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national in Georgia.
Charity action in Naruji, Guria
On March 12, 2013 civics club students of Naruji (Guria region) public school organized charity event to support their schoolmates with special needs. Students mobilized community members and other civics clubs in the region, placed donation boxes and organized a theater performance, which was followed by a discussion on childrens rights. Students have also organized a painting competition with participation of their peers with disabilities. Funds raised through the event will be used to meet the needs of children with disabilities.Action took place in the framework of the Applied Civic Education and Teacher Training Program (ACETT), which is implemented by PH International in Georgia.
The Georgian delegation at the competition site (from left to right): Ketevan Kobakhidze (coach), Naniko Zazunashvili (student), Aleksandre Matcharashvili
On March 27, at Tbilisi State University (TSU), the JILEPsponsored, National Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution (NCADR), organized a Public Roundtable on the Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). The PCA is one of the worlds leading arbitration institutions and helps resolve disputes involving various combinations of states, state entities, intergovernmental organizations, and private parties. Professor Archil Giorgadze, Academic Director of the JILEPsponsored National Center for Commercial Law (NCCL), made the opening presentation. After providing an introduction to the history and operating structure of the PCA, Professor Giorgadze discussed some of the PCAs most important cases and pointing out investment protection and state sovereignty questions also relevant to Georgia.
Good Governance in Georgia Program (G3) facilitates Advisory Council for Local Government Reform
On April 5-7, the Advisory Council for Local Government Reform (ACLGR) conducted a workshop at the Trialeti Palace hotel in Bakuriani. The aim of the workshop was to create working groups to follow the action plan for local government reform. The event was organized and facilitated by USAIDs Good Governance in Georgia (G3) Program. Among the guest speakers were Irakli Melashvili, Assistant to the Prime Minister; Gia Jorjoliani, Member of Parliament of Georgia and First Deputy Chairman of the Regional and Selfgovernment Committee, and Tengiz Shergelashvili, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure. During the first session, ACLGR delegates and guest speakers discussed the priorities and work plans of the Advisory Councils thematic working groups. The working group coordinator on territorial arrangement discussed factors determining the status of what constitutes a city. The members of the ACLGR thematic working group related to City of Tbilisi promoted use of Government of Georgia resources in the working processes of the City of Tbilisi. In order to allocate the requested resources, Irakli Melashvili, Assistant to the Prime Minister, asked for a survey to be taken in order to identify the needs and priorities for the City. The workshop was evaluated positively. Davit Mikeladze, ACLGR Secretary Director, discussed the importance of implementing these sweeping reforms through a participatory process. The ACLGR brings together experts and NGO representatives and therefore shares the responsibility for the reforms along with the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure (MRDI). Gia Jorjoliani, Member of the Parliament of Georgia and First Deputy Chairman of the Regional and Self-Government Committee, stated that such workshops have to be organized more frequently. In order to make the theoretical part of the working process more efficient, Jorjoliani called for more active cooperation between executive and legislative branches and highlighted the need for direct dialogue with local residents and activists. Such an attitude will have a positive influence over the Parliaments decision-making process, stated Jorjoliani.
Decentralization Strategy for Georgia Discussions at Ozurgetis Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) On April 12, a discussion on local self-government reform and decentralization strategy took place at Ozurgetis Center for Civic Engagement. The meeting was attended by non-governmental organizations, political parties and local, regional and community authority representatives. The meeting aim was to inform the general public about the current reform processes and support involvement the public to put forth recommendations related to local government reform. Representatives of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure (MRDI) presented the local self-government reform and decentralization strategy to participants at the meeting. The reform anticipates the developing both municipal and regional self-government, increasing the number of self-governing cities and creating village administrative units as the basis for establishment of new municipalities. The leaders of these newly-formed municipalities will be chosen through direct elections and have budgets to support their new mandates. Meeting participants took part in a lively debate on a variety of topics such as the formation of villages, the establishment of new municipalities with new competencies, a new election model, regional government structure and financial decentralization. It is very important to define the competences first. The reform should be formulated based on accurate definitions of functions and authority for self-governments, said Levan Khintibidze, Executive Director of the Georgian Democratic Development Union. According to Dimitry Kverghelidze, Ozurgeti Municipality City Council Member and Head of the District Office of the Free Democrats Party, fiscal decentralization is vitally important to reform of local governments. At the conclusion of the meeting, participants agreed that the current reform model fails to fully meet all needs of the population. The main advantages of the reform proposals are to encourage citizen participation in governance. Beyond its weaknesses, the major strength of this concept is the encouragement of the mutual cooperation between self-governments and communities, said Levan Mjavanadze, Association Representative of the Young Teachers Union.
