Tbilisi. International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) publishes a blog post of Irina Mamulashvili: What impact the 2020 parliamentary elections may have on the European future of Georgia - Opinions of Euro parliamentarians. Representatives of the organization spoke to those members of the European Parliament who work on issues related to Eastern Partnership countries. They welcome transition of Georgia to a new electoral system, talk about possible development scenarios and name important challenges for the country. “The 2020 parliamentary elections provide Georgia with an opportunity to assure the European Union and its member states that the country is well prepared for integration”, - Andrew Kubilius states. Read more… Source: isfed.ge

Tbilisi. Civil Platform 20/20 releases the unscheduled report on the election of temporary members of the district election commissions for the October 31, 2020 election.  "The “Civic Platform 20/20” believes that when selecting temporary members of district commissions, the CEC paid insufficient attention to the study of candidates' professionalism and impartiality. The commission did not use public information in the study, which is public not only for the Central Election Commission but also for any citizen. Only one candidate expressed a desire to participate in the competition announced in 16 districts out of 72 election districts, indicating that the Central Election Commission failed to make full use of the public information mechanisms, thus failing to inform persons with election certificates. Read more… Source: The organization’s page in the social network

Tbilisi. The Media Development Foundation has prepared a supplementary dictionary for journalists to cover issues related to migrants. The dictionary is based on material from international dictionaries (OXFORD, MERRIAM WEBSTER), the encyclopedia BRITANNICA, theAssociation of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) and international media (BBC, AFP) style manuals. The project is funded through a grant from Hidaia and the European Union. Opinions, findings and recommendations, expressed in the publication, are those of authors and should not be perceived as positions of Hidaia and the European Union. Read more… Source: www.mdfgeorgia.ge

Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia is responding to the growing trend of confirmed cases in Georgia in the context of the novel coronavirus pandemic and calls on the relevant agencies to pay special attention to the protection of the right to health of persons placed in state care institutions, strengthen the risk prevention measures and closely monitor the implementation of the relevant recommendations. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. The Media Development Foundation, within the framework of a campaign against hate speech, has created a supplementary dictionary for journalists to cover issues related to Islam.  “A supplementary dictionary for journalists on the subject of Islam has been prepared in accordance with material from international dictionaries (OXFORD, MERRIAM WEBSTER), the encyclopedia BRITANNICA, the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) and international media (BBC, AFP) style manuals. The project is funded through a grant from Hidaia and the European Union”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: mdfgeorgia.ge

Tbilisi. The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) publishes a study: Contract employment practice at ministries and LEPLs. “Unlike rules for hiring public servants, in the case of contract employment there is a simpler selection process and in many cases functions and duties of those to be hired are vaguely described. On positions under an administrative contract,people are appointed without passing a competition, while a simplified public competition for contract employment is announced and a decision is made by an authorized person only on the basis of an interview. Consequently, risks of nepotism and irrational management of budget funds are higher in this field”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Guria. On September 10, during her visit in Guria region, the Ambassador Kelly C. Degnan visited the USAID-supported Ozurgeti Youth Center and met with young leaders of the program.  “During the meeting, PITA’s youth center members presented a brief presentation about the Youth Center activities (including youth engagement to prevent COVID-19), followed by a Q&A session. The Ambassador and young leaders discussed diverse issues, including challenges country is facing (unemployment, education, migration, regional development, etc.), European integration, counteracting malign Kremlin influence, youth cooperation with local government, political processes and elections, and the impact of the PITA program on young people”. Read more… Source: The organization’s web page in the social network

