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2015

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.6R-CSN MEMBERS DISCUSSED GENDER

EQUALITY PROBLEMS

WORKING MEETING OF REGIONAL CIVIL

SOCIETY NETWORK

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CiDA SHARED ITS EXPERIENCE TO PARTNER

ORGANISATIONS

On March 6, members of two civil society organisations

Kartlosi and SIQA visited CiDA's office and held a meeting

with the organization's representatives.

Main topic of the meeting was to share CiDA's experience to

its partner CSOs in terms of advocacy during the project's

implementation. Zviad Devdariani, Head of CiDA introduced

the tools of advocacy and the skills organization has in this

regard.

Community mobiliser of CiDA Revaz Barbakadze spoke about

community mobilization and working experience in different

regions and group of people. It is noteworthy that CiDA

published a book about community mobilization last year.

All of the CSOs are members of Regional Civil Society Network

(R-CSN). With the aim to share their experience and

knowledge in different fields R-CSN members are going to

hold more meetings with each other.

. 3(52)32

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MARCH 11, 2015

CiDA LEAVES COMPETITION-ATTESTATION COMMISSION

Executive Director of CiDA Zviad Devdariani has quit the

competition-attestation commission created within the Tbilisi

Mayor's Office for the monitoring of the testing and interview

processes for the Tbilisi municipality and local government

staff.

The process was launched under the new government and

aimed at removing unqualified staff from local municipalities.

A special commission has been created composed of

politicians and NGOs that should have monitored the

process.

According to Devdariani, NGOs, which took part in the

process, were not allowed to monitor the process

appropriately.

Due to a range of reasons, lack of information among them, I

made a decision to leave the commission, stated Devdariani.

Mayor of Tbilisi Davit Narmania denies the allegations.

The competition-attestation processes were transparent and

objective. However, I am sure Devdariani had reasons for

taking such a step, and I plan to meet with him and discuss

the details, stated Narmania.

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DISCUSSION ABOUT MIGRATION IS UNDERWAY IN GEORGIA'S REGIONS

Representatives of the project Personalized Assistance for

Migrants visited four cities of Georgia and held informative

meetings with the local authorities, NGOs and media

representatives.

Emigration politics and illegal migration issues were on the

discussion agenda. Meeting attendees talked about their

experience while being in another country as migrants, about

the problems they or their relatives faced during their stay

abroad discussed the reforms and politics the state have on

this issue.

People attending those meetings underlined the importance

of the local self-government and media's role in fighting

against illegal migration, because people who wish to go and

work abroad have lack of knowledge about the countries of

their destination. According to them raising awareness in this

regard is one of the significant factor to prevent illegal

migration.

EU funded project Georgia - Personalized Assistance for Migrants" (G-PAM) is

implemented by Civil Development Agency CiDA and aims at supporting

Georgia to better manage migration processes. To see project activities, please

visit the webpage: www.migrant.ge

(52)32

2015

MARCH-APRIL

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CiDA PRESENTED CEMS IN THREE CITIES

www.cems.ge presentation took place in Poti, Kutaisi and Gori.

CEMS Civic Electronic Monitoring System is an electronic

mechanism for self-governance and the local populations'

communication, which assists the civil monitoring and

involvement in decision-making process. www.cems.ge collects

the information regarding various problems existing in various

cities including, utility problems, self-governance projects, local

bills, civil ideas and projects, petitions, regulations and rules etc.

With the aim to share its own best practice to the local CSOs,

media and local authorities CiDA introduced this webpage to

them and explained the way it works. The activities are

implemented in four Georgian cities including: Rustasvi, Kutaisi,

Poti and Gori.

The meeting was held in the framework of The East-West

Management Institute's (EWMI) Advancing CSO Capacities and

Engaging Society for Sustainability (ACCESS) project which is

implemented by CiDA and is funded by United States Agency for

International Development (USAID).

,,Meetings have been held in an interesting atmosphere, we

have introduced the project to the population in the regions and

got a very positive evaluation from them. I am sure CEMS will

help them to manage their local infrastructural problems in a

short period of time. On the other hand, local authorities will

have immediate information about the problems in their cities

and have an adequate response on them, Revaz Barbakadze of

CiDA said after the meetings.

,,Online communication will have a positive impact of problems

solution in the regions. Most important is that each of us have

possibility to use this webpage to fix our problems occurred in

our street, district or in the city. I hope more people will engage

in it and manage problems together, Lali Omiadze,

Representative of Kartlosi said.