Civil Advisory Council established under the Good Governance in Georgia (G3) Program promotes reform in Marneuli
Marneuli Municipality with approximately 10,000 pre-school children has only nine kindergartens. As anywhere else in Georgia, these kindergartens suffer from poor infrastructure due to gross underfunding of their operation expenses. Over time, not only the buildings, but also the sanitation in these facilities has suffered from lack of maintenance. In addition, the salaries of the personnel who work in the kindergartens are low; so low that they fall below the minimum wage standard. Under such conditions, childrens ability to learn is severely impacted. In April, the Civil Advisory Council (CAC) of Marneuli formed a working group to monitor the budgets and operating conditions in all nine kindergartens. As an output of their work, they created a kindergarten management strategy as means to allocate more resources for the local kindergartens. According to analysis conducted by the CAC, the minimum and maximum salaries of kindergartens personnel ranged from 120 GEL to 250 GEL per month. In response to this finding, the CAC provided its first recommendation to Marneulis Municipal Council on increasing the salary of the kindergarten personnel by 30 %. Despite some obstacles and deliberations, the CAC of Marneuli managed to convince the Council members of the need for an increase in salaries of kindergarten staff. Consequently, Marneulis Municipality Council adopted a decree on increasing the kindergarten personnel salary by 30%, starting in May, 2013. The teachers in the kindergarten express their gratitude for the support provided by CAC. They appreciate the fact that their problem has been identified and addressed --to some extent-- after years of negligence and inattention. But this is just the beginning. Marneulis CAC plans to make in depth analysis of mismanagement in kindergartens and will work to create a long term management strategy for the kindergartens stated Ms. Tamara Mjavanadze, member of the CAC in Marneuli.
Georgian Evaluation Association (GEA) with the support of Good Governance in Georgia Program (G3) conducts a Workshop for the Representatives of Poti City Hall
On April 12, the Georgian Evaluation Association (GEA) conducted a workshop for Poti City Hall representatives. The decision to hold the workshop was made in agreement with the Deputy Mayor on April 3, 2013. The topic of the work shop was Potis socio-economic development plan (SEDP) and formation of working groups; these groups will develop a one-year work plans to implement Potis SEDP. The meeting was facilitated by Nona Khukhia, GEA Coordinator in Poti. Participants of the workshop received theoretical as well as practical training on the following topics: definition and creation of action plans and monitoring and evaluation frameworks. Eka Ruadze, GEA Coordinator and Trainer, utilized diverse tools and methodologies for conducing the trainin. Moreover, she presented various practical examples from her own experience in implementing plans. Ruadze went through the phases of development of the one-year work plan and reviewed in more detail the roles of responsible persons and experts. In addition, she spoke about indicators, risks and other issues related to the elaboration of an one-year action plan. As some heads of services already have their work plan formulated, Ruadze advised them to adjust the activities to the current SEDP. The training sessions were positively evaluated by the participants. According to the members of the local government, the information acquired at the trainings will be an asset for implementation of the SEDP in Poti.
