Tbilisi.Climate change is exacerbating systemic problems for women in Georgia and creating additional barriers and risks. It is a crisis that increases inequalities, hinders women's access to services and limits their freedom of action - concludes a report on the impact of climate change on women. The report describes the systemic problems facing women and identifies women's income, health status and type of work as important determinants of vulnerability to climate change.  Climate Change Impact Assessment Report on Women was prepared with the financial support of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) program "Promoting Environmental Protection, Climate Change Resilience and Democratic Resilience in Georgia".  More... Source: Green Alternative

Imereti. Local Democracy Agency  Georgia, in partnership with  Tkibuli District Development Fund, has started the implementation of the project "More Transparency and Accountability for Effective Self-Government".   The purpose of which is to ensure the implementation of effective self-government in the municipalities of Terjola, Tkibuli and Baghdati  and to promote involvement of civil society in the decision-making process. Within the framework of the project, a memorandum of understanding  was signed between  Local Democracy  Agency Georgia,   Tkibuli District Development Fund  and   target municipalities of the project  (Baghdati, Terjola, Tkibuli).  The project  is implemented by Tkibuli District Development Fund in partnership with Local Democracy Agency Georgia,   with the support of the ''Strengthening Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership’’ programme , co-funded by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union.  More... Source: Local Democracy Agency Georgia

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 Venice Commission delivered its opinion regarding the effectiveness and independence of the Special Investigation Service and the Personal Data Protection Service. Addressing the Venice Commission's recommendations is part of the European Commission's nine steps.  In order to strengthen the Special Investigation Service, the Venice Commission recommends that the service should be granted prosecutorial powers and cover all crimes committed by high-ranking officials.  The Venice Commission considers that, in the current situation, the Personal Data Protection Service does not hold proper expertise and resources to conduct efficient monitoring of the lawfulness of covert investigative measures. More... Source: Institute for Development of Freedom of Information 

Tbilisi.The "Municipality Index" project, initiated by the New Economic School-Georgia and supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom's South Caucasus office, marked its 9th annual report in 2023 since its inception in 2015.The index aims to assess the business environment, living conditions, and administrative efficiency of five self-governed municipalities (Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi, Rustavi, and Poti) and 59 self-governed community municipalities in Georgia.  Notably, 41 municipalities were included for the first time in the report this year.  The Municipal Index project addresses the crucial need to enhance the monitoring and evaluation of municipal performance.  This initiative, spearheaded by the NES-G team, aims to improve local government efficiency, transparency, accountability, accessibility, and competitiveness. More... Source: Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom South Caucasus

Kakheti.On December 19, 2023, in Telavi, under the organization of the Education Development and Employment Center and in a partnership with the Kakheti regional hub- "Media Center Kakheti", a public discussion of national programs for the development and involvement of youth in the regions of Kakheti for 2023-2026 was conducted. The aim of the initiative was to promote the implementation of a new development strategy and to familiarize the participants with the planned activities and initiatives outlined in the programs.  The focus includes enhancing the well-being and potential of youth, strengthening their health and well-being, boosting their economic empowerment, fostering participation in public and democratic processes, and improving the management system for new political initiatives.  The ideas highlighted as a result of the workshop will be submitted to the Youth Agency for reflection in the 2024-2025 action plan. The Workshop was organized within the framework of the European Union (EU) and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) funded project “Civil Society STAR Initiative: Sustainable, Transparent and Accountable Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) for the Development of Georgia” (2021-2025). The project is implemented by a consortium led by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) together with the following non-governmental organizations – Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG), Civil Society Institute (CSI), Counseling and Training Center (CTC), Education Development and Employment Center (EDEC) and European Institute of Policy (IEP). More... Source: Education Development and Employment Center

Tbilisi. UN Women Georgia published the National Study on Violence against Women in Georgia 2022. By the study 1 in 2 Women Aged 15-69 Experienced Violence. The National Survey on Violence against women in Georgia 2022 was conducted by the UN Women and the National Statistics Office of Georgia within the framework of the “Ending Violence against Women and Girls in Georgia” project funded by the European Union and UN Women’s regional flagship programme "Making Every Woman and Girl Count" in Europe and Central Asia. The National Study on Violence against Women in Georgia 2022 found that half of all women aged 15-69 have experienced one type of violence in their lifetime. This staggering statistic carries a weight that cannot be ignored; it reveals the urgent call for change.   More... Source: UN Woman Georgia

