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. According to information released by the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), the Parliament of Georgia has approved the Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan for 2021-2022. The organization notes that the vast majority of commitments stipulated by the Action Plan are the result of a civil society initiative. "The Open Parliament Action Plan consists of 19 commitments, implementation of which is planned within 2021-2022 years. The action plan aims to facilitate implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals by the Parliament of Georgia, improve access to information and activities related to oversight of the Parliament of Georgia, enhance citizen involvement in the activities of the Parliament of Georgia, and promote parliamentary openness and transparency”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. Part of civil society organizations and political parties of Georgia address a letter to Kakha Kuchava, the Chairman of the Parliament. “We, the organizations working on human rights and activists have been fighting for gender equality for many years. The violence, committed by Shalva Papuashvili and Irakli Zarkua against women politicians on July 18, 2021, renders the success achieved in the fight for equality meaningless. The silence and inaction of the Chairman of the Parliament in regard to this issue is unacceptable, furthermore, it encourages violence. We urge you to use all available mechanisms in order to respond adequately and make sure that the abusive Members of Parliament - Shalva Papuashvili and Irakli Zarkua are held accountable for insulting and violent actions taken by them against female Members of Parliament”, - is noted in the joint statement. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. USAID/Georgia Mission Director Peter Wiebler met with journalists and media sector advocates from Radio Liberty, Transparency International Georgia, the Media Development Foundation, the Open Society Georgia Foundation, and IREX. “At the meeting, they discussed the current challenges facing Georgia’s media sector, how programs and advocacy initiatives can help address them, and opportunities for sustained future USAID assistance”.                                                      Source: The organization’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...

Today, July 19, 2021, in the Batumi International Conference, Civil Society organizations and Media representatives address Charles Michel, President of the European Council. Read more... Source: civilin.org

Tbilisi. IDFI hosted a delegation from Central Asian countries, particularly, from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. "The purpose of the study visit was to familiarize the interested parties with Georgia's experience in openness and transparency, especially concerning open budgeting and transparent management of public finances". Learn more… Source: idfi.ge

Statement made by Mr. Diégo Colas, the Ambassador of France: “I am heartbroken to learn about the death of Lekso Lashkarava, a journalist who got severely injured on Monday while fulfilling his duty – covering homophobic violence that took place on July 5. My condolences to his family and colleagues. Freedom of assembly and press, fight against discrimination and hate, no to violence”.  Read more… Source: The Embassy of France in Georgia

The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi extends our deepest condolences to the family of Lekso Lashkarava, particularly to Lekso’s mother, and to his colleagues at TV Pirveli and all those who are shocked and saddened by his death. "Lekso worked behind the camera so despite his years of service as a media professional, many might not have recognized him before he was viciously attacked by people who demonstrated a complete lack of respect for human life. His bravery as he defended his colleague and his commitment to the fundamental freedoms long cherished in this country represent the best qualities and traditions of the people of Georgia. The arrest of several individuals in connection with the attack on Lekso is a positive first step toward justice. The safety of every Georgian journalist and the credibility of democracy in Georgia require that every individual who attacked peaceful citizens and journalists on July 5 and 6, or who incited violence, must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. We call for calm and an end to the violence that has already caused one tragic loss of life". see more... source:

Comments by EU Ambassador Hartzell upon news of the death of Mr. Lekso Lashkarava: "It is with sorrow I learned today about the tragic death of Pirveli TV cameraman Lekso Lashkarava. My deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and colleagues. Mr. Lekso Lashkarava was severely beaten as he was covering the violence that took place in Tbilisi around the Pride events on 5 July. While still awaiting the results of the investigation into the cause of his death, let me reiterate the EU’s strong condemnation of all violence and our staunch and unwavering support to the freedom of media and assembly". see more... source: European Union in Georgia

Tbilisi. The Human Rights Center has completed a project - “Free legal advocacy and human rights monitoring after the coronavirus pandemic”. According to information released by the organization, the Center:  “Provided 2010 free legal consultations; Processed 130 cases, 60 of which were successfully completed”.  Read more… Source: The website of the organization on a 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...

Adjara. In June, initiative groups, with the support of the Batumi branch of the Civil Society Institute (CSI), registered online petitions at City Assemblies of Batumi and Khelvachauri Municipalities. The petition - “Green districts to Batumi”, registered in Batumi, envisages naming of green, recreational spaces in the city of Batumi, granting them an appropriate status and protecting them. The purpose of the petition is to make sure there is a green environment, equally accessible for everyone, in all 14 districts of Batumi. The petition – “Outdoor lighting to villages of Machakhela”, registered in Khelvachauri, concerns provision of outdoor lighting for inner roads of highland villages of Khelvachauri. Machakhela Valley is one of the unique natural areas and an important tourist destination. The Batumi branch of the Civil Society Institute, in cooperation with the organization Bread for the World (Brot für die Welt) and the Open Society Georgia Foundation, supports civic activism and enhancement of citizen participation in the local decision-making process. Read more...