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On April 7-8, CiDA organized a study tour for R-CSN Rule of Law and

Human Rights Working Group members in Tbilisi to meet with

government institutions and local and international CSOs working on

gender equality and domestic violence issues.

During the tour 15 regional CSOs held meetings with the

representatives of United Nations (UN) Women, National

Democratic Institute (NDI) Georgia office, Public Defender's Office,

Interior Ministry, and Women's Movement. The discussion topics

included: domestic violence problems; role of Public Defender's

Office and Interior Ministry in addressing this problem; actions taken

by the two institutions to protect women; and prospects for

increasing participation of women in politics through introducing

electoral quotas.

International and local CSOs shared their experiences, best practices,

and publications (researches, study reports, guidebooks) and

discussed possibilities for future cooperation.

Sopho Mandzulashvili-Kharebava (Association Spektri):,,We had an

excellent opportunity to listen and share our opinions with our

colleagues. It is important for us, who are working on women's

issues to know their viewpoints regarding gender quotas, because

we, all agree that equal participation of both men and women is the

main criteria in the process of country's socio-economic

development. Such meetings help us to set good contacts and

business relations with different organizations and institutions.

Tamar Maisuradze (Anti-Violence National Network Mtskheta-

Mtianeti Committee):,,I would distinguish meetings at the UN and

Public Defender's office. Representatives of the UN Women

introduced us the polling results which we will use while giving

trainings and seminars. Representatives of MIA and Ombudsman's

office told us that state institutions as well as international

organisations are interested to empower women's role in decision

making process and support quota system. I find it as success which

makes me hopeful.

Eka Rostiashvili (Dusheti Development Fund): ,,On the base of our

organization we have founded Women's Council, which is working on

women's issues. There have been number of issues about which we

wanted to have new information from our hosts and they made very

productive and helpful consultations.

Nunuka Mghebrishvili (We for Healthy Future): ,,Those meetings

were very informative and we were informed about all popular

topics. Most interesting for was discussion about first movement of

women in Georgia and feminism activities. Generally, I would like to

highlight that such meetings in different fields is really important for

regional NGOs to enhance contacts with our colleagues in the

capital.

The R-CSN working group will also use the information provided by

the government institutions to plan and organize regional awareness

raising initiatives informing local communities about government's

approach to minimize gender violence.

R-CSN is an unofficial union of regional civil society networks and civic activists which

united more than 50 CSOs around the country. There are seven working groups within

the network and one of them works on human rights and rule of law. The study tour was

organized by CiDA within the Advancing CSO Capacities and Engaging Society for

Sustainability (ACCESS) project . Implemented by East-West Management Institute and

funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Tour was

supported by NGO Sapari.

. 7

APRIL 8, 2015

R-CSN MEMBERS DISCUSSED GENDER EQUALITY PROBLEMS

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APRIL 12. 2015

77 BENEFICIARIES BENEFITED FROM THE PROFESSIONAL TRAINING COURSES

Since its launch in September 2014 a Professional Training Program

was implemented in the framework of the project Georgia -

Personalized Assistance for Migrants (G-PAM), in which at the final

stage of the program participated 10 villages from the project's

beneficiary 5 regions (50 villages) of Georgia.

The program was implemented with the financial support of the EU

and in partnership with the

Computer Literacy Foundation.

The program aimed to improve the professional skills of potential

migrants that would allow them the opportunity to be employed

according to their qualifications once they migrated. The program

also gave the chance to all former migrants to acquire professional

skills, which increased their local employment opportunities and

decreased possibilities of illegal migration.

At the beginning of the program, G-PAM village consultants were

assigned to find the centers that could provide qualification

trainings and internship opportunities. As a result, total of 151

institutions and enterprises were listed. Priority areas (e.g. sewing,

green-house, hairdresser, building sphere and vulcanization) were

identified and the contest for applicants aiming to participate in

professional training courses was announced. According to high

interest of participants, enterprises with reasonable rates and that

took more interns were chosen. The Professional Training Program

was open to participants for periods of 1 to 3 months.

At the end of March 2015, the G-PAM Professional Training

Program was finished. Totally, 77 beneficiaries (38 men, 39 women)

benefited from the project and participated in the free professional

training courses.

Guram Agladze, from Agara village, took a 2 months intensive

training course and learnt computer technologies and programs.

After finishing the courses he decided to enhance his knowledge

and continued to study in Agara knowledge center in the direction

of cyber security. Currently, he is employed in the same center and

helps his family financially. After the training courses, the director

of our center offered me to start working here. I have my own

earnings and I help my family, which is socially unprotected, with

this money, says Guram.