Tbilisi. Social entrepreneurship, how does it functions in practice in Georgia, howdo social enterprises themselves and their ecosystem look like? If you are interested in these issues - you have the opportunity to get acquainted with them in latest 2 studies of the Civil Society Institute. Georgian practice reviews current state of social entrepreneurship and includes an analysis of operating environment. Social enterprises, operating in Georgia, are analyzed in the review in terms of type of activity, goals, legal form, and etc. Study: Social entrepreneurship in Georgia (Practice review, author -EkaDatuashvili), 2020 ... The subject of the second study was familiarization with European experience on social entrepreneurship, characteristics of social enterprises and favorable environment for them. It is noteworthy that an ecosystem, necessary for social enterprises, consists of four main components. These are: opportunities for self-organization; visibility and recognition; access to resources; research, education and skills. Study: Social entrepreneurship, social enterprises and their ecosystem, 2020 (authors - Ekaterine Danelia, Mariam Latsabidze, Nino Samsonidze) ... The studies have been carried out on the order of the Civil Society Institute in collaboration with the Social Enterprise Alliance Georgia and with the support of the International Center for Non-for-Profit Law (ICNL).

Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia negatively assesses the new draft law submitted to the Parliament of Georgia relating to the changes to the rules of selection of Supreme Court judicial candidates. “The proposed amendments fragmentally focus on certain aspects of the selection of Supreme Court judicial candidates, while the main recommendations of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR regarding the shortcomings in the selection process remain unresolved”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. As International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) informs, in Georgia, a “Facebook” library of political advertisementsenacted on August 7. “According to rules of “Facebook”, advertisements that are uploaded on the platform and touch upon elections, social and political issues, are required to have a respective declaration, while those posting such advertisements must pass authorization. When uploading a political advertisement, a person posting it is obliged to indicate his/her identity and attach a note about contact information ofa payer (“Paid for by” disclaimer). Additional transparency of political advertisements will facilitate reduction of interference into the elections and greater accountability of those posting advertisements”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: isfed.ge

Tbilisi. The Fair Labor Platform considers that a labor inspection reform is delayed. “Adoption of a labor inspection reformhas been suspended for unknown reasons. The Fair Labor Platform calls on the Parliament of Georgia to timely resume revision of the reform and ensure its adoption. The Parliament of Georgia already supported the labor inspection reform,presented in the spring of 2020, onthe first hearing. The Healthcare and Social Issues Committee essentially approved legislative changes, however, revision of the bill on the second hearing at the plenary session has not been carried out yetand is suspended for unknown reasons and an indefinite period”, - is stated on the website of GYLA. Read more… Source:gyla.ge

Tbilisi. Myth Detector publishes material: Who is behind the conspiracy, as if Americans use bodies of babies to beautify themselves? “In the August 31-September 6 edition of the Alia newspaper, Elizbar Diakonidze, a clergyman, talked about restriction of surrogacy and stated as if people in America use fluid taken from bodies of babies to rejuvenate and beautify themselves. He noted that there were also Hollywood actors involved in that case. The statement of Elizbar Diakonidze, the clergyman, as if in America they use fluid taken from bodies of babies to rejuvenate and beautify themselves, is a conspiracy. This theory is disseminated by QAnon, supporters of which have been declared as a domestic terrorist threat by the FBI”, - is stated on the website of Myth Detector. Read more… Source: www.mythdetector.ge

Tbilisi. In August of this year, four non-governmental organizations – “Rights Georgia”, the “Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association”, “Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center” and the “Institute for Development of Freedom of Information” - addressed the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia demanding to publicize information regarding criminal proceedings brought against judges in 2012-2020 years. “The purpose of demanding information is to reveal how often criminal investigations and prosecutions against incumbent judges were carried out since the Georgian Dream came to power, and whether this mechanism was used to put direct and indirect pressure on judges”, - is stated on the website of “Rights Georgia” in a social network. Read more… Source:The website of the organization in a social network

Tbilisi. The Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies publishes a blog post by Valeri Chechelashvili, a senior researcher at the organization: “Some thoughts on the use of a term “post-Soviet space””. “What was the USSR as such? After its disappearance, why do phantom pains still bother residents of Kremlin? And how does the term “post-Soviet space” serve their interests? How does it enhance illusions about the collapsed empire? To begin with, the USSR was neither Union of nor Soviet, nor Socialist, nor Republics. It was a totalitarian state of classic form, where power was owned by a group of people united within the Communist Party. More precisely, by several individuals who were members of the Politburo”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: www.gfsis.org

