April 15-28, 2013

On March 7 and March 29, IFES organized two public lectures on gender equality and women’s political empowerment at universities in Akhaltsikhe and Telavi. More than 100 students—many alumni of IFES’ civics course “Democracy and Citizenship,” and professors attended the lectures, led by IFES gender expert Irina Zhvania. The lectures yielded a great level of interest from the students and transitioned into interactive discussions with the students.

The lectures address youth perceptions of gender roles and are conducted through USAID’s Increased Trust in the Electoral Process project, Imple-mented by IFES. More than 500 hundred students from Tbilisi, Batumi,

and Kutaisi Universities have already participated in the lectures.

IFES Hosts CEC in Washington, D.C.

In late-March IFES hosted a three member delegation from the Cen-tral Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia, including its chairman, in Washington, D.C. The delegation visited the U.S. to learn more about experiences and best practices on the use of electronic voting technolo-gy, which could be utilized in Georgian elections. The delegation spoke to local election officials in the D.C. area on the use of electronic voting equipment for a pilot project in Georgia’s 2014 local elections.

CEC Chairman Zurab Kharatishvili, CEC Mem-ber Tamaz Sharmanash-vili and CEC Spokesper-

son Eka Azarashvili were accompanied by Sr. Program Manager Anthony Bowyer to meetings with local election commissions in Alexandria, Fairfax County, Montgomery County, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

IFES Public Lectures on Gender and Women’s Political Empowerment

DG Bi-Weekly Report

ISSUE # 8

IFES Training on Gender and Human Rights On March 30-31, IFES organized a two-day training for Geor-gian journalists and Gender Equality Network (GEN) repre-sentatives 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 be-tween 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 expert Irina

Zhvania and human rights expert Marine Kvachadze.

A special discussion was conducted on the role of media and civil society in promoting gender equality and em-powering women. Participants were involved by analyzing case studies and preparing group presentations on gender and discrimination clauses.

Students worked for the safety of pedestrians in Marneuli

Civics club students of Marneuli public school #8 initiated to solve problem of pedestrians; safety in Marneuli. There was no passage sign for pedestrians in front of the school, which made it dangerous for students and community members to cross the street. Students addressed local Government with a let-ter asking to resolve the issue. As the result of this initiative, street cross sign for pedestrians was arranged in front of the school.

Initiative took place in the framework of the Applied Civic Education and

Teacher Training Program , (ACETT), which is implemented by PH Inter-

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. Stu-dents mobilized community members and other civics clubs in the region, placed donation boxes and organized a theater performance, which was fol-lowed by a discussion on children’s 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 disa-bilities. Action took place in the framework of the Applied Civic Education and

Teacher Training Program (ACETT), which is implemented by PH International in Georgia.

Meeting about woman’s rights in Batumi

Civics club students of Batumi Lyceum and public school #9 organized meeting for parents of Batumi day center for disabled children to discuss women’s rights, domestic violence and gender issues. Invited psychologist answered the questions of audience regarding domestic violence issues. Audience watched a film about the prominent wom-en. A Peace Corps volunteer, who took part in the event, informed audience about the planned opening of the local cen-

ter for parents of children with disabilities. Meeting took place in the framework of the Applied Civic Education and Teacher Training Program (ACETT), which is implemented by PH International in Georgia.

Georgian Law Students Compete in International Client Counseling Competition

On April 2 – 6, a team of Georgian law students from Free University Tbilisi competed in the 2013 International Client Counseling Competition, held in Glasgow, Scotland. JILEP sponsored the team’s participation in the com-petition. The Free University team earned the right to represent Georgian in by winning a national competition held in February in Tbilisi, also sponsored by JILEP. The Client Counseling Competition is a law student compe-

tition where students play the role of lawyers and interview a cli-ent, played by an actor. The students are judged on how well they identify the client’s specific set of legal problems, and how well they advise that client to proceed. Students involved in the compe-tition learn skills not ordinarily taught in law school – skills such as, one-on-one speaking, active listening, and real time issue spot-ting and problem solving.

The International Client Counseling Competition is held each year in a different country. Twenty-two countries participated in the competition this year, including the U.S., England and Germany. The client’s set of legal problems this year was advertised as, “murder and other serious harm to the person.” While the Geor-gian team did not advance to the semi-final round, judges scored the team high in both of their preliminary rounds, and barely missed making it to the semi-final round. A team from Canada won the competition.

