Tbilisi. On June 28, 2022, the ninth meeting of the Georgia-EU civil society platform was held at the Rondeli Foundation. The platform was established in accordance with Article 412 of the Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union. The purpose is to monitor the agreement and develop and deliver recommendations to the highest level institutions of cooperation between the European Union and Georgia, governments, parliaments. A joint statement was adopted at the meeting. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. The Civil Society Organizations have elaborated an Action Plan which could be easily implemented till the end of 2022, provided political will is present. The Action Plan contains an absolute minimum of critically important reforms, essential for granting the Candidacy status. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. The “Home to Europe” Movement expresses grave concern over the obstructive and violent incidents occurring during meetings held by our members and supporters with the population in the regions. “We call on the ruling party to put an end to counterproductive provocations that damage the country's reputation. The “Home to Europe” Movement clearly states that it is committed only to peaceful forms of assembly and calls on law enforcement to ensure freedom of peaceful assembly and to prevent further provocations and confrontations. Despite the attempts to interfere and impede our activities, our movement is only emboldened and motivated to continue pursuing its mission. We are also reassured that we are doing the right thing, which we will follow through in a consistent and planned manner”, is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Imereti. Within the framework of the project "Civil Society STAR Initiative", LDA Georgia conducted training on the importance, role, stages, methods and specifics of advocacy for the members of CSOs and active citizens in the target municipalities. The trainings are being conducted by LDA Georgia within the framework of the project "Civil Society STAR  Initiative," with the support of the European Union and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia has analyzed the official data related to privatization of the state-owned real estate by the central government in 2013-2021 and found that the process of privatization contains significant corruption risks. Extremely low competition, lack of transparency, absence of integrity mechanisms and inadequate response to alleged violations – these are the key challenges that create corruption risks in the process of privatization. “In Georgia, a significant part of land resources is still owned by the state. With the current rate of privatization, the process is expected to last for many more years. Given the above-mentioned challenges and the fact that there are no high-level corruption prevention mechanisms in the country, there is a high probability that the state property will be disposed of in favor of private interests of specific individuals, at the expense of state and public interests, a number of alleged examples of which are provided in this study”. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. According to the information of the IDFI the attacks on the informational meetings of the organizers and supporters of the July 3 rally are clearly coordinated and contain signs of a crime under the Criminal Code of Georgia. IDFI calls on: The Ministry of Internal Affairs to ensure the peaceful conduct of the public campaigns of the organizers and supporters of the July 3 rally. The Ministry should take preventive and follow-up measures provided by law in order to prevent the aggravation of the background of the July 3 rally and the encouragement of violence. The Special Investigation Service to immediately launch an investigation of the crime under Article 153 of the Criminal Code. Read more…  Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. On June 28, 2022, Giorgi Burjanadze, Deputy Public Defender of Georgia, met with Bahia Tahzib-Lie, Human Rights Ambassador of the Netherlands, and Maaike van Koldam, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Georgia. Giorgi Burjanadze informed the guests of the activities of the Public Defender's Office and the current human rights situation in the country, including the investigation of hate crimes, the right to a fair trial and the rights situation of prisoners and vulnerable persons in Georgia. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Warsaw. A team of law students from the Free University of Tbilisi has won the final of the moot court competition on the rights of people with disabilities hosted in Warsaw today by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The competition was the first of its kind organized by ODIHR, together with the Centre for Disability Law and Policy of the National University of Ireland, Galway. Read more… Source: www.osce.org

Imereti. Local Democracy Agency Georgia held a meeting with the members of the Baghdati Youth Council. The purpose of the meeting was to identify the needs of local youth. Based on the initiatives of the council members, two municipal youth programs will be prepared, which will be submitted to the municipality for further consideration. The Baghdati Youth Council is being strengthened within the framework of the project “Civil Society STAR Initiative,” with the support of the European Union and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Read more… Source: the organization’s page on the social network

Imerti. On June 24-25, 2022, the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), with the support of the Open Society Foundation (OSF), held a two-day workshop with teachers from schools in the Imereti region, namely the cities of Kutaisi, Tkibuli, Vani, Samtredia, and Zestaponi. The purpose of the meeting was to identify challenges facing the Georgian education system in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to discuss the needs and challenges of vulnerable groups during the pandemic. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. Social Justice Center publishes the survey “Environmental Impact Assessment - Safeguarding Development in Georgia?.” “It is true that even a perfect legislation does not guarantee decisions that fully protect social and environmental interests when economic activities are being planned, however, if there are any shortcomings in the legislation that create a risk of making unscrupulous or incompetent decisions, then the risk of neglecting public interests is higher. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify specific shortcomings in the Environmental Assessment Code and to recommend relevant legislative changes. This study does not have an ambition of fully analyzing the compliance of Georgia’s Environmental Assessment Code with the EU EIA Directive and the Aarhus Convention, nor does it claim to be fully analyzing the shortcomings in the Code”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.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...

Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia echoes the Pride Week that is due to start on June 28 and emphasizes the importance of ensuring the conduct of events within the framework of the Week in a peaceful and non-violent environment for the proper realization of the rights of the LGBT+ community and their supporters, as well as for the smooth conduct of democratic processes in the country. The Public Defender calls on the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia to: •    take timely and effective measures in order to prevent possible violent actions and protect the participants and organizers of the Tbilisi Pride from any threats coming from the violent groups; •    ensure that all the events scheduled within the framework of the Pride Week are carried out safely and smoothly; take measures to protect the territory adjacent to the Tbilisi Pride office; •    carry out the investigation launched on June 6, 2022 into the alleged threats and violent calls relating to the Tbilisi Pride Week in an effective manner; •    promptly respond to any violations. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. With UN Women’s technical support, Civil Service Bureau (CSB) adopted its first-ever internal Gender Equality Strategy and Action Plan (AP) on 6 June 2022… CSB’s Gender Equality Strategy and AP aim to strengthen gender responsive public employment systems to enable women’s full and effective participation and leadership in public service. The documents are aligned with recommendations of the participatory gender audit (PGA) conducted by CSB with UN Women’s support in 2020. The initiative is carried out within the framework of the “Good Governance for Gender Equality in Georgia” (GG4GEG) project generously funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. The Coalition for Independent and Transparent Judiciary considers the appointment of Mikheil Chinchaladze for a second term as the chairman of the Tbilisi Court of Appeals unjustified and harmful. “The High Council of Justice’s decision further deepens the problem of internal influences and clan-based governance in the judiciary. It undermines public trust towards judicial independence and damages the crucial process of Georgia's European integration”, is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. A large-scale rally was held in Tbilisi on June 24 in response to the failure of the Georgian Government to secure the EU candidate status. The European Union deferred giving Georgia its official EU candidate status until after the implementation of conditions set out in the 12-point Action Plan. The EU will assess Georgia's implementation of recommendations and conditions by the end of 2022. “We do not believe that the Government, which has a history of backtracking on promises made to international partners, will carry out the necessary reforms. On June 24, the people’s movement “Home to Europe” made the following demands: The resignation of the Georgian government led by Irakli Gharibashvili, who spared no effort to prevent Georgia from gaining EU candidate status in the run up to the final decision of the European Council by verbally attacking European diplomats and the country’s supporters, fueling internal political polarization and damaging the country's international image. We demanded Bidzina Ivanishvili to relinquish and transfer his executive power within Constitutional boundaries to the “Government of National Consent – For the EU”. This transitional government will be responsible for the implementation of the 12 priorities required by the EU for receiving the candidate status”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Regions. From May 24 to June 13, 2022, the Public Defender’s Office held meetings with schoolchildren living in different regions of Georgia. The aim of the project was to raise children’s awareness of their rights and the mandate of the Public Defender, as well as to provide information about their rights in their relations with the police. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia welcomes changes to the Decree of the Government of Georgia on Social Package, as a result of which persons with disabilities will no longer be restricted from receiving a social package during the implementation of public activities. Read more… Source: www.ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. HRHT responds to the yesterday's statement of "Tbilisi Pride" and fully joins to the organization's demands to the government. “This year, “Tbilisi Pride” refuses to hold a “March of Dignity” within the Pride Week in order to avoid tensions and polarization in the process of European integration. The Georgian queer community and their supporters are refusing to exercise their constitutional right to assemble, because the mobilization of aggressive, homophobic groups poses a potential threat to them again, as it did last year. This year’s Pride Week consists of closed events. Nonetheless, violent, pro-Russian groups continue to openly declare that they will obstruct the festival organizers and disrupt their events. It is critically important for the state to show political will, arrest both last year and this year’s organizers of the violence, and protect the festival. It is disturbing that peaceful groups have been forced to relinquish their rights to avoid confrontation, while violent groups continue their threats with open, aggressive texts. A special problem is still the discrediting calls of high-ranking government officials towards the organizers, activists and supporters of "Tbilisi Pride". The government is obliged to protect activists and human rights defenders. One of the important components of this protection is the public support of these groups. It is essential that high-ranking government officials condemn all crimes against human rights defenders and activists and, through their public calls, promote human rights activities, and in particular the protection of minority rights”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Over 30 young climate activists, aged 13 to 16 years, learn about climate change, networking and leadership in the Green Camp #ClimateAmbassadors. The Green Camp is organized by UNDP Georgia and the Environmental Information and Education Centre of Georgia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture. It’s part of a nationwide climate programme supported by the Green Climate Fund and the governments of Georgia, Sweden and Switzerland. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Kakheti. Caritas Georgia Health Care Program continues to support the family members of the beneficiaries of the home care project. On June 1-3 2022, the relatives of the beneficiaries together with a psychologist and a social worker of Caritas Georgia Health Care program traveled to Ikalto, Kakheti region. Caritas Georgia Health Care Program offers the family members and the relatives of the Home Care program beneficiaries environment for recreation. During their stay in Ikalto, informational meetings on the Behavior Management and Social and Health Care Programs as well as the programs and activities conducted by CG Health Care program were held for the family members of the beneficiaries. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI) publishes a statement. “Today Georgia is at a critical crossroads where the choice is only between freedom and authoritarianism. In this historical moment of Eurointegration for our country, the government of Georgia betrayed the firm will of the Georgian people, the Constitution, and the idea of freedom. By oligarchic rule and authoritarian inclinations, ruining democratic institutions and values, ignoring human rights, persecuting opposition, media and civil society, violence against minorities, abolishing justice, the endless propaganda of hatred and constant obstruction against the Western allies - the Government distanced Georgia from its European identity and pulled closer to Russia. Protection of the human and the country’s dignity, promotion of freedom and equality, and contribution to building a state based on these values have always been TDI’s aim. We think that now it is the primary obligation of each citizen, politician, media, public servant and any freedom-loving human to persistently protect the constitutional will of the Georgian people, to protect the European and democratic Georgia and not to allow our return in the Russian sphere of influence”. Read more… Source: tdi.ge