Tbilisi.On December 14, we hosted a presentation of the study - Mapping Perspectives: Uncovering Citizen and Business Attitudes towards Local Governance and Services, aimed to facilitate discussion, unpacking perceptions and attitudes towards key pillars covered by the study, including municipal public services, private sector services, subnational governance and citizen participation. The event brought together representatives of central and local governments, civil society organizations, international development institutions, and local experts to dive deep into study results through the three parallel sessions - Satisfaction, Accessibility, Quality: Reforming Municipal Service Delivery; Dialogue for Development: Fostering Collaboration in Local Business Ecosystem; and Citizen Speak: Local Governance and Public Participation through the Perspective of Diverse Communities.   The study was carried out by the research and consulting company ACT, and it looks at the citizens and businesses’ perceptions in the Program’s partner municipalities (Batumi, Chokhatauri, Ozurgeti, Kutaisi, Tkibuli, Oni, Lentekhi, Mestia, Bolnisi, Rustavi, Marneuli, Dmanisi). More... Source: USAID Local Governance Program

Tbilisi. Transparency International - Georgia: "Owners of four blacklisted companies win tenders with a fifth new company" "Businessman Aleksandre Baratashvili escaped the black list of state purchases 4 times in a row without any problems. After four of his companies were blacklisted one after the other, he founded a fifth company and within weeks received contracts from government procurement. All the companies of Aleksandre Baratashvili have received 4.5 million GEL contracts from purchases together." More... Source: Transparency International - Georgia

Tbilisi.On December 13-15, another discussion was held within the framework of the current project - "Community Youth Engagement in the Regions". The lecture-discussion on the topic "General overview of Post-Soviet states" was led by Rondeli Foundation researcher Mamuka Komakhia, and the lecture-discussion "Advocacy and lobbying" was led by lawyer Sulkhan Saladze.  Community Youth Engagement in the Regions is being launched in September 2023 by Rondeli Foundation with the support of the US Embassy Tbilisi, Georgia which aims to increase civic awareness among public school pupils of Mountainous Adjara and Adigeni Municipality and increase their capacity through non-formal educational activities. More... Source: Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies

Tbilisi. Toma works hard every day to defend the rights of individuals with disabilities in Adjara.  He has carried out many activities to make his hometown more wheelchair-friendly. He opened a social café where he provides employment for persons with disabilities and works to foster their social integration. Toma is an exemplary civic activist who brings together the local youth to make a change. The Ambassador of the Netherlands, Meline Arakelian, awarded Toma with the prize at an award ceremony on 13 December. More... Source: Embassy of the Netherlands in Georgia

Tbilisi. The Social Justice Center has filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court, addressing the administrative practice of arbitrarily denying entry to Georgia for foreigners. The mentioned practice often serves as a basis for discriminatory treatment by the authorities. The Social Justice Centre expresses optimism that the Constitutional Court will expeditiously deliberate on the appeal it has submitted and provide assistance in the successful enforcement of the constitutional rights that have been infringed upon for hundreds of individuals.  The Social Justice Center is conducting this case with the support of the USAID Rule of Law Program. More... Source: The Social Justice Center

Mtskheta-Mtianeti.On December 15, a conference on Displacement in Georgia was convened to foster sustained, multisectoral assistance for internally displaced persons and Ukrainian refugees living in Georgia. Opening words were given by Eero Johnson, the director of the Estonian Refugee Council, Riina Kaljurand, the ambassador of Estonia in Tbilisi, and David Kaikatsishvili, the head of IDPs and Migrant Policy Department, Ministry of IDPs From the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia. Mtskheta-Mtianeti Regional Hub, in cooperation with the Estonian Refugee Council and with the financial support of the Estonian International Development Center (ESTDEV), implements the program "Supporting civil society and empowering refugee voices in Georgia" More... Source: Mtskheta-Mtianeti Regional Hub 