The Georgian delegation at the competition site (from left to right): Ketevan Ko-bakhidze (coach), Naniko Zazunashvili (student), Aleksandre Matcharashvili

NCADR Presents Public Roundtable on Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration

On March 27, at Tbilisi State University (TSU), the JILEP-sponsored, National Center for Alternative Dispute Reso-lution (NCADR), organized a Public Roundtable on the Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). The PCA is one of the world’s leading arbitration institutions and helps resolve disputes involv-ing various combinations of states, state entities, inter-governmental organizations, and private parties. Professor Archil Giorgadze, Academic Director of the JILEP-sponsored 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 PCA’s most important cases and pointing out investment protec-tion and state sovereignty questions also relevant to Georgia.

Students raised funds for a schoolmate in Tsageri

ACETT civics club students of Tasageri public school orga-nized charity action to support their school mate who needed serious surgery to save the life. Students mobilized civics club students from other partner schools of ACETT in the region and disseminated information about the charity action in local communities. In cooperation with local administration, stu-dents organized charity concert with participation of a local folk group. As the result of these efforts students collected 2,660 GEL. Funds were transferred to patient’s account.

Cycling Marathon in Telavi

Civics club students of Telavi public school #5 initiated to organize cy-cling marathon dedicated to the World Tuberculosis Day, in order to promote healthy lifestyle among youth. Students from different local schools took part in the marathon. Patrol police worked to ensure safe-ty of participants and stopped the traffic during the marathon. Jury was comprised of the representatives from Telavi City Council and a local NGO. The winners were awarded by prizes and certificates. The event was covered by local Media.

Action was carried out in the framework of the Applied Civic Education and Teacher Training Program (ACETT), which is implemented by PH International in Georgia.

Green action in Kukhi (Imereti region)

Civics club students of the village Kukhi public school (Imereti region) initiated a greening action to plant the trees in cooperation with local Government for a wind protection alley along the main road in the vil-lage. Action took place on March 15. A total of 40 acacia seedlings were plant-ed. Students promised to take care of the newly planted alley. Action took place in the framework of the Applied Civic Education and Teacher Training Program (ACETT), which is implemented by PH Inter-national in Georgia.

Students worked to resolve a problem in the village Atsana

Civics club students in the village Atsana identified that the railing of the bridge in the village was damaged, which created a danger for community members and for children especially.

On March 12, 2013 students mobilized community members to renovate the damaged bridge railing, while they have also used support from ACETT pro-gram. More than 100 community members will benefit from the renovated bridge from now on.

“Meet the Heroes” in Kutaisi

On March 20, 2013 final event of the competition “Meet the Heroes” was held at Kutaisi Central Library. Competition was announced month ago for school-based civics club stu-dents of Imereti region. Students have to collect information and prepare slideshows and video films about the prominent figures “civics heroes” of the world.

Students presented their works at the final event, which were evaluated by the representatives of Kutaisi City Coun-cil, media and school administrations.

“It was very difficult to choose the best ones as all works were good. During preparation phase students got information about prominent people in civic life, who have changed the lives of their communities. Among them were international and Georgian “heroes” – said T. Gokhadze, a member of jury

and representative of Kutaisi City Council’s Department for Youth and Sports.

Five best students were awarded with prizes, while all participants received certificates. Final competition event was covered by local Media. Event took place in the framework of the Applied Civic Education and Teacher Train-ing Program (ACETT), which is implemented by PH International in Georgia.

ACETT students master skills in debates and public speaking

On April 4, 2013 Sagarejo Center for Civic Engagement hosted a semifinal tournament in debates for student teams from Kvemo Kartli and Kakheti regions. Debates were held among the gradu-ates of ACETT’s debate and public speaking trainings, and were carried out by Children’s Federation of Geor-gia and Georgian Institute for Debates and Education. Prior to taking part in a semifinal tournament, students trained peers in debates at their schools and regions and conducted mini-competitions among the trained teams. Winners of the school tourna-ments and best debaters became par-ticipants of the regional semifinal tour-nament. The team of young debaters from Rustavi public school #20 became the winner of the semifinal tournament, while a student Giga Kakalashvili from the village Velistsikhe public school (from Kakheti) was recognized as the best speaker. Semifinal tournaments will continue in other regions of Georgia in spring 2013. Tournaments are being held in the framework of the Applied Civic Education and Teacher Training Program (ACETT), which is implemented by PH International in Georgia.

Good Governance in Georgia Program (G3) facilitates Advisory Council for Local Government Re-form

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 USAID’s 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 Self-government 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 Ad-visory Council’s 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 Re-gional 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 orga-nized 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 Parliament’s decision-making process,” stated Jorjoliani.