Good Governance in Georgia Program (G3) launches Large Scale Courses for public servants
On April 16, USAID Good Governance in Georgia Program (G3) in partnership with the Prime Ministers Office organized an Orientation Workshop with the government officials on the topic of Short-term Training Courses for Public Servants held at the Sheraton Metechi Palace Hotel in Tbilisi. Representatives of the Prime Ministers Office, Government of Georgia Institutions, Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA), Grigol Robakidze University, Consulting and Training Center (CTC) and Policy and Management Consulting Group (PMCG) attended the meeting. The purpose of the Orientation Workshop was to present the content and objectives of G3s large scale training program for up to 3,000 civil servants over the course of the year. The topics discussed at the work shop included training modules and their content, planned activities, schedule and selection criteria for those who will participate in the short-term courses. G3s training program was contracted to the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA). The main objective of this large scale training program is to improve the knowledge and skills of public servants in governance and management. Training course will last for eight months, from July to the end of December and will train up to 3,000 civil servants on ten key management and governance topics. The ten training topics were identified as: Governance, Open Government Partnership, Ethnics in Government, Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, Human Resources Management, Strategic Planning Skills, Legal Framework in Georgia, Presentation Skills and Writing Techniques, Citizen Participation and Analytic Skills. Todays meeting aims at introducing the content and organizational arrangements for such a large scale training program. This Program provided an opportunity to improve the knowledge and basic skills of civil servants on key topics related to governance said Nino Ghonghadze, Dean of School of Government at Georgian Institute of Public Affairs. The next meeting on the training program is scheduled for April 25, where representatives of Ministries will present the initial list of civil servants.
JILEP Delivers Second Teaching Methodology Workshop for TSU Law Professors
On April 19-21, the Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP) delivered a two-day training of trainers (TOT) in modern teaching methodology to 16 law professors from Tbilisi State University Faculty of Law (TSU). The event represented the second in a series of four trainings to be delivered within the framework of an instructional methodology development program designed for the TSU law faculty. The program is designed to help TSU professors adopt more modern, effective, and interactive teaching methods and improve the overall teaching culture at TSU. Professor Delaine R. Swenson of the Catholic University of Lublin (Poland) conducted the training. The next training of the series is scheduled for May, 2013.
Professor Delaine R. Swenson explains persuasive advocacy concepts to legal aid lawyers
IFES Trains Journalists and NGO Representatives on Gender and Human Rights
IFES organized two-day training for Georgian journalists and Gender Equality Network (GEN) representatives in Telavi. The aim of the training was to increase journalists and GEN members awareness on gender issues through a human rights perspective; increase cooperation between the stakeholders; and stimulate a discussion to generate new ideas and joint initiatives for increased gender equality in Georgia. Training topics covered the legal, political and social aspects of gender including national legislation and policy on gender and women`s rights; discrimination clauses, European Court of Human Rights judgments and decisions on gender issues; and gender quotas among other special measures which were introduced and assessed by IFES gender and human rights experts. A special discussion was conducted on the role of media and civil society in promoting gender equality and empowering women. Participants were involved by analyzing case studies and preparing group presentations on gender and discrimination clauses.
On April 16, IFES and the Coalition for Independent Living (CIL) organized a public meeting between voters with disabilities and majoritarian candidates competing in the April 27 parliamentary by-elections. The meeting took place in Tbilisi; fifty participants joined the discussion, including persons with disabilities residing in Nadzaladevi, representatives of disabled persons organizations, and seven candidates. The candidates opened the discussion by providing an overview of their political platforms and specific plans with regard to disability issues, related legislative and budgetary shortcoming, and outlined possible solutions. The disability community stressed the need for raising awareness on disability issues and ensuring full participation through increased accessibility and inclusion. Meeting participants expressed hope to meet with the winning candidate after the elections as well..
IFES Trains Political Party Lawyers on Dispute Resolution and Administrative Resources
On April 15-16, IFES, together with the Central Election Commission (CEC), conducted two-day training for political party lawyers on election dispute resolution (EDR) and the abuse of administrative resources at Betsys hotel in Tbilisi. The training covered legal aspects of EDR, and outlined the timetables and procedures for filing complaints at the District, Precinct, and Central Election Commission levels as well as the courts. The training also introduced the manual on administrative resources (developed with IFES support ahead of the October 2012 parliamentary elections); a tool that clarifies legal complexities and limits multiple interpretations of Georgias electoral legislation with regard to administrative resource abuse. Each training topic included a simulation component that allowed lawyers to apply their theoretical knowledge to real life examples. The training were attended by 26 lawyers representing 13 election subjects (parties and initiatives groups) partaking in Aprils parliamentary by-elections in the districts of Nadzaladevi, Samtredia, Baghdati.
