Tbilisi. Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) shares information about Tbilisi events of 14 April 1978 and the excerpts from the Western Press. “In 1977, the new Soviet Constitution was adopted and the Highest Council of the Georgia SSR discussed the constitutional plan according to which the Georgian language would not be a state language on the territory of Georgia anymore, which caused a huge dissent in the society. The protest wave culminated on 14 April 1978”. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

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Tbilisi. Institute for Development of Freedom of Information publishes the survey: Overview of the implementation by Georgia of the recommendations on fight against money laundering and terrorism financing. “Russia's military aggression against Ukraine has been met with economic and financial sanctions from the civilized world. Effective enforcement of sanctions policy requires maximum transparency in order to expose hidden finances and prevent the misuse of beneficial ownership to avoid sanctions. This document provides an overview of problematic issues related to money laundering and beneficial ownership in Georgia and presents examples of best practices in this area from across the world”. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. UNICEF welcomes the establishment of a Ukrainian language sector at Grushevsky Tbilisi Public School #41 to ensure the continuity of education for IDP children from Ukraine. “The students of the Ukrainian sector were visited by the Representative of UNICEF, Ghassan Khalil, and the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Mikheil Chkhenkeli. They spoke to the Ukrainian children and received information about the educational process of the sector”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Georgian non-governmental organizations ask the EU questionnaire and answers to be made public. “We, the signatory organizations, believe that the process of joining the European Union should be open, transparent, and inclusive. It is important to ensure the involvement of civil society in it. We would like to stress that civil society has valuable experience in assessing the current state of justice, the fight against corruption, and human rights in Georgia (Chapter 23 of the EU accession negotiations) using a similar questionnaire (see evaluation document https://bit.ly/3LUEYyh ). With this in mind, we wish to ask you to make the questionnaire submitted to Georgia and the provided answers public, in order to enable all the stakeholders to be involved in the process and contribute to the path of European integration”, is noted in the joint statement. Read more… Source: osgf.ge

Samtskhe-Javakheti. The Practical training course for the joint volunteer teams of Borjomi and Akhaltsikhe municipalities was organized by the Emergency Management Service and the Georgia Red Cross Society On April 4-7. The fieldwork included hands-on exercises and was led by instructors from the Fire and Rescue Department. The activity was implemented with the support of the European Commission, the Austrian Red Cross, and the Austrian Development Cooperation within the framework of the project - "Strengthening the Civil Protection System through Capacity Building of Volunteers". Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. How hard the Georgian economy will suffer due to the reality created by the Russian aggression in Ukraine also depends on the steps taken by the Georgian government. At the same time, strategic opportunities are being created, in particular - to reduce Georgia's economic dependence on Russia, use the country's transit function more efficiently, and accelerate Georgia's economic integration with Western countries. To respond to the existing challenges and take advantage of the opportunities created the following recommendations should be taken into recommendation… Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. IDFI sent humanitarian aid to Eastern Ukraine. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Imereti. A meeting with media representatives was held at the Children's Rights Center of Akaki Tsereteli State University in Kutaisi. The journalists received information about the project of UNICEF and the National Association of Local Authorities.  "According to the Child Rights Code, municipalities have an important role to play in protecting and supporting children: they must be able to identify and support families and children in need, as well as identify existing social needs and address them through the development of child-friendly social programs". The project is being implemented with the support of European Union in Georgia. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Georgian Center for Strategy and Development (GCSD) shares a publication “Research NATO” The publication unites expert opinion papers on such significant topics as NATO's role in strengthening Georgia's defence capabilities, NATO's future and so on. In addition, the publication includes papers, prepared by students as part of a research contest, on pressing issues on the Alliance's agenda. The publication is prepared under the project “Talk, Research and Discover NATO” implemented by GCSD with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tbilisi Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. According to the information of the IDFI Civil society, media organizations and associations, and media outlets of Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia disseminated an open statement on taking urgent and necessary measures to restore international law and order and overcome the consequences of the international security catastrophe caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. IDFI is one of the signatory organizations of the statement. Read more… Source: detector.media

