ShidaKartli. On April 22, the Women's Information Center has organized the consultation meeting built on the "One Stop Shop" principle. The meeting aimed at discussing the unresolved problems of IDPs and victims of the conflict residing in the ShidaKartli Region and resolving them. Meeting participants have discussed 11 cases, as individual, as well as common problems of the community. Examination of each case included in addition the identification of ways of the problem solution. Source:ginsc.net

Tbilisi. On April 25, the Children and Youth Fund has successfully received the 3-year accreditation of the European Volunteer Service. As part of the accreditation, the Foundation will be able to receive European volunteers in Georgia, and at the same time to select and send the volunteers to the various European countries.The "European Volunteer Program" is one of the directions of the EU initiative "Youth in Action", which is available for the youngsters of 18-30 years of age residing in the European states. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Imereti. The project of NGO "Media Portal" was presented in the Kutaisi Civic Engagement Center on April 25. The contest will be held as part of this project aimed at enhancing the institute of citizen journalists. Those wishing to participate in the contest must prepare photo or video stories on the developments of concern in the city.The project is being implemented with the support of the Eurasia Partnership Foundation and funding from the Swedish Agency for International Cooperation.

Tbilisi. The Analytical Center for Inter-Ethnic Cooperation and Consultations has organized on April 20 the presentation of the project "Eastern Partnership Minorities Network". The project presentation was preceded by the seminar with participation of representatives of the partner organizations, the Tolerance Center functioning with the Public Defender and the Ethnic Minorities Council functioning with the Public Defender. The seminar aimed to discuss effective models of protection of the minorities' rights at the example of the Ethnic Minorities and Religious Councils functioning with the Public Defender and to share experience among the partner countries in this respect. Source: tolerantoba.ge

Guria. The organization "Women for Regional Development" have held the meeting as part of the project "Learn More and Be Careful" for the freshmen of village Dvabzu. The meeting aimed at informing the adolescents about the threats of illegal migration, and rethinking of trafficking as the modern slavery and trade in humans. As part of the event, a short documentary "Model Trafficking" was shown. Source: wdrguria.wordpress.com

Adjara. The "Batumi Youth Center" starts the darts competition for the schoolchildren of public and private schools as part of the project "Advancing National Integration in Georgia". The competition aims to support the popularization of and raising awareness on the healthy lifestyle among the teenagers.The activities is implemented as part of the project "Advancing National Integration in Georgia", which is implemented by the UN Association of Georgia with financial support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Imereti. The Imereti Branch of the Georgian Young Economists' Association has studied the degree of satisfaction of the Kutaisi population with the municipal services. Study results were presented on April 25 in the Kutaisi Civic Engagement Center. The study was carried out in two stages. The first stage was carried out in July 2012, and the second stage in April 2013.

Tbilisi. The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) has released public information obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Adjara Autonomous Republic and the Ministry of Labor, Health, and Social Protection of the Adjara Autonomous Republic. Information obtained from both agencies covers the bonuses of officials and employees, budgetary balance reports, staff lists, vehicle fleet expenses and the funded events, as well as the names of employees dismissed after October 20. Various pieces of public information obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Adjara Autonomous Republic.Public information obtained from the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Protection of the Adjara Autonomous Republic. Source: opendata.ge 

Tbilisi. On April 24, the online conference was held in the Multimedia Education Center as part of the Civic Education and Teacher Training Program, which was dedicated to the civil participation of schoolchildren and the role of youngsters in the process of formation of the democratic state.Active members of civic clubs from various cities and villages of Georgia were involved in the event. Deputy Minister of Education was participating as a guest. During an hour he responded to questions as of the Tbilisi school-based civic club members present in the audience, as well as of the civic club schoolchildren of partner schools of the program from regions received through SKYPE. Source: civics.ge

Tbilisi. The coalition "For Media Advocacy" has released a statement on the detention of journalist Irakli Absandze. "In view of personal qualities, high professionalism and honest reputation of our colleague Irakli Absandze, the coalition "For Media Advocacy" calls on the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia to conduct the investigation on this case openly and objectively to the extent possible, and we request the Minister of Interior and the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia to control the investigation in this case personally," says the statement. Source: page of the Charter of Journalistic Ethics in the social network.

