Tbilisi. On November 2, the judges of the Tbilisi Court of Appeals, Merab Jorbenadze, Lavrenti Maghlakelidze and David Mamiseishvili found Nika Gvaramia, the former director of "Rustavi 2" and the founder of "TV Mtavari", guilty of abuse of power (two episodes - the so-called commercial airtime sale and the so-called vehicle episode). As a final sanction, he was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months imprisonment. “The efforts made by international partners over the years to strengthen the judicial system have been significantly damaged by the actions of the members of the clan. Politically motivated cases are one of the indicators of challenges to judicial independence. Similar cases cast a shadow on the judiciary, including impartial judges. Accordingly, we believe that in the future spending the partners’ resources on judges, who in the past have violated human rights, won't have a positive impact on the development of the judiciary”. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Adjara. How to fight disinformation and anti-Western propaganda related to the status of the EU candidate country? What are the steps to get the status? On this topic, TI Georgia held an interesting meeting with young people in Kobuleti within the framework of the regional tour, which we are carrying out with the support of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung South Caucasus. Also, an interesting discussion followed another meeting in Batumi, where the organizations held a screening of Beso Solomanashvili's new film. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Adjara. Transparency International Georgia examined asset declarations of the Government and Members of the Supreme Council of Adjara public officials submitted in 2021-2022 and identified inaccuracies in 39% of declarations. 24 out of 62 public officials in the office inaccurately submitted asset declarations. 12 officials did not indicate real estate in the declaration owned by him/her and/or his/her family member. 12 officials did not declare their own and/or family members’ business interests – being a shareholder and director of a company. 11 public officials did not delegate the right to manage shares in the private companies to other persons. 4 public officials did not disclose received remuneration during their tenure. 3 public officials received income from activities restricted by the law. 2 public officials - members of the Supreme Council, Ilia Verdzadze and Fridon Putkaradze took into consideration inaccuracies indicated in our 2019 research, however, the Chairman of the Government Tornike Rizhvadze ignored violations in his asset declaration identified in our 2020 research. Hence, Transparency International Georgia calls on Civil Service Bureau to examine asset declarations of the persons named in the study and respond to the identified issues in a timely and comprehensive manner. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. On October 31, with the participation of Georgian political parties, local and international organizations, CEC members, as well as representatives of embassies, we held a workshop on the issues of political finances, which our organization has been working on for years. The discussion touched on the challenges of oversight and transparency of political finances, as well as fundraising for parties, Russian influence, and the presence of "black" money. The participants of the workshop also expressed interesting opinions on the possible ways to solve the problems. The event was held with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. On October 28, the Legal Issues Committee at the Parliament of Georgia initiated a draft law that provides for the creation of a new body – LEPL Anti-Corruption Bureau. The declared goal of the authors of the draft law is to ensure the fulfillment of Point 4 of the 12 recommendations that were given by the European Commission to Georgia as prerequisites for granting the status of a candidate for EU membership. According to the draft law, the function of the new agency will be to contribute to the fight against corruption, which it will carry out by creating anti-corruption policy documents and coordination and supervision over their enforcement. The head of the Bureau will be appointed by the Prime Minister of Georgia. It is TI Georgia’s assessment that the proposed reform fails to address recommendation 4 given by the European Commission, which asks the country to: “Strengthen the independence of its Anti-Corruption Agency, bringing together all key anti-corruption functions, in particular to rigorously address high-level corruption cases.” TI Georgia calls on the Georgian Dream not to miss this historic opportunity and to do everything possible to ensure that even the most skeptically disposed party does not have any questions on whether or not Georgia has adequately fulfilled any of the recommendations of the European Commission. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. In the Chavchavadze Literary-Memorial Museum, under the supervision of the Women's Information Center, a summary meeting of the project "Mainstreaming and promoting gender equality in the target municipalities". The purpose of the summary meeting is the presentation of conclusions and results on maintaining gender equality, bests practices sharing, and discussing challenges and obstacles... Representatives of the central and local government/decision-makers participated in the meeting, including the Chairman of the Permanent Gender Equality Council of the Parliament, Nino Tsilo,s and member - Ana Natsvlishvili, persons responsible for general equality issues in all municipalities. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Guria. On October 26, the Entrepreneurial course was started at the Learning and Employment Support Centre of Ozurgeti. Training Topics: Generating business ideas; Components of a business plan Skills and qualities of the entrepreneur; interpersonal communication Identifying client needs; Convincing and positive language Effective offer; non-verbal communication, etc. The course is organized within the project "Skill Building and Innovative Job Opportunities for Regional Development of Georgia" implemented by the Georgian Center for Strategic Research and Development (CSRDG) in collaboration with Young Pedagoues' Union and the Georgian Civic Development Association in Guria, Kakheti and Kvemo Kartli region. The project is financially supported by the EU Delegation in Georgia. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Watch USAID’s animated series to learn about being an engaged citizen. Today the organization presents the episode that covers citizen oversight. Stay tuned for other episodes. “Animated clips explain the principles of democracy and can be used in the classroom to make the teaching and learning process more fun and easier to understand. In addition, the animated clips promote the importance of civic education, raise awareness, and encourage students to engage in civic life. USAID created this series as part of its Civic Education Matters Campaign. We are working together with Georgians to promote citizen engagement with Georgia's democracy and to build democratic institutions that are responsive to citizen needs”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. According to Taso Foundation October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Celebrated annually since 1985, this month is dedicated to breast cancer survivors, to the memory of those who have died as a result, and to support the progress the world has made in defeating breast cancer. “Increased awareness of breast cancer risk factors emphasizes the importance of regular screening starting at age 40 or at an age appropriate to a woman's personal risk. The symbol of breast cancer awareness is the pink ribbon”. Read more… Source: who.int

