease watchdog activities and to refrain from the disclosure of facts that are undesirable to the government. The imprisonment of the General Director of a critical media outlet, including on the basis of managerial decisions, is yet another example of selective investigation, prosecution and conviction. We think that these kind of developments may have a negative impact on Georgia's European integration process”. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

The web portal CsoGeorgia.org releases a weekly newsletter of grants competition, contests, vacancies, fellowships, and tenders for civil society organizations, and for any interested person. Newsletter...

Samegrelo. Transparency International Georgia publishes the report on the outcomes of 2021 advocacy efforts of TI Georgia’s Committees of Concerned Citizens in Samegrelo. “As a result of advocacy efforts undertaken by TI Georgia’s Zugdidi Office and CCC members, 10 projects were implemented in Khobi, Zugdidi and Tsalenjikha municipalities in 2021; implementation of another 11 projects has begun and will be completed in 2022; five projects advocated in previous years have been planned under the 2022 budget”. Read more about the outcomes of the work and advocacy of our CCCs in Samegrelo in 2021 in the report… Source: jobs.ge

Tbilisi. Do you want to be more involved in the activities of the Georgian parliament, read draft laws, make comments or have online communication with any member of the parliament? Download and install the application GEO PARLIAMENT created with EU support on your phone and enjoy all these opportunities.  To install the app please visit  Play Store… App Store… Source: The EU’s page on the social network

Adjara. In Batumi, on May 5, 2022, the disabled peoples’ organizations Changes for Equal Rights and the Coalition for Independent Living in frames of the EU-funded project Civil Society for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Georgia hosted a panel discussion aiming at marking the European Independent Living Day. “The theme of event was Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities, Challenges and Support Services. The meeting brought together disabled activists and leaders from the Independent Living Centers to discuss the challenges persons with disabilities face and to learn more about the services the centers provide to them”. Read more… Source: eu4georgia.eu

The web portal CsoGeorgia.org releases a weekly newsletter of grants competition, contests, vacancies, fellowships, and tenders for civil society organizations, and for any interested person. Newsletter...

On May 1, 2022, the amendments defined by the Ordinance of the Government of Georgia came into force. The amendments provide for the alteration of the service fee rates provided by the National Agency of Public Registry, including the increase of the costs of services relevant to entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial) legal entities. The amendments include but are not limited to the following: The fee for the registration of an entrepreneurial and a non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial) legal entity, as well as changes to and termination of registered data, is set at GEL 200 (instead of 100 GEL) if given within one working day, whereas the fee for an accelerated procedure (task completion on the same day) is set at GEL 400. (Instead of 200 GEL)  For non-commercial legal entities, the fee for the registration of the entity's e-mail address and telephone number, as well as changes to already registered data or its termination, is 26 GEL (Instead of 20 GEL) within one working day, or 75 GEL (Instead of 50 GEL) if the service is to be provided within the same working day.  Changes in the subject of the right and the object registered in the register of entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial) legal entities are free of charge within one working day, and the fee for accelerated receipt of the same service (within the same working day) has been increased to 75 GEL (instead of 50 GEL).  The cost of preparing the extract from the public registry within one working day is 20 (Instead of 15 GEL) GEL, whereas the rate for the same service is 13 GEL (instead of 10 GEL) if the request is submitted electronically over the Internet. The cost of the service in an accelerated way is 75 or 52 GEL (instead of 50 or 40 GEL) respectively. More information on these and other amendments (geo)...

Tbilisi. Over 30 Civil Society Organizations address to the Prime Minister of Georgia to provide argumentation for refusing publicizing answers to EU questionnaire. “Given the high public interest in Georgia’s accession to the European Union, we urge you to make public the answers to the EU questionnaire or to present an argument on the basis of which you make information confidential under Georgian law. In case the information provided to the EU truly contains professional, personal, commercial, or state secrets, the relevant parts should be encrypted and the rest should be made public, as required by the standards of Freedom of Information of Georgia and the EU. According to the latest survey, 88% of the Georgian population supports the country’s accession to the European Union. With this in mind, the government should ensure the transparency, openness, and involvement of stakeholders in the process”.  Read more… Source: osgf.ge

Samtskhe-Javakheti. Civil Society Organizations of the Samtskhe-Javakheti Region appeal to the Government of Georgia and the International Organisations Operating in Georgia. “We, representatives of the civil society organisations (CSOs) of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region, condemn the Russian aggression in Ukraine. We support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in their struggle.    The Russian aggression endangers international peace, freedom, and values of democratic development. At the same time, it poses a threat to our region. In particular, this war has exposed the risks facing the Samtskhe-Javakheti region due to its economic, financial and informational dependence on Russia: Many people from this region have been living and working in Russia and financially supporting their families for years. Some of them used to go there for seasonal work. Moreover, Russia’s propaganda media outlets remain a central source of information for the region. We have pointed to these risks before. Nowadays, because of the sanctions imposed by the international community on Russia, the remittance flows from there are likely to sink and our population will most probably return to the region. Overall, the unemployment rate in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region will rise and the social background will deteriorate.  Based on the above-discussed, we, representatives of Samtskhe-Javakheti CSOs, call on the Government of Georgia and International Organisations operating in Georgia to take these risks into account, turn them into perspectives, and use this window of opportunity for the benefit of the local community”. Read more… Source: The page of the Union of Democrat Meskhs on the social network

The web portal CsoGeorgia.org releases a weekly newsletter of grants competition, contests, vacancies, fellowships, and tenders for civil society organizations, and for any interested person. Newsletter...