Tbilisi. The Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) has released the publication of member of the Center's Civil Activism Platform Tea Kakhadze titled: "The Analysis of Epistles by the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia (1997–2014)". The publication focuses on social issues most frequently raised in the epistles of the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia. For the full text (geo) Source: emc.org.ge

Tbilisi. On February 16 the members of the club "Road to Europe” met the represantatives of the "National Network Against Violence”. The topic of the talk was: "Family violence and the forms and the methods of victim rehabilitation centre”. Source: Web-page of the organization in social network.

Tbilisi. JumpStart Georgia is publishing an infographic - "Missing Volunteerism in Georgia". "Among 135 countries, according to the percentage of the population that volunteered its time to an organization, Georgia ranks #68.According to the Caucasus Barometer 2013, 81% of the Georgian Population have not volunteered in the last 6 months, while only 3.3% of active Civil Society Organizations promote their volunteering positions in Georgia". JumpStart Georgia visualized the potential economic benefit that increased volunteerism would have in Georgia. Infographic  Source:feradi.info

Tbilisi. Non-governmental organization the "Young Barristers” address the head of Supreme Court of Georgia – Konstantine Kublashvili with 10 public questions on issues and conditions that have been emerged nowadays. For the full text Source:barristers.ge

On February 7, 10, 12 and 14 n the frames of the project "Accessible Justice for National and Ethnic Minorities in Administrative Court” NGO "CiDA” organized a meeting with the ethnic minorities living in Kakheti and Kvemo Kartli regions. The meetings took place in 9 villages located in Sagarejo, 5 villages located in Gardabani and 3 villages located in Marneuli. The meetings were attended by "CiDA” Legal Expert Lika Tshekhani as well as village representatives and local inhabitants. Source:cida.ge

Shida Kartli. On February 15 a media school was opened in "Biliki”. The aim of the school is to raise schoolchildren’s level of conscience, level of social activity, to develop social initiatives with the help of learning media and other communication means. There were organized three major groups – radio journalism, TV journalism, and newspaper journalism. Source: Web-page of the organization in social network.

Tbilisi. The School of Liberalism has published another edition of "Libtime". The topic of the program is "Problems of the Javakheti population on its way to state integration and if the region is detached from the rest of the country". Chairman of CSO "Multinational Georgia" Arnold Stepanian and the teacher of Georgian in one of the villages of Javakheti as part of the state program and the student Diana Surmanidze discuss the topic. The program. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Adjara. CSO "Borjghali" has launched on February15 a new project - "Democracy Narrators' School". The professor of the Georgian-American University and political scientists BakarBerekashvili has delivered the first seminar on the "Democracy - its classical and modern perception". He talked about the origins of notion of democracy and what is the dynamics of its historic development. On February 16, KobaKuprashvili has talked to 22 students of the School about the link between the democracy and the state. The "Democracy Narrators' School" was developed as part of the project "Histories of Democracy for Civil Awareness", implemented with support of the "Open Society - Georgia" Foundation.

Tbilisi. The NGOs released a statement concerning the arrest of members of the United National Movement. „It has been reported that on February 10, 2014 the Law Enforcement Agencies arrested the Khoni municipality governor Zurab Jibukhaia, his deputy Besarion Tchelidze, and the deputy chairman of the United National Movement’s Dusheti organization Zurab Otiashvili ...We believe that everyone is equal before the law and anyone should be brought to justice if found guilty, regardless of party affiliation. However, it is also necessary to take into account that detention of active members of an opposition party ahead of local self-government elections, their incrimination for crimes committed several years ago, and the law enforcement’s pre-trial detention motion raise additional questions” – is said in the statement. For the full text Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. The non-governmental organization "Helping hand” in partnership with the volunteers and the youth committee of the "Peace Corps” for the third consecutive year organized an exhibition of more than 30 organizations. The organizations presented projects and involved in their activities Georgian volunteers. The aim of the event was the popularization of volunteering among the Georgian youth and their more active involvement in mass programmes. Source: Web-page of the organization in social network.