Nana Kvaratskhelia, village Jgali (Samegrelo): Sewing courses

turned out very interesting for me. Now, I have enough skills to sew

some clothes for my family members, neighbours and friends. It

would be even better if such courses continue in the future as well,

because there are many volunteers in our village who wish to take

it. I do hope that with this knowledge I would be able to earn some

money and support my family.

Mariam Meskhi, village Dzegvi (Imereti): I learnt culinary arts and

I am really happy for it. I have always had interest in preparation of

different foods on my own, but it is also important to get

suggestions and notes from a professional. On behalf of me and my

friends with whom I was attending these courses, I would like to

thank the project staff, our teacher and organizations involved who

gave us an opportunity.

EU funded project Georgia - Personalized Assistance for Migrants" (G-PAM) is

implemented by Civil Development Agency CiDA and aims at supporting Georgia to

better manage migration processes. To see project activities, please visit the webpage:

www.migrant.ge

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APRIL 17, 2015

On April 17, with the aim to discuss critical and timely issues

affecting the regions of Georgia, Civil Development Agency (CiDA)

organized a conference where representatives of Regional Civil

Society Network (R-CSN) and international organisations sat

together and assessed the current situations in the regions of

Georgia.

Discussion topics included: self -governance and Regional issues;

situation in the Adjara Supreme Council; challenges of the Regional

CSOs; the relations between local authorities and NGOs/ Media;

Georgia's population attitude towards country's Euro Integration.

Regional Civil Society Network was founded in 2012 and it is an

unofficial union of regional civil society networks and civic activists

which united more than 50 CSOs around the country.

The event was organized by Civil Development Agency (CiDA) within

the Advancing CSO Capacities and Engaging Society for Sustainability

(ACCESS) project. Implemented by East-West Management Institute

and funded by United States Agency for International Development

(USAID). This working meeting has been organized with the financial

support of Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF).

To see more details please follow the link of the discussion paper:

https://goo.gl/jWC3j8

17 , 2015

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SOCIETY NETWORK

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MILK PROCESSING FACTORY AND KINDERGARTEN WERE REHABILITATED WITHIN JOIN PROJECT

To support local farmers in realizing milk and then processing on the

place, it has been planned to rehabilitate dairy processing enterprise

in the village of Karabulakhi of Dmanisi municipality. The enterprise

has been renovated with all modern standards. There has been

arranged a cheese maker equipment where it is available to process

milk into cheese from 1 tonnes to 1.5 tonnes.

By implementing new standards of technology it is expected to

increase number of cattle locally and accordingly more high quality

products will be processed and sell in the markets.

Meanwhile, within JOIN project a new kindergarten has been

opened in the village of Boslebi of Dmanisi Municipality where

Georgian as well as ethnic minority children will attend classes.

Rehabilitation works were financed by CARE and was implemented

with the support of local municipality. CARE handed toys and a

computer and local municipality bought necessary inventories for

the kindergarten.

JOIN is a three year project implemented by CARE sterreich and CARE International in

the Caucasus together with the partner organizations NGO CiDA in Georgia and CARD

in Armenia. JOIN is funded by Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) through

Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

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APRIL 20, 2015

ACTION PLANS FOR GEORGIA'S REGIONS ISSUED Within Fostering Regional and Local Development in Georgia

project, CiDA issued 2015-2017 action plans for six regions of

Georgia: Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Imereti, Samegrelo-

Zemo SvaneTi, Racha-Lechkhumi and Guria.

Before publishing those plans CiDA held consultations with the UN

Development Program and Ministry of Infrastructure

representatives. After joint consultations they agreed on

publishing format.

There are described regional priorities, planned projects and

approximate budget for them. Publishing action plans is the part

of those activities which is implemented by CiDA along with R-CSN

member organizations.

In the framework of the project working meetings will be planned

in above mentioned regions where attendees will have

opportunity to get introduced with the action plan and share their

opinions regarding it.

Ideas shared during the meetings will be taken into account and

will be used as a recomenndations which will be given to regional

consultative councils.

The project is supported by UNDP and funded by SDS and ADA. It is implemented by

CiDA and other members of R-CSN.

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PUBLIC LECTURE AT IBSU

On April 30, International Black Sea University hosted Executive

Director of CiDA Zviad Devdariani who held a public lecture on

civic activism.

The lecture topic included basis of civic engagement, activism

and its main principles, also the importance of civil society

organisations active engagement. Devdariani highlighted his

attention on the concept of active and passive citizens.

Students were welcome to express their opinion and engage in

QA discussion during the meeting.

w e c o n n e c t

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