Tbilisi. SOS Children’s Villages Georgia releases an official statement in response to information broadcasted through mass media about two alleged cases of violence that took place in the service of a small family house of the organization in the past. “We, at the organization, are deeply concerned about the fact that living in a small family house turned to be traumatic for our two former beneficiaries and it is very difficult for us to hear their stories. The Association expresses its maximum readiness and openness to facilitate any kind of investigation process within the framework of law; moreover, provide psycho-emotional and legal assistance to both the alleged victim of violence and former foster children through the established practice of the organization. All revealed facts, regardless of the age of the case, always create a precondition for reviewing current systems of monitoring, existing within the organization, in order to ensure upbringing and development of each foster child in a safe and secure environment”, - is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: The website of the organization on a social network

Tbilisi. On June 28, IDFI, in cooperation with Tbilisi City Hall and with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Good Governance Initiative in Georgia (USAID GGI), held an online public discussion of the Open Data Portal concept. This event aimed to introduce the concept of the Tbilisi City Hall Open Data Portal to the public, and ascertain stakeholders’ views. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. On June 24-25, 2021, in cooperation with the State Inspector's Service, the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) and the Social Justice Center held a working meeting with media representatives.  “Representatives of IDFI and the Social Justice Center introduced the main findings of the study "Independent Investigative Mechanism in Georgia - Achievements and Existing Challenges", which is scheduled for public presentation on July 12, 2021. This joint study by IDFI and the Social Justice Center is the first document that comprehensively reviews the activities of the Independent Investigative Mechanism and focuses on measures to be taken to strengthen the institutional capacity and increase the degree of independence of the Service”. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) signs a Memorandum of Cooperation with Post Bellum. “Post Bellum is a non-governmental nonprofit organization which documents the memories of witnesses of the important historical phenomenon of the 20th century and tries to pass these stories on to the broader public. It was founded in 2001. The organization was founded by a group of journalists and historians. Post Bellum’s core project is the Memory of Nations, a collection of memories from people who experienced the totalitarian eras of the 20th century as well as photographs, newspapers, and various historical records. The collection is comprised of about 12 thousands of witness stories and is accessible to the public through an online database. IDFI is actively working on memory and disinformation studies. IDFI shares Post Bellum's mission and visions on the above-mentioned issues, especially the importance of telling the stories of victims of totalitarianism. Based on this, the organizations agree on sharing knowledge with each other and working on or developing new projects together in these directions”. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. Women’s Information Center presents an alternative report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, prepared for the CEDAW Committee in 2021. “The initial draft of the report was prepared by the NGO Women's Information Center, and 29 civil society organizations working on gender equality and women's rights in Georgia were involved in the final drafting of the report. The report was developed with the technical and financial support of the UN Women and the Government of Norway”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page in the social network

Tbilisi. On June 27 European Union and Georgia mark the 7th Anniversary of the signature of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement. “While it is a technical document, it embodies our shared values and ambitions. And it is the key to unlocking the potential of what we have set out to achieve together. Happy anniversary to both Georgia and the EU! I look forward to continue our joint efforts to further deepen our partnership and bring us even closer together in the years to come”, says Carl Hartzell, EU Ambassador to Georgia. Read more… Source: The EU’s page on the social network

According to the information of the Fund "Abkhazintercont", EU Ambassador Mr. Carl Hartzell visited Racha-Lechkhumi and Lower Svaneti region. During the visit, the EU Ambassador, Mr. Carl Hartzell hosted the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Regional Hub - Employment Center in the Region – Fund “Abkhazintercont” (AIC). Within the framework of the project - "Civil Society Initiative: Sustainable, Open and Accountable Civil Society Organizations for the Development of Georgia", by the Regional Hub was organized a meeting with representatives of civil society organizations and community unions operating in the region. During the meeting it was discussed the challenges, opportunities and issues of cooperation of civil society organizations, CBO-s civil society with local self-governments, in projects and decision-making, and issues related to the involvement of the local population in these processes. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

