Tbilisi. Social Justice Center releases a declaration: Statement of the State Security Service creates an impression of political threat. “The November 3 statement of the State Security Service, in which the agency announced an investigation into the fact of conspiracy to overthrow the state government, is an attempt to substantially subordinate political processes, taking place in the country, to the security logic and allow criminalization of the existing political discontent and its expression. At the same time, the statement reinforces doubts about instrumentalization of the security system in the political and party interests”, - is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. The Tbilisi office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation presents a project, supported by the institution, and a new organization - Climate Basics. The organization works to inform the public about issues related to climate change. Climate Basics is the first Georgian platform writing in regard to climate change. Read more… Source: The website of the organization on a social network

Tbilisi. EU in Georgia published information about the mobile application by that you can find out more about visa-free travel in the EU Schengen area. Read more...  Source: The page in the social network

Kakheti. From November 2-3, 2021, CENN, in cooperation with GIZ, conducted trainings for teachers on Sustainable Forest Management and Renewable Energy in Akhmeta municipality, Kakheti region. “The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) program "Natural Resource Management and Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Rural Development in the South Caucasus" (ECOserve). Initiatives are being implemented within the scope of the CENN project - Promoting Sustainable Forest Management for Rural Development, with financial support from Austrian Development Cooperation”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

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...

Imereti. Social Justice Center publishes a new study: “Extractivism and economic participation of women in Tkibuli”. The study conducted by the organization reveals that Tkibuli women leave their homes due to poverty and travel to other cities and countries for work, which fact upsets the social fabric. “Apart from lacking social perspective, local women may also be at risk of domestic violence. According to one of the respondents, as long as working in mines is generally considered as a male activity and Tkibuli women act mostly as housewives, this lifestyle automatically implies financial as well as emotional dependence on others and it significantly reduces likelihood of avoiding violence. Extractivism and economic participation of women in Tkibuli... The study has been prepared within the framework of the “EU 4 Gender Equality: Together against Gender Stereotypes and Gender-Based Violence” program, jointly implemented by UN Women and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with the support of the European Union”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI) publishes an analysis of decisions made by the National Communications Commission on the issue of protection of rights of children. The organization has reviewed decisions made in regard to unsuitable programs for minors and considers that the Commission finds it difficult to set specific standards for general and, in some cases, vague perceptions stipulated by law. Read more… Source: gdi.ge

Tbilisi. The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) publishes a research: Political donations - 2021. “It has been revealed as a result of analysis made by the organization that people providing political contributions to the ruling party often bypass donation limits stipulated by law. In particular, several individuals, related to one person/company, make donations that in total far exceeds the maximum amount set by law. Such an action does not violate the formal requirement of law, however, it may contradict goals of law”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more... Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. GCSD is presenting the handbook: "Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism: A handbook of international best practices” both in Georgian and English languages. The handbook is developed under the project “Enhancing the Capacity of Georgia in Preventing Violent Extremism and Radicalisation”. The project is implemented by GCSD with the financial support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The handbook in English can be found here… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. An EU-supported conference of the regional multi-stakeholder platform on social entrepreneurship and green innovations was held in Tbilisi. “The aim of the meeting was to analyse the legal framework and recommendations for the creation and development of a social entrepreneurship legal basis in both countries. 🇪🇺🇬🇪 The conference was organised as part of the EU-funded “EU4Youth: Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development (SEED) for Green Growth” project, which is being implemented by CENN in partnership with KRDF in Georgia and Green Lane NGO in Armenia”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI) responds to recent detentions of activists by law enforcers. The organization considers that the tendency of violation of rights of activists and their punishment on political grounds in the country is intensifying. “We call on the court to refrain from using the Code of Administrative Offenses as a repressive tool in legal proceedings of detained activists and assess their actions in the light of freedom of expression and the current political context. Besides, we urge the Ministry of Internal Affairs to avoid abusing the same code so as to suppress criticism, which fact is a clear example of politicization of law enforcement agencies and weakens public confidence in them”. Read more… Source: gdi.ge

Tbilisi. Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI) responds to election of two new members of the High Council of Justice at the Judicial Conference of Georgia. The organization considers that “convening of the XXX Judicial Conference of Georgia and election of two new members of the High Council of Justice on October 31, 2021, following to critically tense political developments and the next day after conducting second round of the local self-government elections in the country, is a successful attempt of the clan, existing in the judiciary, to staff the High Council of Justice with trustworthy and loyal to it judges on the background of scattered public focus on other issues and, thus, make sure its influence on the High Council of Justice in the coming years is maintained”. Read more… Source: www.gdi.ge

