Tbilisi. The Rondeli Foundation continues the series of meetings in the regions on the topic: ”Georgia awaiting EU candidate status: prospects and challenges.” “Foundation fellows Kakha Gogolashvili and Aleks Petriashvili met with the local NGOs and media in Telavi and Kutaisi. The discussion covered the history of the establishment of the EU and its importance, the challenges Georgia faces on its path to European integration, monitoring results of the fulfillment of 12 recommendations set by the European Commission, and the prospects of receiving the candidate status”. Read more… Source: gfsis.org.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...

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...

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. Under the leadership of the Open Society Georgia Foundation, 8 civil society organizations presented the fourth edition of an assessment document – EU CANDIDACY CHECK, which reflects the progress achieved by the Georgian authorities in this context until the period of June 15, 2023, as well as the current state of play and the steps to be implemented in the future. “According to CSOs’ assessments, at this stage, one priority is fully implemented, two priorities are mostly fulfilled, five priorities are partially fulfilled, and four priorities defined by the European Union are to be fulfilled”. Read more… Source: osgf.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...

Tbilisi. On June 26, the USAID Local Government Program will hold informational meetings for those who have questions about their grant competitions. To attend the meeting, fill out the registration form… The program will share the link of the online meeting with you via e-mail. Read more… Source: The USAID Local Government Program’s page on the social network

Shida Kartli. On June 13, 2023, the USAID Civil Education Program 2022-2023 academic year summary event was held in Gori. “Ms. Marika Mgebrishvili, the head of the Association of Society Biliki, Ms. Marina Ushveridze, the director of USAID's civic education program, Ms. Nana Termakozashvili, the head of the educational resource center of Gori welcomed to the guests. At the event, Lia Gorelishvili, the representative of Society Biliki made an overview of the program's one-year results. The students of partner schools of Shida Kartli made presentations about the successful civic club, student self-government, small grant projects, and cooperation with the private sector. Lela Tsurtsumia, the regional coordinator of the National Forum of Civic Education Teachers, spoke about the resources offered to teachers and the planned activities. Pupils of Khidistavi Public School presented Eco Puppet Theater on the theme “Rights”. At the end of the meeting, supporters and active students were rewarded. Representatives of partner schools, educational resource centers, local government, business, media, and non-governmental sectors of the Shida Kartli region attended the meeting. USAID Civic Education Program,  is implemented by PH International with the financial support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The program is supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia. In the Shida Kartli region, the partner organization of the program is Society Biliki”. Read more… 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...

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...

Kvemo Kartli. The Education Development and Employment Center and Kvemo Kartli Regional Hub organized a workshop for the members of the Bolnisi Youth Council. “Volunteering and Civic Activism” was the topic of the workshop, which aimed to increase the culture of volunteerism among young people, facilitate an open dialogue about civic activism, support the role and activities of youth councils, and familiarize participants with the characteristics and connections that exist between volunteering and civic activism. Find out more… Source: The STAR project’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...

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. Civil Society Organizations release the statement: Russian Plane Does Not Lend Itself To EU. “The decision by the Georgian authorities to allow direct flights between Tbilisi and Moscow is a deliberate act of sabotage against Georgia's aspirations for EU candidate status. The European Union has explicitly stated that flights to and from Russia are not permitted by its members and partners, and this action by the Georgian government raises concerns about Georgia's commitment to adhering to EU regulations in foreign policy, as stipulated in the Association Agreement. Contrary to the will of 89% of the Georgian people and in conflict with Article 78 of the Georgian Constitution, the Georgian government continues to shift its foreign policy course. Prior to determining the candidate status for EU membership, such a demarche goes against the Georgian people’s foreign aspirations, which have provided benefits such as visa-free travel and direct flights with the EU, rather than Russia. Our people are already experiencing adverse effects due to the government's foreign policy, resulting in a significant influx of Russian immigrants to Georgia. This has contributed to soaring prices, placing an additional financial strain on Georgian citizens. We call on the Georgian government to halt actions that sabotage the attainment of EU candidate status and immediately reverse the decision to start direct flights with Russia. Continuing down this path will only further damage the interests of Georgia”. Read more… 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...

Tbilisi. The non-governmental organizations involved in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) process in Georgia express their concern regarding the flagrant violation of the fundamental values and principles of OGP by the Government of Georgia. “In recent years, the actions of the Georgian government have consistently demonstrated a clear misalignment with the OGP core values by endorsing the Russian-inspired law on "Foreign Agents," undermining the independence of the judicial system, launching direct attacks on civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and critical media representatives, as well as making attempts to restrict their operations, infringing on fundamental freedoms, notably freedom of association and expression, and the right to privacy, restricting access to information. The national OGP process is stalled for the fourth year already, the country has not implemented a single reform within the framework of the OGP at the national level. Georgia acted contrary to the OGP participation and co-creation standards for two consecutive cycles, by not delivering OGP National Action Plan since 2019. Regrettably, the almost three-year process of developing a new action plan has reached an impasse again… In light of the above, Georgia’s Open Government Interagency Coordination Council (and Forum) member CSOs addressed the OGP Steering Committee with a Letter of Concern to trigger the Response Policy. The policy seeks to foster a greater engagement of the OGP’s international Secretariat (Support Unit), partner donors, and international organizations in effectively addressing the ongoing crisis”. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

The CSO Meter 2022 report is now available. Georgia is a medium-risk country for public groups, activists, and human rights advocates, according to the findings. The existing environment in Georgia has been allocated 4.8 points out of a maximum of 7 points (the legislative environment is evaluated with 5.2 points and practice with 4.4 points). The report examines and analyses events that occurred between January and November of 2022. As a result, the CSO meter of 2022 enables us to grasp the environment "yesterday" and compare it to the current situation.  CSO Meter: Country Report, 2022 Despite the fact that there were no events in the reporting period of 2022 that significantly changed the living environment of CSOs in comparison to the previous year, the report highlights the increased rate of verbal attacks against the public sector and the accompanying initiatives, which, in turn, indicate the livelihood of CSOs and the potential for environmental degradation. The doubling of the registration price for organizations, major changes in Georgian law affecting enterprises, and challenges detected at the stage of creating a bank account had a negative influence on the environment, hence scores declined in the following directions when compared to the previous period: Freedom of association (scoring in the legal component reduced from 6.2 to 6.1) The Right to equality (The score for the practical component fell from 5.4 to 5.3), and the right to privacy, score of which in practical component fell from 3.1 to 3.0. The report was created by the Civil Society Institute (CSI), Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), and Freedom of Information Development Institute. As part of the project "Guide to Strengthening Civil Society Organizations and Creating an Enabling Environment," The European Center for Non-Commercial Law (ECNL) is implementing the project, which is funded by the European Union (EU).

On May 8, 2023, the Anti-Violence Network of Georgia and its partner organization – “LELI,” held an introductory meeting with the Mayor of the Lagodekhi Municipality, Mr. Jondo Mdivnishvili , within the framework of the “Accelerated Rural Development in Imereti and Kakheti” program. Participants in the meeting expressed their willingness to work together and acknowledged the value of coordinated work. Read more… 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...

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...