As Part of the EU Green Week 2021, CENN Launched a Large-scale Campaign – Act4Climate. „Campaign participants had the opportunity to engage in cognitive and fun activities. Fight against Climate change and protection of the environment is our common responsibility. Any little action undertaken by any of us is just as important as the high-level multilateral negotiations taking place on this subject“. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Imereti. Local Democracy Agency Georgia participated in the Kutaisi Second International Forum “Cities’ Challenges and Way Forward“. “At the forum, the Executive Director of LDA Georgia - Nino Khukhua spoke about the role of civil society organizations in the process of economic stimulation of municipalities and good governance. In order to share good practices, she reviewed the projects implemented by the organization in the recent past, in particular, SMS online platforms were created to promote good governance, medium-term development strategies and investment profiles were developed, an Entrepreneurship-Investment regional forum was organized, etc”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

In June 2021, the Gender Department and the Eastern Georgia Division of the Public Defender's Office organized information meetings on women's rights and gender equality in Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Shida Kartli municipalities. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. According to information released by Social Justice Center, on June 25, the Prime Minister is going to present a report on implementation of a government program in the Parliament of Georgia. “We consider that information provided in the report does not fully cover all problems existing in the country, leaving important public concerns and interests without an attention. So far, the Government has not taken real, social needs-oriented and human rights-based actions in many directions that are discussed positively in the report. Social and equality related issues remain a significant challenge in the country, while problems existing in the areas of justice and rule of law, as well as public safety, are still critical. The state has not succeeded yet to initiate proper, comprehensive reforms and remains limited to fragmented, formal changes in legislation”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. The national rugby team of Georgia, the Lelos, will raise awareness on ending violence against women by wearing the UN Women logo on their jerseys as they compete against the reigning World Champion South Africa team on 2 and 9 July. „South Africa’s matches first since they won the Rugby World Cup (RWC) in 2019, the games will also be the first between Georgia and South Africa since they two sides last met in the 2003 RWC. They are also important events in the rugby community after the Covid-19 pandemic restricted activities worldwide, including sporting events“. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. According to the statement of the Coalition for Independent and Transparent Judiciary the Selection of Candidates for the Supreme Court Judges is Arbitrary and Unfair. “For many years, the High Council of Justice, as well as the self-governing body of the common courts, has been operating in the face of such public sentiment and criticism. As a result, fairness, impartiality, and independence of their decisions are constantly questioned. In this context, it is not surprising that despite several waves of reform and constant legislative/institutional change, the judiciary has failed to be perceived by the public as a truly independent and just institution. The process of selecting judges of the Supreme Court was also conducted in this environment. The observation of the process has once again revealed that without fundamental changes in the High Council of Justice and the judiciary as a whole, all important processes (especially the appointment of judges) go through the same circles of mistrust, cronyism, and clan-based power. Consequently, without initiating radical changes in the justice system, any further process will fail to provide an escape from this circle”, is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: www.coalition.ge

Tbilisi. The whistleblowers protection day is being celebrated on June 23th. “The whistleblowers' institute is of key importance in the fight against corruption, especially the high-level corruption.  Unfortunately the level of awareness about the mechanism of whistleblowing in Georgia is very low and its use is virtually non-existent. Read more about the identified challenges and recommendations issued by IDFI on the issue" … Source: idfi.ge