IFES Supports Establishment of a Gender Equality Body under the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara
On April 6, through IFES support, representatives of the Union of Wives of Invalids and Lost Warriors of Georgia (Union of Women) and the Gender Equality Network (GEN)a coalition of 15 gender equality -focused NGOs representing 10 regions of Georgia, met with member of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara and Chairperson of the Legal and Procedural Committee Medea Vasadze. The meeting focused on establishing a gender equality organ under the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, proposed by council members in November 2012. GEN presented recommendations and draft regulations dealing with the new body, possibly named the Gender Equality Commission, to the supreme council representatives. Vasadze indicated a political willingness from the side of the supreme council to establish the gender equality body, to be comprised of male and female council members. To finalize the formation of the new body, Vasadze proposed a second meeting between GEN and the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara and deputies on May 16.
IFES and Gender Equality Network (GEN) Meet with the Parliamentary Gender Equality Council
On April 16, IFES and GENa coalition of 15 gender equality-focused NGOs representing 10 regions of Georgia, met with Vice-Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Gender Equality Council Manana Kobakhidze to discuss a framework for cooperation between the Gender Equality Council and GEN. The preliminary meeting also covered topics such as institutional mechanisms for gender equality and the active involvement and participation of women in politics. During the meeting Vice-Speaker Kobakhidze and council members approved GENs initiation to establish a thematic group Women and Politics to work with Parliamentary Gender Equality Council and requested the development of a memorandum of understanding between GEN and the Parliamentary Gender Equality Council. Council members also expressed a desire to participate in the regional roundtable meetings provided by GEN and requested GEN and IFES support in the preparation of the Gender Equality National Action Plan 2014-2016.
IFES Trains Gender Equality Network (GEN) and Journalists on Gender Issues and Outreach
On April 18-21, IFES and IFES-partner the Union of Women trained 30 GEN representatives and journalists from Tbilisi and the regions in Bakuriani on genderconscious reporting, message development, media communication, public speaking and presenting; trainings also included the topic of inter-party democracy and selfgovernment from a gender perspective. The goal of the training was to increase the capacity of GEN members and journalists, all the while strengthening cooperation and prospects for collaboration between the two groups. Alongside case studies and practical exercises, participants were introduced to the main issues surrounding verbal, nonverbal and media communications; message development; using the internet and social media for public outreach campaigns; developing effective PowerPoint presentations; and image creation.
ANIs Zugdidi Youth Center Promotes Literacy among Children and Youth
On April 14, 2013, over 35 young members of ANIs Zugdidi Youth Center Ortus organized a literacy event - Poetry with Daffodils. Participants set up a poetry area in the front yard of Dadiani Museum, organized outdoor reading sessions, set theatrical performances and musical acts for those that came to attend or walked by, and spoke about the significance of promoting reading among children and youth. The event was attended by the young residents of the city of Zugdidi and their parents, local culture activists and artists, poets and people that stopped by to watch the performances and listen to ANIs young activists. The event was held within the literacy campaign that is permanently organized by Education Sub-club of ANIs Zugdidi Youth Center.
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DG Office Team:
Danielle Reiff, dreiff@usai d.gov, 2544112 Kirsten Michener, kmichene r@usaid.gov, 2544199 Keti Bakradze, kbakradze @usaid.gov, 2544151 Khatuna Khvichia, kkhvichia @usaid.gov, 2544148 Ninka Buachidze, nbuachidz e@usaid.gov, 2544120 Rusiko Tabatadze, rtabat adze@usaid.gov, 2544138 Anna Chaus, achaus@usaid.g ov, 2544194