Kvemo Kartli. The Rustavi Youth Center has organized an information meeting on the World Aids Day on November 29. Youngsters from Rustavi and the youth at conflict with law were participating in the event.At the meeting, representatives of the Aids Center have informed youngsters about ways of transmission of Aids, protection from infecting and other issues.The event was held as part of the project "Supporting the Juvenile Justice Reform in the National Minority Communities of KvemoKartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti.The EU-funded project is implemented by CSO "Sida". Source:cida.ge

Samtskhe-Javakheti. The presentation-discussion of the draft 2014 budget of the Akhaltsikhe Municipality was organized on December 2 in the conference hall of the Union of Democrat Meskhetians. Representatives of local CSOs and international organizations, information outlets and the Financial Department of the Akhaltsikhe Municipality Gamgeoba have attended the meeting.At the meeting the CSO sector representatives have elaborated on the issues with which they intend to approach the local self-government in the coming days. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. CSOs and the Parliament's Gender Council have discussed the National Action Plan on Gender. In particular, the meeting focused on the draft action plan that the Parliament intends to debate on this year.Empowerment of the Gender Council, equal participation of women and men in political life, observance of gender balance during the local self-government reform - this is a short list of issues that the CSOs have discussed together with the Chair of the Gender Council. Source: ginsc.net

Adjara. The "Fund for Assisting the Artists" was presented on November27 in the Batumi Civic Engagement Center. Representatives of local CSOs and media, artists working in Adjara and the students of the Arts University have attended the meeting. The Fund's representatives have informed the audience about their goals and tasks. In addition, they have presented the new project "Catch the Chance", in implementation of which the Fund will partner with the youth organization "Art Way" and "Borjghali".

Tbilisi. The "Women's Fund in Georgia" has revealed the winner of the "Kato Mikeladze Prize" on the International Day for Protection of Women's Rights. EkaAghdgomelashvili, who is the founder of the "Group for Support of Women's Initiatives", has become the prize-winner.At the initiative of the CSO "Women's Fund in Georgia", the Kato Mikeladze Prize will be awarded annually on November 29 to one of the women's rights activists in Georgia. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. Coalition for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary Appeals to High Council of Justice. "On November 12, 2013, one of the issues on the agenda of a sitting of the High Council of Justice of Georgia was a statement of the former Supreme Court judge, Lali Lazarashvili. In this statement, Lazarashvili accused the Chairman of Supreme Court and members of Plenum of infringing her judicial independence and forcing her to leave the job in May 2010. ...Even though the above mentioned actions contain signs of breaching disciplinary, criminal and constitutional norms, the High Council of Justice left this statement without reaction", says the statement. For full text Source:isfed.ge

Kvemo Kartli. SIQA has organized an event on December 1 in Rustavi dedicated to the World Aids Day. The event started off with a march with participation of SIQA's Georgian and foreign volunteers and the civic club members. The event participants were handing out the red bands symbolizing Aids, information brochures and stickers.As part of the event, blood analyses were taken in the organization's office, and any interested persons can take the test during the next 8 months.The event ended with releasing the luminary kites in the air in front of the City Hall. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Kakheti. As part of the "Civic Education and Teacher Training Program" project, the Telavi Education, Development and Employment Center has organized the "Youth Forum 2013" of the school-based civic clubs.Schoolchildren of the Public School #56 have participated in the Forum. According to the organizers of the event, the project aims to have the schoolchildren work on project ideas within the groups divided by municipalities and submit them for support to the involved audience.

Imereti. Members of the volunteers' club of the Research-Intellectual Club "Dialogue of Generations" have staged a flash mob. Up to hundred youngsters have participated in the event, which aimed at informing the society about why is gambling harmful and the situation in terms of addiction to gambling. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Adjara. The project "Vision Beyond Obstacles", organized by the Press Cafe and the "Independent Journalists' House" has ended on November 30 with the sale-exhibition. The works of 7 photograph artists were exhibited as part of the project. Raised money will be spent on charity.

Tbilisi. The Youth Parliament of Georgia launches the series of meetings with interested youngsters in all universities functioning Georgia-wide. At the meetings, they will present to audience the report of the Youth Parliament of 2013 calling and inform them about the 2014 calling. Students and any other interested persons will have an opportunity to attend the meeting and ask questions of concern to representatives of the Youth Parliament. Time-table of the meetings (geo) Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. CSO "Young Barristers" has presented in the Parliament of Georgia the study - "Citizens in the Government's Public Policy Process". As part of a two-month monitoring carried out by the organization, the authorized persons of 18 ministries have expressed the desire to cooperate out of 19 ministries of the Government of Georgia. For the full text (geo) Source: barristers.ge