Expansion of the CSO Meter – a tool for monitoring of an enabling environment of civil society organizations is intended. More than 800 Eastern European organizations participated in development of the instrument. We remind you that this tool is based on international standards and covers 10 different areas and indicators that are used to measure an enabling environment of CSOs in terms of both legislation and practice. CSO meter is divided into 2 main parts: 1. Fundamental rights and freedoms, which constitute the basis of existence of civil society. 2. Necessary conditions, which provide additional support and are important for development of civil society. There are prepared regional reports on the basis of it, including those about Georgia. In Georgia, the study is carried out by the Civil Society Institute (CSI) in cooperation with the European Center for Non-for-Profit Law (ECNL). As mentioned above, it is intended to refine the tool in the near future. In particular, ECNL, together with the Civil Society Institute and other partners, plans to add a system for evaluation of scores to the tool. This will allow interested individuals and parties to compare results of the study by years, areas, countries. Besides, there will be expanded the area of the study of the tool in coming years - for example, evaluation of an influence on civil groups through digital technology or artificial intelligence. It is also planned to expand the CSO Meter as a means of monitoring, as well as circle of users - CSOs and activists in target countries. New initiatives and changes will be carried out within the framework of the project – “CSO Meter: A Compass To Conducive Environment And CSO Empowerment”. It is implemented by the European Center for Non-for-Profit Law (ECNL) with financial support from the EU and in collaboration with partner organizations: Transparency International - Armenia (TIAC); MG Consulting LLC (Azerbaijan), the Civil Society Institute (Georgia), Promo-LEX Association (Moldova), the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (Ukraine).

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. According to information released by the Women's Movement, on June 21, while reviewing the bill on amendments to the “Election Code of Georgia” of the Organic Law of Georgia through the second reading, the Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Georgia substantially changed the rule of compiling party (proportional) lists for local self-government elections. As a result of the amendment a political party will be required to compile a party list for all local self-government elections, to be held until 2028, so that at least one out of three candidates is a representative of a different sex. According to the organization, this initiative substantially deteriorates the existing norm of the Electoral Code, which obliges a political party to have every second candidate of a different sex on its list submitted for general elections of local self-government bodies, to be held until 2028. Part of civil society organizations calls on the Parliament not to support the initiated amendment at the plenary session since it is going to weaken representation of women at the local level, hinder achievement of essential equality and fulfillment of international commitments. Read more… Source: The website of the Women’s Movement on a social network

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) publishes a study – “Government in ordinary and emergency situations – non-transparency, unpreparedness and prescriptions”. “While working on the document, there have been revealed shortcomings at both operational and normative levels of activity of the Government. As it turned out, Georgia was unprepared to declare a state of emergency not only in terms of legislation, but also with regard to epidemiological matters, which made declaration of a state of emergency and interference with human rights in an intensive and undesirable manner inevitable”. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. Civil society organizations call on the Government of Georgia to enhance its political and diplomatic efforts so as to set Zaza Gakheladze, detained in Tskhinvali, free and develop a more effective policy for the protection of human rights within occupied territories. “Unfortunately, human rights policy in conflict regions is not properly institutionalized and prescribed in our country. Besides, despite a long-standing experience in conflicts, we still do not have international mechanisms enacted in conflict regions that would serve as an effective tool for monitoring a human rights-related situation, as well as for response and prevention. The resource of communication and negotiation with de facto governments is not properly envisaged in the policy for the protection of human rights, whereas it would be a format for regular dialogue and work on issues related to human rights, security, and humanitarian assistance”, - is noted in the joint statement. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. The Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG) publishes a video on the model and importance of Community Foundation. “Community Foundation is a successful model established by civil society organizations around the world, which aims to improve the quality of life of people living in a certain geographical area and, along with various other activities, provides grants. We will try to supply you with information about Community Foundation, the world-wide-tested model, its characteristics, existing international experience, and interesting resources step-by-step”. Source: The website of the organization on a social network More (GEO)

Tbilisi. The Human Rights Center made a presentation of a report – “Coronavirus Pandemic - Free Legal Assistance and Human Rights Monitoring”, prepared within the framework of a project “Free Legal Advocacy and Human Rights Monitoring after the COVID-19 Pandemic”. The Human Rights Center implemented the project in Tbilisi and five regions of Georgia (Shida Kartli, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Imereti and Samegrelo) with the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Georgia. Read more… Source: The website of the organization on a social network

Tbilisi. This paper has been drawn up within the framework of common platform created by the Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC) and the Good Governance Initiative (GGI) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This publication was made possible with the support from the American People provided through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Responsibility for the content of the publication lies with the Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC) alone and it does not reflect the views of the USAID or the Government of United States. Read more… Publication… Source: The organization’s page in the social network