Tbilisi.Advocacy Document, Human Rights Amid Natural Disasters - looks into the circumstances surrounding the natural disasters that struck Racha in August 2023 and Guria in September 2023 in order to raise some important questions regarding the causes behind the natural disasters as well as the efficiency of the management of the rescue efforts. Presentation of the Advocacy Document was held on November 13, 2023 by GYLA. Published by Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association with the financial support of the Open Society Georgia Foundation. The views, opinions and statements expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs only and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Foundation. Therefore, the Open Society Georgia Foundation is not responsible for the content of the information material. More... Source: Georgian Young Lawyers' Association

Tbilisi.The Information Integrity Coalition urges the Georgian government to segregate anti-Western messages and their disseminating groups, utilize strategic communications departments efficiently, and take decisive actions to implement the European Commission's recommendations, with the engagement of civil society organizations.  The "Information Integrity Coalition," a union of organizations combating disinformation, is prepared to cooperate with all stakeholders to ensure that the European Commission's recommendations are fulfilled. More... Source: The Information Integrity Coalition

Guria.Members of Ozurgeti, Chokhatauri, and Lanchkhuti LAGs Commence Work on Local Development Strategy. The members of Ozurgeti, Chokhatauri, and Lanchkhuti Local Action Groups (LAGs) have initiated active efforts in local development as part of the ongoing “Green Guria – Supporting Local Democracy and Rural Development for Inclusive and Resilient Green Growth” project, with the backing of the European Union.The Guria LAG members have already embarked on the development of a local development strategy.  During the inaugural working meeting dedicated to this strategy, the LAG members identified agriculture and its branch development prospects as a key priority. At the meeting, participants from all three municipalities in Guria discussed agricultural development and presented their respective visions. As part of the session, a SWOT analysis was conducted. More... Source: CENN

Tbilisi.Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Envoy of Georgia to the Republic of Armenia, Irakli Kvanchakhadze, did not disclose business interests, real estate and income in his asset declaration submitted in 2023. Transparency International Georgia calls on the Anti-Corruption Bureau to look into Irakli Kvanchakhadze’s asset declaration and respond to violations in accordance with the law. More... Source: Transparency International Georgia 

Tbilisi.To find out more about EU-Georgia relations, explore our factsheet below. More... Source: The European Union in Georgia

Tbilisi.The Georgian Down Syndrome Association team, with the support of USAID Civil Society Engagement Program, facilitated a meeting between paediatrician Nana Rurua and parents at the Association's office. The event was conducted as part of the project "Advocacy of Health Services for People with Down Syndrome". The meeting's subject matter was health care for individuals with Down syndrome. More... Source: The Georgian Down Syndrome Association

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia publishes a blog. "Georgian Railway has announced an 184 million GEL tender to purchase electric locomotives. The result of the tender is probably predetermined because only companies with a certificate issued by the Eurasian Union, a customs union established by Russia, can participate. " More... Source: Transparency International Georgia publishes a blog.

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. Enterprise "Ikorta" became the social enterprise of 2023. The Social Entrepreneurship Forum is held every year, where the social enterprise of the year is named. See video about "Ikorta''

Dear fellow Citizens of Georgia, Congratulations on the positive recommendation issued by the European Commission! It is indeed symbolic that today, on November 8, the birthday of Ilia Chavchavadze, we have gathered at the monument of Akaki [Tsereteli] and Ilia [Chavchavadze] to discuss the path that Ilia has set for our future. Our European friends have always heard the voice of the Georgian people and have consistently recognized our desire and aspiration to become part of the European family. The European Commission has ackowledged our unwavering, collective struggle for a European future and has recommended that Georgia be granted the status of a candidate country for EU membership.  Today, [while announcing the decision] the President of the European Commission stated: "We fully support the European aspiration of Georgia, the European aspiration of the citizens of Georgia, these aspirations should really be taken into account by the authorities. They should start cooperating with the opposition and civil society organizations, and of course, they should focus on the 12 recommendations”.  Our common national objective, which is for Georgia to join the European Union, transcends all political and other differences. This goal unites our entire society, encompassing every citizen of our country. This [unity] is what the European Union anticipates from us. Today, we must unite our voices for our future and reach out to the leaders of the 27 EU member states. The voice of the Georgian people will play a decisive role when the final decision on granting Georgia candidate status is made in December.  We now have a new task ahead of us - from today until the final decision in December - to ensure that the strong will and voice of our Georgian people are once again heard by our dedicated and steadfast European friends, the member states of the European Union. source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi.Economic Policy Research Center and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, with the support of the Lietuvos ambasada Sakartvele/ present the final and 8th episode of our podcast, EUforia, in which Gigi Gigiadze and Zaza Shengelia summarize candidate status matters, discussing the current situation and the prospects in this direction. More... Source: Economic Policy Research Center

CENN with support from the EU hosted a study tour about social service in Czech Republic. Participants included local civil society organisations and local government representatives working in Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti. The study visit was carried out within the framework of the project Empowering Civil Society for Inclusive and Green Post-Covid Recovery", which is implemented by CENN together with partner organizations with the financial support of the European Union.  The local partner of the study visit was Caritas of the Czech Republic. More... Source: CENN