Tbilisi. Georgia is steadfast in its commitment to addressing climate change and advancing sustainable development in alignment with both national and international climate goals. A significant step towards this commitment took place on 14 December, with a focus on the decarbonization of healthcare facilities in the country.   The meeting brought together representatives from the National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), healthcare facilities across Kakheti, Shida, and Kvemo Kartli regions and experts.   During the workshop, participants discussed Georgia's healthcare sector energy and environmental profile, conducting a thorough examination of emissions and planning for the sector's future development under international best practices and the country's decarbonization strategies. In addition, NCDC presented the outcomes of activities outlined in the plan for the decarbonisation of healthcare facilities.   More... Source: UNDP Georgia

Tbilisi. Ms Kharebava advocates for women’s empowerment, and against gender-based violence.  For many years, she has been fighting for inclusion of children with disabilities in the society in Samegrelo and Abkhazia. Madona Kharebava is an exemplary human rights activist who works tirelessly to break stereotypes and help communities to develop holistic models of accessibility for all. The Ambassador of the Netherlands, Ms Meline Arakelian, awarded Madona with the Embassy Tulip prize yesterday at a ceremony attended by representatives of governmental, non-governmental, international organisations and community activists. More... Source: Embassy of the Netherlands in Georgia

On this historic day, the European Union and our Members States have one message to the people of Georgia - Watch the video message of the EU Ambassador Pawel Herczynski and the Ambassadors of the EU Member States.

Tbilisi. "Transparency International - Georgia" Based on the best international practices and taking into account the challenges of Georgia, he developed a legislative proposal on strengthening parliamentary control over the security sector, which will help the country to fulfill the recommendations of the European Commission. The legislative proposal was submitted to the Parliament on December 13. "The legislative proposal will touch on such important issues as, among others: Creation of a new structure (committee, sub-committee or trust group with extended mandate) in the Parliament for the control of the security sector; Full extension of parliamentary control over SUS events, personal data protection in the field of security and secret procurement; Creation of a council of experts equipped with special knowledge, which will competently control the activities of the security service." More... Source: Transparency International - Georgia

With the assistance of the EU and CENN, the areas in Chiatura affected by anthropogenic pressure will be rehabilitated. As part of the grant project and with the support of the Imereti Climate Action Group, the organization "Mkhardamkhari" has implemented effective advocacy, as a result of which the Chiatura municipality allocated 30,000 GEL in the 2024 budget for environmental restoration efforts in degraded areas.  This activity was implemented within the EU-funded “Georgia Climate Action Project (GEO-CAP)”, which promotes civil society engagement in climate change (CC) policy design and implementation. The project is being implemented by CENN with its partner organisations, KRDF, ACU, YPU, and RLS-ADA, in the project’s focal regions of Georgia: Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Lower Svaneti.  More... Source: CENN

Tbilisi. On December 12, 2023, the Council of the European Union approved enlargement conclusion. The Council calls on Georgia to demonstrate a clear commitment to EU values, increase its alignment with EU Foreign policy and „reverse“ the negative trend observed in recent times.   On December 15, European Council will decide on granting Georgia the candidate status.  More... Source: Institute for Development of Freedom of Information

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...

Join us at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel for an event on December 15th at 11:00 AM, where the Civil Society Institute (CSI), in collaboration with the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) and the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), will present the 2023 country report for CSO Meter: A Compass to Conducive Environment and CSO Empowerment.  The CSO Meter serves as a crucial monitoring tool, dedicated to evaluating the legislative and practical landscape for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), human rights defenders, and activists in Eastern European Partnership countries. The report meticulously covers 11 key areas essential for the growth of CSOs, providing quantitative scores for each domain. Scores range from 1 to 7, with 1 indicating the least favorable score (an extremely unfavorable, authoritarian environment), and 7 signifying the highest score (an extremely favorable environment).  This annual report, known as CSO-Meter, regularly assesses and continuously monitors the CSO environment in Eastern European Partnership countries. Additionally, the report gauges progress in implementing previously issued recommendations aimed at fostering a conducive CSO environment.  If attending the event online, please use the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87588630682?pwd=YXk2c0U3T2dBWUE4U2VYblNtT1ZqQT09

This week, EU leaders at the European Council will discuss EU enlargement policy.  Eu NeighborsEast creates The page, which takes you through the package, the enlargement process and each country's progress.   More... Source: euneighbourseast.eu