Tbilisi. The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) publishes a periodic overview of the economy of Georgia. “The current overview provides the state of GDP, trade, remittances, foreign direct investments, exchange rates, budget, debt for nine months in 2021 and forecasts for the coming years”. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Samtskhe-Javakheti. On October 29 2021, Fellows Giorgi Badridze and Giorgi Bilanishvili conducted lectures for youth in Zarzma. “The covered topic included - "Georgia's Foreign Policy Priorities, as well as, "Russia and Georgia". The project is implemented by Rondeli Foundation in partnership with "Zarzma's children academy" and with the support of Zarzma monastery. Educational project focuses on different aspects, which includes mathematical knowledge and skill development in accordance with specially designed program, as well as discussion of current topics concerning civil education and national security”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Samegrelo. Eastern European Center for Multiparty Democracy (EECMD) will open a new office - the "Democracy Hub" in Tsalenjikha. “”Democracy Hub” will be a space for young people, for the representatives of the local self-government bodies, civil society organizations, political parties, and active citizens interested in contemporary issues of democratic politics. Meetings and seminars will be held on matters of democratic governance, democratic politics and political activities”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) considers appointment of two new members to the High Council of Justice by the Conference of Judges ahead of time as another manipulation of clan governance. “Observation on the process of election of judge members to the Council shows that, as a rule, only representatives of an influential group of judges, or people trusted by them, have an opportunity to work at this institution. The influential group appoints acceptable, loyal judges to strategic, important positions, which fact contributes to further enhancement of the already entrenched informal hierarchy”, - is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Kakheti. USAID/Zrda supported Pankisi Valley Tourism and Development Association in creation of Pankisi Valley Travel Guide. Brochures were created for showcasing the abundance of natural and cultural assets Pankisi and the Kists have to offer. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Part of civil society organizations in Georgia responds to the process of the 2021 municipal elections. “In terms of technical administration, the Election Day was conducted mostly in accordance with rules established by law. However, irregularities detected by local and international observation missions during the pre-election period, as well as in the processes of voting on the Election Day and vote counting had an unequivocally negative impact on expression of free will of voters and public confidence in the electoral process and election results. Given slight differences in numbers of ballots in some municipalities, these irregularities could affect final results.  It is unfortunate that problems related to facts of misuse of administrative resources, dismissals on political grounds, use of public servants for electoral purposes and pressure-intimidation are still topical in the context of the pre-election period and the Election Day. Regrettably, local elections conducted with low democratic standards may cause further deepening of polarization within society”... Read more… Source: isfed.ge

Tbilisi. The participants of the workshop held within the joint academic program of the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) and the University of Georgia (UG) were awarded with the certificates. “The short-term, skills-oriented practical course: "What is disinformation and what can I do about it?" was held daily during the week of October 25-29. The participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the strategies of disinformation verification, modern ways of disseminating disinformation and discuss the ways of contributing to debunking disinformation by journalists and civilians”. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. OSCE/ODIHR and European Parliament releases the statement on the second round of the Georgian Local Government Election. “The second round of the local elections was generally well administered but continued polarization coupled with escalation of negative rhetoric adversely affected the process. The campaign was competitive and had a prominent national focus, overshadowing local issues. Candidates were generally able to campaign freely, but allegations of intimidation and pressure on voters persisted. Sharp imbalances in resources, and an undue advantage of incumbency further benefited the ruling party and tilted the playing field. Election day was generally calm and well administered, with a few instances of confrontation and mutual provocations between party supporters outside polling stations. Despite recent legislative amendments banning gatherings within 100 meters of a polling station, IEOM observers noted the presence, at times intimidating, of groups of individuals in the immediate surroundings of 29 per cent of the polling stations visited”. Read more… Source: www.osce.org

Tbilisi. The European Union commends once more the voters, the electoral staff and local observers for all their efforts and engagement amid the COVID-19 pandemic. „We warmly welcome the International Election Observation Mission carried out by the OSCE ODIHR and the European Parliament also for this second round. While this mission again concluded that the elections were generally well administered and that the campaign was competitive, it also observed an escalation of negative rhetoric, persistent allegations of intimidation and pressure on voters and sharp imbalances in resources, which benefited the ruling party and tilted the playing field. Following the first round, we stated that the reported malpractices must not become a norm in Georgia. We deplore that these elections have been a missed opportunity in this respect. Despite a clear assessment by the international observers, meaningful steps were not taken to address key shortcomings. On the contrary, further shortcomings have emerged, especially in terms of misuse of administrative resources and violent rhetoric by Georgia’s political leaders, further fuelling an already deep political polarisation. Suggestions made before these elections that the central government would not cooperate with local councils, should they swing towards another majority, are of concern as they seek to restrict the electorate’s choice and to limit pluralism”. Read more… Source: eeas.europa.eu

Tbilisi. The Coalition for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary believes that in the current situation, the election of a judge member/s of the High Council of Justice by the Judicial Conference is unjustified. “The XXX Conference of Judges is scheduled for October 31, 2021. According to the agenda, the Conference should elect a judge member/members of the High Council of Justice of Georgia (HCOJ). It should be noted that none of the HCOJ members’ term has expired, and no information on the early termination of a member’s term has been made public. Consequently, it is still unknown which member is leaving the Council and for what reasons”. Read more… Source: coalition.ge