Tbilisi.Today, 36 United Nations Associations gathered in Tbilisi for the Opening of the 43rd Plenary Assembly of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), held under the theme "Partnerships for Impact". The Plenary was opened by WFUNA's President, Shawn Chen, who stressed that "It is now more important than ever that we find opportunities to collaborate, both between each other, but also with other civil society organisations, the UN, academic, and the private sector." Within the framework of the assembly, the delegates discussed the challenges of the organisation and discussed the future development plan. WFUNA is a global nonprofit organization that represents and coordinates a membership of over 100 national United Nations Associations (UNAs) and their thousands of constituents.  It's based at the United Nations headquarters in New York and at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. More... Source:  UNA Georgia

Tbilisi.Public Services must be equally accessible for all, including people with disabilities. To champion this cause, employees from nineteen different public agencies recently completed the training programme – “Communication Standards for Persons with Disabilities in Public Service Delivery”. During the training, civil servants who have daily contact with citizens learned about the specifics of disability-sensitive communication and the ethical standards for providing services to them.  Initiative is implemented by the Public Service Development Agency with the support of UNDP Georgia and British Embassy Tbilisi. More... Source: UNDP Georgia

Tbilisi.The Coalition for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary reacts to the November 1, 2023 decision of the High Council of Justice (HCoJ), by which Bolnisi District Court judge Nino Giorgadze was refused a life tenure appointment. “The decision, Nino Giorgadze’s public statements, and major problems in the justice system raise reasonable doubts about the decision's legality”, said in statement.  More…  Sourse: www.coalition.ge

Tbilisi. Soviet Past Research Laboratory is now on TikTok. Follow for interesting videos: https://www.tiktok.com/@sov.lab Source: Soviet Past Research Laboratory

Imereti. On November 2, 2023, in Kutaisi, IDFI held a lecture for the students of the autumn school within the framework of the project "Youth awareness through engagement", which is implemented by the Center of Regional Initiatives "Bright Future". Within the framework of the lecture, the Soviet occupation and its consequences in the memory of Georgia were discussed. Also, the young people were presented with the memorial album of Akaki Chkhenkeli (1874-1959), an outstanding political figure and diplomat of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia.  more … source: IDFI

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. Appeal of Georgian non-governmental organizations to the European Commission "Georgia awaits the European Commission’s recommendation on granting it EU membership candidate status. We, the undersigned Georgian NGOs, share a common mission: to safeguard and advocate for the interests of Georgian citizens and to promote and instill European democratic values in Georgia. We all share the unwavering choice and the paramount interest of an overwhelming majority of citizens: for Georgia to join the European Union—a place where each citizen can live a dignified life in a peaceful, prosperous, free, and just country.  For these reasons, we have been persistently urging the government to initiate the process of application for Georgia’s EU mebership. Ever since the possibility of EU member candidacy opened up for Georgia, we have dedicated our efforts to urge the Georgian government to meet the 12 recommendations aimed at improving the lives of Georgia’s citizens. We fully acknowledge the current challenges associated with implementing these recommendations. However, imprtantly, against all odds, the European choice remains a steadfast national aspiration, serving as a unifying force within our broad and proactive civil solidarity.  Our pursuit continues to be a better democracy in Georgia, one that matches the aspirations and demands of Georgian citizens, a democracy built on values and principles that currently unite the 27 EU member states. In March 2023, we successfully rallied Georgian society against the looming threat of the “Russian law,” which could have distanced Georgia from the EU. Through our collective efforts, we managed to overturn this law, showcasing the unwavering commitment of the Georgian people to secure their clear choice of a European future for their country.  As Georgian non-governmental organizations, we firmly believe that obtaining candidate EU member state status is not only a significant step towards realizing the European aspirations of Georgians but also a vital means of diminishing Russia’s influence in Georgia—more EU presence translates to less Russian influence in Georgia.  For all the reasons outlined above, we appeal to our steadfast European friends and allies of Georgia, specifically addressing the European Commission. Despite the ongoing challenges that Georgia must address, as you deliver your fair assessment of progress on the 12 priorities, we strongly urge you to recommend to the European Council that they grant Georgia the status of a candidate EU member country in December 2023". More... Source: osgf.ge

The US Agency for International Development publishes the CSO Sustainability Index every year. Most recently the 2022 index has been released. Picture of sustainable development of CSOs, operating in Georgia, can be seen here...

Tbilisi.Economic Policy Research Center and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, with the support of the Lietuvos ambasada Sakartvele, present the seventh episode of our podcast - EUforia. In this episode, Gigi Gigiadze and Zaza Shengelia are joined by the Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Georgia. The discussion focuses on the specifics and history of bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as Lithuania's perspective on Georgia's EU integration process. More... Source: Economic Policy Research Center

Tbilisi.Civitas, with the support of the Europe Foundation, is launching a new project on preschool education. Through FB Live, we will talk with Maya Nasrashvili about various current topics with preschool education experts. The first live talk on preschool education will be broadcast on the Civitas FB page on Saturday, November 4, at 16:00.  More... Source: Civitas