Tbilisi. The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics has released a statement on the talk-show "Reaction". "The Charter echoes one of the episodes aired during the talk-show "Reaction" of the Imedi TV, in which an adolescent with leukemia has participated. The Charter's Council believes that an adolescent and his grave health state were abused for the sake of the program," says the statement. The Charter of Journalistic Ethics appeals to all media outlets to treat the interests of children and topics associated with them with particular caution. For the full text (geo) Source: qartia.org.ge

Tbilisi.Georgian Young Lawyers' Association released a statement. "According to the released information,  on February 14, 2014 Levan Maruashvili was examined in the prosecutor’s office under the witness status, while prior to interrogation his apartment has been searched. As reported, his examination might be linked to one of the charges submitted against Bachana Akhalaia.   We would like to specify which procedures should be observed for conduct of search and examination of individual under the witness status. ...GYLA calls on the investigative bodes, to be bound with legislative requirements and to observe legislative procedures in each specific case". For the full text Source:gyla.ge

Qvemo Kartli. On February 14 Polish volunteers held an intercultural evening in Siqa. The volunteers introduced the attending people to Poland’s culture, traditions, cuisine, and traditions. Source: Web-page of the organization in social network.

Adjara. International conference - "Making Friends of Cities for Climate Protection" was organized on February 14-15 in Batumi. Use of bio masses and resolving the problem of outdoor lighting was one of the key topics of the meeting attended by representatives of local CSOs, state agencies and media, as well as the field specialists. The European Initiative aims to work on climate improvement. The conference was organized by the Batumi City Hall and CSO "Climate Alliance".

Tbilisi. The "Centre for Consultation and Training” released a yearly edition which overviews main events and topics the organization was involved in. Edition (geo): Source: ctc.org.ge

Imereti. RICDOG's members held round table on the topic "Ideology", which was provided in frame of program "RICDOG member". Guest of round table was head of the Board of the Research-Intellectual Club "Dialogue of Generations" Nugzar Kokhreidze. In frame of the program "RICDOG member" was held Kitchen competition in last week and next week will be launch Poetic competition. Goals of the program are to provide active involving of organization's member into RICDOG's activities and works. Source:the organization's page in the social network

Guria.  A discussion on the prohibition of discrimination and tolerance was organized on February 15 in Ozurgeti in the office of the Young Teachers' Union. Discussion was led by the lawyer of the Georgian Democratic Initiative GiorgiMshvenieradze and philosopher LevanGhambashidze. The meeting aimed at holding regional discussions on issues such as prohibition of discrimination, tolerance, secularism as the principle of state governance. Discussion participants have talked about the environment in terms of tolerance in the Guria Region and countrywide, the rights of minorities and mechanisms of their protection. Senior schoolchildren, teachers, CSO representatives and journalists have attended the meeting. Source: gdi.ge

The Open Government Partnership (OGP) has officially published the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) reports of implementation of the Action Plan of Georgia of the so called second cohort countries (i.e. countries that joined OGP in April 2012). Among these was the report regarding Georgia, written by an independent expert from Transparency International – Georgia, Lasha Gogidze. For the full text Source:ogpblog.wordpress.com

Tbilisi. Transparency International - Georgia published opinion of Lasha Tughushi, Eka Gigauri and Kakhi Kakhishvili. "On 31 January 2013 Temporary Commission on Illegal Surveillance and Wiretapping has issued its report  regarding illegal surveillance in Georgia.Three members of this Commission, Eka Gigauri, Lasha Tughushi and Kakhaber Kakhishvili have a separate opinion which was not published on the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs". For the full text Source:transparency.ge

Tbilisi. The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information has published the "Legal analysis and recommendations to the draft amendments to the law on whistle-blower institute". For the full text Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. On February 14, entire world unites as part of the global campaign "one billion rising for fairness" to express protest to violence against women. Tbilisi has joined the global campaign today. At the initiative of CSO "Identoba", several volunteers and professional dancers have danced on the territory next to the Rustaveli Avenue. With their dance, the participants have joined women fighting for the women's rights in different countries around the world. Slogan of the campaign is "One Billion Dancing Women Is a Revolution!" Source: ginsc.net

Tbilisi. On February 14, entire world unites as part of the global campaign "one billion rising for fairness" to express protest to violence against women. Tbilisi has joined the global campaign today. At the initiative of CSO "Identity", several volunteers and professional dancers have danced on the territory next to the Rustaveli Avenue. With their dance, the participants have joined women fighting for the women's rights in different countries around the world.Slogan of the campaign is "One Billion Dancing Women Is a Revolution!" Source: ginsc.net