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Tbilisi. Present study of the Media Development Foundation reflects results of media monitoring conducted within a period from January 1 to December 31, 2019. “Compared to the previous year, the number of homophobic statements has sharply increased. Both the media and “Georgian March”, an anti-liberal group, attempted to link an anti-occupation rally of June 20 to a gay pride and an LGBT community. There were spread speculations as if at the anti-occupation rally resignation of Prime Minister Gakharia was demanded by nationalists and “pederasts”. The largest share of xenophobic messages comes from comments with anti-migrant content, which is followed by Turkophobic statements. Among political parties hate speech was most frequently used by members of the “Alliance of Patriots”, which, along with “TV Obiektivi”, was the main source of Turkophobic messages”. Read more… Source: mdfgeorgia.ge

Tbilisi. According to information released by “Green Alternative”, after a two-year investigation, the appeal mechanism of two largest European banks revealed that a Nenskra hydroelectric power plant project, planned in Svaneti, did not comply with international standards; “The issue is all about requirements of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB), financiers of Nenskra HPP, a significant part of which requirements the project fails to meet. In particular, Nenskra HPP does not comply with standards of banks in such fundamental issues as: rights of indigenous population, protection of cultural heritage, study of alternatives of the project, gender issues, transparency of information, competence of representatives of a company implementing the Nenskra HPP project”. Read more… Source: greenalt.org

Tbilisi. On September 9, 2020, Nino Lomjaria, Public Defender of Georgia, presented Special Report on the Results of the Monitoring Carried out in Preschool Educational Institutions. “The monitoring made it clear that the situation had improved after the monitoring conducted by the Public Defender's Office in 2014, mainly in terms of healthy and balanced food, as well as special nutritional needs. However, despite the efforts of the state and municipalities, a number of issues remain in kindergartens unresolved, which require more efforts from the relevant structures”, is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Adjara. During the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Georgia Red Cross Society set up tents at two more locations in Batumi today. Citizens are able to take a free test at the following addresses: • Alphabetic tower (near the seaside) • Colonnade (Boulevard) • Ajarian House (Boulvard) • Tsereteli street • Market “Khopa”  Read more… Source: The organization’s page in a social network

Tbilisi. According to information released by Myth Detector, an online program of the Facebook page “Alt-Info” on September 2 was about an issue of Russian funding of the “Alliance of Patriots” party. Shota Martinenko, a host of “Alt-Info” stated that pro-Western political parties in Georgia are financed from abroad while “European Georgia” and other parties receive funds from the “Open Society Georgia Foundation” (the so-called Soros Foundation). “The declaration, whether political parties in Georgia are financed by the “Open Society Georgia Foundation”, is disinformation. The Foundation, according to its internal policy, never finances political parties or their pro-/anti-campaigns. Besides, it is also noted in the project funding online application that the project should not envisage activities in support of a political party/person”. Read more… Source: www.mythdetector.ge

Tbilisi. The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) publishes a blog post: Funding and rating of Public Broadcaster in 3 years after the start of a reform. “According to our data, in 2018-2019 years rating of the broadcaster had a slight increase. It should be noted that the existing increase in the rating is mostly due to new projects and mega shows initiated on the channel. However, considering the role of Public Broadcaster defined by law, there arise questions as to how much these programs serve the public good. In the beginning of 2017, Vasil Maglaperidze stated that he would resign from his position if the rating of Public Broadcaster was not more than 15% by 2019. TVMR data show that the rating of the broadcaster did not reach the desired level by 2019. Maglaperidze resigned on August 18, 2020, however he did not name the rating problem as the reason for quitting his position”. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. According to information released by Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC), next event of the Solidarity Platform was held on September 5-6.  “Discussions, carried out within the framework of the event, were related to participation of non-dominant ethnic and religious groups in public life. During meetings, Naira Gelashvili and Giorgi Tarkhan-Mouravigave their speeches on the topic: How did we come to this point? A civic equality and integration policy of Georgia in the 1990s and 2000s. Besides, speeches were made by Teona Piranishvili and Kamran Mammadli, researchers of EMC”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: emc.org.ge