Statement made by Mr. Diégo Colas, the Ambassador of France: “I am heartbroken to learn about the death of Lekso Lashkarava, a journalist who got severely injured on Monday while fulfilling his duty – covering homophobic violence that took place on July 5. My condolences to his family and colleagues. Freedom of assembly and press, fight against discrimination and hate, no to violence”.  Read more… Source: The Embassy of France in Georgia

The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi extends our deepest condolences to the family of Lekso Lashkarava, particularly to Lekso’s mother, and to his colleagues at TV Pirveli and all those who are shocked and saddened by his death. "Lekso worked behind the camera so despite his years of service as a media professional, many might not have recognized him before he was viciously attacked by people who demonstrated a complete lack of respect for human life. His bravery as he defended his colleague and his commitment to the fundamental freedoms long cherished in this country represent the best qualities and traditions of the people of Georgia. The arrest of several individuals in connection with the attack on Lekso is a positive first step toward justice. The safety of every Georgian journalist and the credibility of democracy in Georgia require that every individual who attacked peaceful citizens and journalists on July 5 and 6, or who incited violence, must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. We call for calm and an end to the violence that has already caused one tragic loss of life". see more... source:

Comments by EU Ambassador Hartzell upon news of the death of Mr. Lekso Lashkarava: "It is with sorrow I learned today about the tragic death of Pirveli TV cameraman Lekso Lashkarava. My deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and colleagues. Mr. Lekso Lashkarava was severely beaten as he was covering the violence that took place in Tbilisi around the Pride events on 5 July. While still awaiting the results of the investigation into the cause of his death, let me reiterate the EU’s strong condemnation of all violence and our staunch and unwavering support to the freedom of media and assembly". see more... source: European Union in Georgia

Tbilisi. The Human Rights Center has completed a project - “Free legal advocacy and human rights monitoring after the coronavirus pandemic”. According to information released by the organization, the Center:  “Provided 2010 free legal consultations; Processed 130 cases, 60 of which were successfully completed”.  Read more… Source: The website of the organization on a 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...

Adjara. In June, initiative groups, with the support of the Batumi branch of the Civil Society Institute (CSI), registered online petitions at City Assemblies of Batumi and Khelvachauri Municipalities. The petition - “Green districts to Batumi”, registered in Batumi, envisages naming of green, recreational spaces in the city of Batumi, granting them an appropriate status and protecting them. The purpose of the petition is to make sure there is a green environment, equally accessible for everyone, in all 14 districts of Batumi. The petition – “Outdoor lighting to villages of Machakhela”, registered in Khelvachauri, concerns provision of outdoor lighting for inner roads of highland villages of Khelvachauri. Machakhela Valley is one of the unique natural areas and an important tourist destination. The Batumi branch of the Civil Society Institute, in cooperation with the organization Bread for the World (Brot für die Welt) and the Open Society Georgia Foundation, supports civic activism and enhancement of citizen participation in the local decision-making process. Read more...

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

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

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. EU awards grants to 12 youth start-up projects to promote social entrepreneurship in Georgia within the framework of the EU4Youth initiative project "Social Entrepreneurship in Armenia and Georgia". The grants signing ceremony with the first seven winning young social entrepreneurs took place at the venue of one of the winning project, the social café “Cafune” in Rustavi. The project aims to provide creative young people from Armenia and Georgia with the necessary knowledge and skills and a unique opportunity to develop existing or establish new sustainable business with a clear social mission. Read more… Source: eeas.europa.eu

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...

This report is provides a brief contextual overview describing legal and structural peculiarities of the operating environment for Georgian CSOs. Next, it outlines the methodological approaches used in this study. This is followed by the main findings, specifically with a chapter on the internal governance structure of Georgian CSOs, a section analyzing the economic and financial sustainability of these entities. Next comes a chapter assessing CSO capacities and the nature of multilateral cooperation. The empirical part concludes with the analysis of CSO participation in policy dialogue. The report wraps up with conclusions and evidence-based recommendations  This report has been produced with the assistance of the European Union and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung within the frameworks of “Georgian Civil Society Sustainability Initiative”. Study...

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. On June 4, 2021, a presentation of Imereti Regional Hub project, was held in Kutaisi. “The aim of Imereti Regional HUB is to strengthen civil society at the regional level, which will be achieved by maintaining the sustainability of civil society organizations, ensuring transparency and increasing the degree of accountability. The presentation was attended by representatives of civil society organizations, media, self-government, business, youth and civic leaders of Imereti region”. Read more… The project is implemented by a consortium led by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), with the following NGOs: The Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG), the Civil Society Initiative (CSI), the Consultation and Training Center (CTC), the Education Development and Employment Center (EDEC) and the Institute for European Politics (IEP). Source: The organization’s page on the social network

In 2021, CSI began the implementation of the second phase of the CSO Meter project. The project – "CSO Meter: A Compass to Conducive Environment and CSO Empowerment" – responds to the following needs.: Apply CSO Meter monitoring to ensure incorporation of those standards and indicators that have an impact on an enabling environment, current or topical issue; Conduct a comparative analysis of civil society environments at both country and regional levels, assess progress or its interruption, and strive towards policy dialogue; Form an extended group of experts and organizations to use CSO Meter as both monitoring and evidence-based advocacy tools, thus facilitating the creation of an enabling legal environment and practices. Read more... The project - CSO Meter: A Compass to Conducive Environment and CSO Empowerment is implemented by organizations of Eastern European countries under the auspices of the European Center for Non-for-Profit Law (ECNL) and with financial support from the European Union. Partner organizations are 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).

Abkhazia. In May, USAID/Georgia representatives visited Georgia’s Abkhazia region, demonstrating the wide range of USAID assistance by visiting medical facilities, higher and vocational education centers, and small businesses. „It was the first U.S. Government visit to Georgia’s Abkhazia region since March 2019, providing a vital opportunity to demonstrate continued U.S. commitment for development in the region, and to counter the perception that people living in Abkhazia must depend on Russia for a stable and secure future“. Read more about the visit here... Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. On June 2nd, 2021, USAID’s Promoting Integration, Tolerance, and Awareness (PITA) program, implemented by the UN Association of Georgia has been concluded with the Closeout Event, highlighting Program’s achievements throughout its six years of lifetime. 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...

Tbilisi. In March-April 2021, the German Embassy, the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (‘GYLA’) and the Council of Europe Office in Georgia co-organized an online conference entitled “Georgia - The Future of Democracy”. In the framework of the conference, four sessions were held: 1. “What is democracy? How can we measure it and evaluate its progress?” (April 29); 2. “Thirty Years of Democratic Development in Georgia - Achievements and Challenges” (May 6); 3. “Where does Georgia stand now? What needs to be done in the future?” (May 13); 4. “Responsive Government” (May 20).  Read more… Source: gyla.ge

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. Local Democracy Agency Georgia (LDA Georgia) is implementing the project "Increasing the Quality of Citizen Involvement in Local Self-Government" in eleven (11) municipalities of Imereti region (Baghdati, Zestaponi, Samtredia, Vani, Khoni, Tskaltubo, Sachkhere, Chiatura, Kharagauli, Terjola, Tkibuli). Within the framework of the project, training was conducted with the members of the Civic Advisory Council of the Mayor of Kharagauli Municipality. Read more… Source: The organization’s page in the social network