Samegrelo. TI georgia’s Zugdidi office together with Committees of Concerned Citizens applied to Zugdidi City Hall with a request to pave Archil Firtskhalava Street and arrange drainage channels. The organization calls on Zugdidi City Hall to take into account the solution to the infrastructural problems of Firtskhalava Street in the 2023 budget project. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. UNICEF expresses its concern about the safety measures for children in public spaces in Georgia. The alarm was raised after the tragic accident that happened in Vake Park, Tbilisi on 13 October. Three children were victims of this accident and one of them died. “Through urban planning, all cities should provide safe and inclusive public and green spaces for children and the communities, where they can gather and engage in outdoor activities. Norms and standards, especially technical security of public amenities must ensure protection of users, be accessible from the standpoint of children, including the most vulnerable as well as and safeguard their safety and health. Planning urban settings in a child-responsive manner begins with the understanding of how an urban setting can support and enhance the development of children. The right to play is fundamental for a child’s development and public spaces should guarantee a safe environment for children while playing or being engaged in outdoor activities”, is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. In 2012-2021 the lawyers of Transparency International Georgia won 762 court cases in favor of citizens. "Our lawyers have been supporting people illegally oppressed by the state with free legal assistance for years struggling to defend their rights". Read more... Source: The organization's page on the social network

Guria. On October 19, Entrepreneurial course was started at the Learning and Employment support Centre of Chokhatauri. The first Module - Basic Principles of Starting a Business and Customer Relationships - was lead by CSRDG trainers Luka Namoradze and Nino Tsetskhladze. Training Topics: Generating business ideas; Components of a business plan Skills and qualities of entrepreneur; interpersonal communication Identifying client needs; Convincing and positive language Effective offer; non-verbal communication, etc. The course is organized within the project "Skill Building and Innovative Job Opportunities for Regional Development of Georgia" implemented by the Georgian Center for Strategic Research and Development (CSRDG) in collaboration with Young Pedagoues' Union and the Georgian Civic Development Association in Guria, Kakheti and Kvemo Kartli region. The project is financially supported by the EU Delegation in Georgia. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Within the frames of the Global Media and Information Literacy (#MIL) Week, today ISFED organized an 🇪🇺 EU-funded Conference with a panel discussion about media literacy and other means of strengthening society's resistance to disinformation.  “The EU stands ready to help Georgians become more resilient and well armoured against disinformation. Collectively, we can increase our immunity to disinformation and fight back effectively” -- the EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczynski said in his opening remarks. Read more… Source: EU’s page on the social network

Samegrelo. TI Georgia continues our regional meetings with people in Samegrelo - village Lesichine and the city Jvari. "We shared our expectations with the locals about the beneficial changes that the implementation of the 12 step plan can bring on the way to get closer to the European Union and receive the status of a candidate country. The project is implemented with the support of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung South Caucasus and involving with the active members of society, representatives of artistic circles, young generation and other people interested in the issue take part in it." Read more... Source: TI Georgia'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. On October 22-23, 2022, the employees of the Public Defender’s Office conducted training for civic education teachers on important aspects of children's rights. The purpose of the training was to deepen teachers’s knowledge of various components of children's rights, so that they can provide more detailed information to students on specific topics, and also to identify specific protection mechanisms and respond to violations of children's rights. Read more… Source: www.ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. To celebrate Global Media and Information Literacy Week, USAID is sharing a series of video tutorials where anchor and influencer Davit Gorgiladze explains in detail how to protect personal information on Facebook, manage ad preferences, and other nuances of digital hygiene. „Each video concentrates on the most crucial topics, including how the FB algorithm collects and analyzes personal information and interests, why and how private businesses or political actors use this information, and how it could be abused against consumer’s will. Today's topic is controlling your own algorithm“. Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Another citizen, Guga Gogadze, dismissed due to staff cleansing conducted by Tea Tsulukiani, won a labour dispute in the Tbilisi Court of Appeal on October 26, 2022. Social Justice Center protects his interests before the court. Social Justice Center and partner organizations continue to provide legal support to illegally dismissed employees of the National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and the Museum. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Shida Kartli. On October 25, the representatives of IDFI and the USAID Economic Governance Program met with the members of the Gori Municipal Council and Gori City Hall in the city of Gori. The purpose of the meeting was to introduce the Public-Private Quality Tracking Mechanism and to learn about the experiences and challenges of engaging the private sector in the dialogue in Gori Municipality. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

According to the EUvsDiSinfo, Russia’s deliberate attacks on civilians in Ukraine are accompanied by disinformation campaigns. One of the Kremlin’s lies tell that Kamikadze drones targeted non-residential areas only. In fact, Russia deliberately targets civilians. At least 4 people were killed in a drone attack on Kyiv. Among targets – a 120-year-old apartment building in the city center. Read more… Source: EU’s page on the social network

Samtskhe-Javakheti. Meeting with the US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly C. Degnan  was held at Samtskhe-Javakheti State University on October 25, 2022. Together with the local students, participants of the GFSIS project from villages Mokhe, Zarzma and Daba Adigeni attended the meeting.  Community Youth Engagement in the Regions of Georgia has been launched since October 2021 by Rondeli Foundation with the financial support of the US Embassy, which aims to increase civic awareness among public school pupils of Mountainous Adjara, Tserovani, and Adigeni Municipality and stregthen their capacity through non-formal educational activities. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network