Tbilisi. NGOs response to the statement of the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources in relation to the Minister's statement towards the NGOs that express critical comments on the construction of the Khudonhesi power station. "Putting forth such unjustified accusations and various conspiracy theories in response to the critical comments expressed by the NGOs is categorically unacceptable. It is regrettable if the Georgian authorities intend to communicate with the civil sector with such rhetoric," says the statement signed by 15 NGOs. For the full text. Source: gyla.ge

Adjara. On April23, the Adjara Branch of the Civil Society Institute has organized in the Batumi Civic Engagement Center the presentation of the City Hall's budget report for 2012 by the Advisory Council functioning with the self-governing city Batumi's Sakrebulo. Presentation was headed by the Head of the Financial-Budgetary Office of the City Hall. According to the report, infrastructural projects were identified as the priority sectors of 2012, as well as the employment of the population based on investments and implementation of various programs. Students, state and NGO sector representatives and other interested persons have attended the meeting, which aimed to inform public about the report and discuss it publically. The Batumi Sakrebulo will hear the City Hall's budget report for 2012 in the nearest future.

Guria. On April 21, the Guria Youth Resource Center has hosted the youth forum. The forum was organized as part of the Civic Education and Teacher Training Program and 33 schoolchildren and 6 civic education teachers from the 33 target schools of the project have participated in it. The forum aimed at engaging the youngsters actively in the process of identification of current problems in their communities and the development of ways for their solution. At the end of the forum, 8 project ideas were developed with their active participation, implementation of which is planned with intense cooperation with the local self-government.In the coming days the meetings are planned in all three municipalities of Guria between the initiative groups of the projects and the responsible persons representing the self-governments, at which the partnership opportunities will be discussed in details.

Tbilisi. Transparency International – Georgia has released information on issuing of bonuses in the local self-governments based on the public information obtained from the administrative agencies. "The new management of a bulk of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti regional municipalities carries on the fallacious practice of their forerunners and issues bonuses to the employees without any justification," says the organization's web page. For the full text. Source: transparency.ge

Samegrelo. In relation to the Earth Day on April 22, the youth center "Ortus" of the association "Atinati" has recorded the video, which was shown in the association "Atinati", where the members of the other youth and school-based civic clubs were invited. Afterwards the short discussion-debates took place. Children have discussed problems reflected in the video as well as other problems. After the video they have organized the event in the town and disseminated fliers dedicated to the Earth Day. The event was organized as part of the project – "Advancing National Integration in Georgia" Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. On April 22, "Sida" and Care International have organized the meeting of IDPs with the Deputy Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Refugees and Accommodation of Georgia MerabMenabde and the Head of the Department for IDP Issues MuradAblotia. Most of the meeting was dedicated to the analysis of the advocacy process and the presentation of the IDP advocacy network to the Ministry. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Samtskhe-Javakheti. On April 22, the Samtskhe-Javakheti regional association "Tolerant" has organized a flash-mob in Akhaltsikhe, with participation of scores of children. The flash-mob aimed at supporting the full integration of former inmates and probationers into the society.Flash-mob was organized as part of the ongoing project – "For the Integration and Rehabilitation of Former Inmates and Probationers of the Samtskhe-Javakheti Region". The project is funded by the EU and for this very reason the mobile information center of the EU has joined the event of organization "Tolerant".

Samtskhe-Javakheti. Representatives of the "Gender Equality Network" start fighting for the equality. A joint training of the "Gender Equality Network" and the journalists took place for 4 days in Bakuriani. The "Gender Equality Network" has representatives in every city of Georgia. Main objective of the "Network is to increase a woman's role in the political processes and to represent, prepare and nominate leader women for the 2014 local self-government elections. Along with other issues, training participants have also discussed the problem of coverage of women's issues in media. Monitoring of 12 media outlets has demonstrated that the gender balance is not observed in the journalist materials. As a rule, objects of the news stories are men, which speaks to the fact that media does not notice or is not interested in women's issues and their achievements. For the full text. Source: media.ge

Tbilisi. Transparency International – Georgia has released another edition of weekly podcast of parliamentary news. Topics of the 22 April podcast are: adoption by the Parliament of amendments to the Law on Constitutional Court through expedited procedures, abolition of the principle of unconditional adding of sentences, reaction of business companies to the planned amendments to the Labor Code, 28 April by-elections. Podcast of parliamentary news – 22 April. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Kakheti. Up to 1,000 Georgian books collected by the Telavi-based initiative group for inmates were handed over today to the Ministry of Corrections. Yet, this initiative is not over and any interested persons can still donate books.

Tbilisi. The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy has presented the third monitoring report of the post-election processes. The report includes information on the political developments within the self-governments, staff changes, protest rallies and legal prosecution exercised against the local self-government officials. For the full text. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Imereti. In connection with the World Earth Day, the Research-Intellectual Club "Dialogue of Generations" has organized the event titled "GO GREEN" in the Kutaisi Central Garden. Performance was staged as part of the event, which called on the population to pollute the environment less. Key actors of the performance were representing the elements.Source: the organization's page in the social network.Sector – Rights.