According to the information of the Fund "Abkhazintercont", EU Ambassador Mr. Carl Hartzell visited Racha-Lechkhumi and Lower Svaneti region. During the visit, the EU Ambassador, Mr. Carl Hartzell hosted the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Regional Hub - Employment Center in the Region – Fund “Abkhazintercont” (AIC). Within the framework of the project - "Civil Society Initiative: Sustainable, Open and Accountable Civil Society Organizations for the Development of Georgia", by the Regional Hub was organized a meeting with representatives of civil society organizations and community unions operating in the region. During the meeting it was discussed the challenges, opportunities and issues of cooperation of civil society organizations, CBO-s civil society with local self-governments, in projects and decision-making, and issues related to the involvement of the local population in these processes. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Imereti. Local Democracy Agency Georgia participated in the Kutaisi Second International Forum “Cities’ Challenges and Way Forward“. “At the forum, the Executive Director of LDA Georgia - Nino Khukhua spoke about the role of civil society organizations in the process of economic stimulation of municipalities and good governance. In order to share good practices, she reviewed the projects implemented by the organization in the recent past, in particular, SMS online platforms were created to promote good governance, medium-term development strategies and investment profiles were developed, an Entrepreneurship-Investment regional forum was organized, etc”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Expansion of the CSO Meter – a tool for monitoring of an enabling environment of civil society organizations is intended. More than 800 Eastern European organizations participated in development of the instrument. We remind you that this tool is based on international standards and covers 10 different areas and indicators that are used to measure an enabling environment of CSOs in terms of both legislation and practice. CSO meter is divided into 2 main parts: 1. Fundamental rights and freedoms, which constitute the basis of existence of civil society. 2. Necessary conditions, which provide additional support and are important for development of civil society. There are prepared regional reports on the basis of it, including those about Georgia. In Georgia, the study is carried out by the Civil Society Institute (CSI) in cooperation with the European Center for Non-for-Profit Law (ECNL). As mentioned above, it is intended to refine the tool in the near future. In particular, ECNL, together with the Civil Society Institute and other partners, plans to add a system for evaluation of scores to the tool. This will allow interested individuals and parties to compare results of the study by years, areas, countries. Besides, there will be expanded the area of the study of the tool in coming years - for example, evaluation of an influence on civil groups through digital technology or artificial intelligence. It is also planned to expand the CSO Meter as a means of monitoring, as well as circle of users - CSOs and activists in target countries. New initiatives and changes will be carried out within the framework of the project – “CSO Meter: A Compass To Conducive Environment And CSO Empowerment”. It is implemented by the European Center for Non-for-Profit Law (ECNL) with financial support from the EU and in collaboration with partner organizations: Transparency International - Armenia (TIAC); MG Consulting LLC (Azerbaijan), the Civil Society Institute (Georgia), Promo-LEX Association (Moldova), the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (Ukraine).

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. EU awards grants to 12 youth start-up projects to promote social entrepreneurship in Georgia within the framework of the EU4Youth initiative project "Social Entrepreneurship in Armenia and Georgia". The grants signing ceremony with the first seven winning young social entrepreneurs took place at the venue of one of the winning project, the social café “Cafune” in Rustavi. The project aims to provide creative young people from Armenia and Georgia with the necessary knowledge and skills and a unique opportunity to develop existing or establish new sustainable business with a clear social mission. Read more… Source: eeas.europa.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...

This report is provides a brief contextual overview describing legal and structural peculiarities of the operating environment for Georgian CSOs. Next, it outlines the methodological approaches used in this study. This is followed by the main findings, specifically with a chapter on the internal governance structure of Georgian CSOs, a section analyzing the economic and financial sustainability of these entities. Next comes a chapter assessing CSO capacities and the nature of multilateral cooperation. The empirical part concludes with the analysis of CSO participation in policy dialogue. The report wraps up with conclusions and evidence-based recommendations  This report has been produced with the assistance of the European Union and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung within the frameworks of “Georgian Civil Society Sustainability Initiative”. Study...

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...

Imereti. On June 4, 2021, a presentation of Imereti Regional Hub project, was held in Kutaisi. “The aim of Imereti Regional HUB is to strengthen civil society at the regional level, which will be achieved by maintaining the sustainability of civil society organizations, ensuring transparency and increasing the degree of accountability. The presentation was attended by representatives of civil society organizations, media, self-government, business, youth and civic leaders of Imereti region”. Read more… The project is implemented by a consortium led by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), with the following NGOs: The Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG), the Civil Society Initiative (CSI), the Consultation and Training Center (CTC), the Education Development and Employment Center (EDEC) and the Institute for European Politics (IEP). Source: The organization’s page on the social network