Kvemo Kartli. In November, by the initiation of  "CiDA”, Caucasus environmental network experts conducted an environmental protection influence research. The research was implemented in the frames of JOIN project in 6 municipalities. The expert studied possible danger in processing certain kinds of production in Akhalkalaki, Bolnisi, Dmanisi, Marneuli, Gardabani and Ninotsminda municipalities, as well as the legislative situation that provides on the one hand weakening of dangerous effects on environment and on the other hand processing healthy products. For full text Source: cida.ge

Tbilisi. The "Georgian Young Constitutionalists' Association" has evaluated the Governmental agenda. In the released statement the organization has made a special focus on the following areas: constitutional arrangement of the Georgian state; local self-government and regional policy; protection of human rights. For the full text (geo) Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. Institute for Development of Freedom of Information published Nino Tsukhishvili`s study - "Whistleblowers in Civil Service: International Practice and Georgia". The goal of the study is to evaluate the regulation and court practice regarding the whistleblowers in civil service. The first part of the article discusses the legal regulation of whistleblowers on the basis of the comparison between the legal norms of Georgia and different countries. The second part of the article consists of the analysis of the practice of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the freedom of expression of civil servants. As a conclusion, the article presents the main direction and recommendations for improving the legislation and practice regarding whistleblowers in Georgia. The study (geo) Source:idfi.ge

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia published the background of newly shortlisted GNCC Candidates. "Before leaving office, former President Mikheil Saakashvili selected three candidates for the position of the member of the Georgian National Communications Commission... TI Georgia conducted a small public record background research on the shortlisted candidates". For full text Source:transparency.ge

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association has released in the social network explanations in connection with Shota Utiashvili's statement. The statement says: "GYLA responds to the statement made by the Former Head of the Analytical Department of the Interior Ministry Shota Utiashvili during his visit of the author program "Subjective Opinion" of Teona Gegelia and Diana Trapaidze in the air of TV-Company "Maestro". ShotaUtiashvili has called a "lie" GYLA's statement, according to which the Molotov cocktail was not only used but even prepared. Utiashvili also said that "there are images showing the Molotov cocktails. Molotov cocktails were there." GYLA would like to state in this respect that in May 2011 TV-Companies "Imedi" and "Rustavi 2" have released images of petrol tanks. Back then these televisions disseminated information that the rally participants were going to prepare the Molotov cocktails from this petrol. GYLA has questioned another journalist attending this rally, who had stated that the petrol tanks were indeed brought to the rally, but that petrol was used not for preparing the "Molotov cocktails" but for starting the generator necessary for holding the protest rally. As far as we know, other images showing the preparation of the Molotov cocktails do not exist." Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Kakheti. The Community Development Center has finished collecting money for the Sighnaghi museum development. The initiative aimed to put a fence around the SandroAkhmeteli House-Museum and perform other required works. Next week the donated 695 GEL will be provided based on a contract to the Sighnaghi Museum Union, which will perform necessary works. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Kakheti. CSO "Tanadgoma" has organized a meeting on November 28 with participation of teachers and leaders of the family-type house for children without parental care. Meeting participants have discussed issues such as the age development of children and the health of adolescents. The project runs for a year and will be completed in February. The project aims at informing the teachers of specific knowledge for communicating with beneficiaries and teaching its effective application in practice.

Kvemo Kartli. The Youth Forum was organized on November 28 in Tsalka. Schoolchildren of the school-based civic clubs and the civic education teachers from 8 partner schools of the Tsalka Municipality have participated in the event. The Youth Forum aims to study the local community needs through the schoolchildren's active participation, seek ways of problem solution, develop recommendations and cooperate with the decision-makers. At the Forum the youngsters have designed projects to solve two huge problems in the Municipality: to bring in order the waste dump near Tsalka and solve problems of safe road movement by means of the road signs in the Tsalka villages. Senior schoolchildren have presented the developed projects to the staff of the TsalkaGamgeoba, and the ways of partnership were agreed to solve the problems. It was planned to organize a meeting in December between the TsalkaGamgeoba and the school-based civic club members to plan concrete steps in respect of the above-described topics. Source: SIQA's page in the social network.

Samegrelo. The Gender Equality Network has organized a public discussion on November 27 in Zugdidi on "Gender Equality in Political Processes". The meeting aimed to inform public on political rights of women at the decision-making level and identify active leader women for the local self-government elections. Women employed in the region's civil sector and civil service and affiliated in political parties have participated in the event. The event is organized as part of the project "Gender Equality in Political Processes", implemented by the Gender Equality Network with support of the "International Foundation for Electoral Systems" (IFES) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. CSO "Young Barristers" has released a statement on the legislative initiative of the Government of Georgia "on free trade and competition". "Amendments and new regulations illustrate the Government's correct economic policy directions for approximation of the country's anti-monopoly legislation with the standards of the European Union. Further, the Government's decision for Georgia to initial the Association Agreement with the EU at the Vilnius Summit and introduce in the country broad and comprehensive free trade standards, pinpoints the opportunities as a result of which the Georgian market must be liberated from existing monopolies and oligopolies", says the statement. For the full text (geo) Source: the organization's page in the social network.