Tbilisi. According to the CSO’s Tbilisi City Court imposed a fine worth GEL 34 300 in total on 16 individuals arrested at a rally in solidarity with Ukraine. It includes a GEL 15 800 fine imposed by judge Manuchar Tsatsua on six activists from the Shame Movement on 6 April 2022. The unlawful administrative arrest and unsubstantiated court decision have resulted in gross violation of the rights of activists and restriction of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.  Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. On April 7, 2022, IDFI, in collaboration with the University of Business and Technology (BTU), conducted an online training - Artificial Intelligence: Capabilities and Standards. The training was held in a remote format. The main focus of the meeting was the international standards in the technological and legal field of artificial intelligence and the possibilities of its application. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Imereti. On April 8, in Kutaisi, at the Kutaisi Akaki Tsereteli State University, Mayors of ten municipalities gathered to discuss how to increase the involvement of municipalities to ensure the social welfare of their communities. The high-level meeting, organized by UNICEF and the National Association of Local Authorities, was attended by the representatives of central and municipal governments, donors and civil society organization. Read more… Project is being implemented with the support of European Union in Georgia. Source: www.unicef.org

Tbilisi. According to the information of the TDI, 8 April is the international Roma Day (established in 1990). “Georgian Roma mainly live in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Poti, Ozurgeti, Kobuleti, Kakheti and Gardabani villages. Roma face many systemic problems in Georgia in terms of public education, healthcare, integration, and employment”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Shida Kartli. On April 6, 2022, a meeting of Youth Club’s members was held with the representatives of the youth civil society and community organizations. During the meeting there was a discussion on the topic: what kind of problems youth organizations have and how we are going to solve the problems. The meeting was held in the framework of the project “Civil Society STAR Initiative: CSOs as Sustainable, Transparent, Accountable and Resilient Development Actors in Georgia“ (2021-2025). The project is funded by the European Union (EU) and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS). The works of Shida Kartli Regional Hub are run by Society Biliki. Read more… Source: the organization’s page on the social network

Shida Kartli. On March 31, 2022, an information meeting was held at Shida Kartli Regional Hub with the representatives of the Public Defender of Shida Kartli Office. Ana Janiashvili, the main specialist spoke about the mandate of the Public Defender of Georgia. Tamar Tskhovrebadze, Representative of the Public Defender's Office on Gender Issues, made a presentation on Early Marriage. The training was held in the framework of the project “Civil Society STAR Initiative: CSOs as Sustainable, Transparent, Accountable and Resilient Development Actors in Georgia“ (2021-2025). The project is funded by the European Union (EU) and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS). The works of Shida Kartli Regional Hub are run by Society Biliki. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. On April 1-3, IDFI conducted a two-day training on effective oversight and data extraction methods. The training was attended by journalists and civil activists from different regions of Georgia - a total of 16 participants. “Theoretical and practical training included tips and recommendations – detection of public procurement fraud, budget spending and oversight, extraction of knowledge from open government data, and more. Furthermore, participants had the opportunity to obtain comprehensive information on vital issues in the context of the transparency of Beneficial ownership, as well as familiarize themselves with international platforms for investigative/data journalists and watchdogs”. Learn more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. On April 4, 2022, the European Parliament published a critical report on Georgia's implementation of the Association Agreement. “Alongside serious setbacks by the Georgian authorities in respecting basic democratic principles and adhering to political commitments over the past two years, the report pays particular attention to the failed justice reform and its implications for Georgia's accession to the European Union. The report, among other challenges, focuses on the strengthening of power over the judiciary and law enforcement agencies by the ruling political force. Recent developments in the report are described as a complete “deterioration with respect to the rule of law””. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.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...

Samegrelo. According to the information of TI Georgia, Dagi LLC, a company of Dato Adamia, a former member of the Senaki City Council from the Georgian Dream, currently participates in public procurements with changed registration data. “Since June 2021, Dagi has had a new name – Menati – and during this period it has obtained contracts with a total value of GEL 1,389,507 through the procurements of the Senaki Municipality, including a contract worth GEL 416,614 that Menati obtained in March 2022, when it won a tender announced by the Senaki City Hall. TI Georgia calls on the Anti-Corruption Agency of the State Security Service to study each of the procurements of Menati LLC and Dagi LLC (until June 2021) and to establish whether or not they contain possible signs of corruption”. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Adjara. The Supreme Council of the Ajara Autonomous Republic launched a new online platform for citizen engagement. The platform provides various digital services, including submitting a petition to the Council, commenting on draft laws, scheduling an appointment with a Council member and requesting a pass to attend the Council sessions. Fully adapted to the needs of people with disabilities, the platform is the most inclusive web resource of all public websites in Georgia. The digital platform has been created as part of the open governance agenda pursued by the Supreme Council of the Ajara Autonomous Republic. Its development was supported by the European Union in Georgia and UNDP Georgia in partnership with the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network