Decentralization Strategy for Georgia – Discussions at Ozurgeti’s Center for Civic Engagement (CCE)

On April 12, a discussion on local self-government reform and decentralization strategy took place at Ozur-geti’s 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 involve-ment 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 antici-pates 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 authori-ty for self-governments,” said Levan Khintibidze, Executive Director of the Georgian Democratic Develop-ment 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 encourage-ment of the mutual cooperation between self-governments and communities,” said Levan Mjavanadze, Asso-ciation 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 stand-ard. Under such conditions, children’s 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 re-sponse to this finding, the CAC provided its first recommendation to Marneuli’s 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, Marneuli’s 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. Marneuli’s 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 Poti’s socio-economic development plan (SEDP) and formation of working groups; these groups will develop a one-year work plans to implement Poti’s SEDP. The meeting was facilitat-ed 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 frame-works. Eka Ruadze, GEA Coordinator

and Trainer, utilized diverse tools and methodologies for conducing the train-in. Moreover, she presented various practical examples from her own experi-ence in implementing plans. Ruadze went through the phases of develop-ment of the one-year work plan and reviewed in more detail the roles of re-sponsible 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 ad-vised them to adjust the activities to the current SEDP.

The training sessions were positively evaluated by the participants. Accord-ing to the members of the local government, the information acquired at the trainings will be an asset for imple-mentation 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 Minister’s 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 Minister’s Office, Government of Georgia Institutions, Georgian Institute of Public Af-fairs (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 G3’s 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 cours-es. G3’s 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 Tech-niques, Citizen Participation and Analytic Skills. “Today’s 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 sched-uled for April 25, where representatives of Ministries will present the initial list of civil servants.

 

G-PAC’s Internship Program Helps Students Get Jobs The EWMI G-PAC Paid Internship Program provides $250 USD per month for up to six months for Georgian master’s students in public policy, public administration, and related programs to intern at public and civil socie-ty organizations. The program aims to develop practical skills that enable students to find meaningful employ-ment in a relevant field. One of the interns, Mrs. Rusudan Chkheidze completed G-PAC-supported paid internship at Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD). CIPDD was so satisfied with Ms. Chkheidze’s work during her internship that they promoted her to project coordinator and asked her to stay on as full-time employee on a new project to support the development of civil society and independent media. With 56% of Paid Internship Program alumni now employed (45% of these at their former host organization), stories like Ms. Chkheidze’s are common. This is especially notable given that the unemployment rate for recent university graduates in Georgia is nearly 70%. “The internship was a great experience. Most importantly, I gained policy paper writing skills. Also, organizing the student debates gave me management skills,” Ms. Chkheidze said. For more information, please visit the Paid Internship Grant Program page.

Regional Civil Society Network Members present research findings

On April 11th members of the Regional Civil Society Network (R-SCN) presented the results of their research about problems in the regions of Georgia. Presentation was simultaneously held in eight cities throughout the country – Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi, Ozurgeti, Zugdidi, Gori, Akhaltsikhe and Telavi. The research was conducted by R-SCN member organizations in the regions they operate and sought to determine the policy issues of greatest concern to the public in the regions. Based on the research findings, R-SCN members are going to build up their future strate-gy of action in order to have strong connections to the communities they serve and to work on the issues that are public priorities. The

top three issues identified were healthcare, agriculture, and education. Regional Civil Society Network (R-SCN) has 40 member organization and was created through G-PAC’s Net-working Facilitators grant program to better coordinate the work of regional CSOs. The program aims to build regional CSO coalitions around the advocacy issues of greatest concern to Georgians living outside of Tbilisi.

G-PAC grantee ISET develops a Course on Agricultural Policy

On April 18, the International School of Economics (ISET) presented a new vision for teaching graduate-level agricultural policy analysis skills in Georgia. Georgian and international agricultural experts, ISET students, and donor representatives attended the event. To better prepare the next generation of agricultural decision makers in Georgia, EWMI G-PAC funded ISET to develop a course on agricul-ture and food policy analysis for its master’s program in economics. ISET Professor Adam Pellilo provided an overview of the course, which will be taught for the first time in autumn 2013. The class will empha-size the importance of institutions to agricultural development by ex-amining former government programs and exploring key issues like property rights. Through real world examples, including 13 brief case studies from Georgia, the course will equip students with the skills necessary to analyze, monitor, implement, and evaluate the impact of agricultural policies and pro-grams. By the end of the course, students will be able to use data to more reliably assess the impact of particular policy actions in agriculture.

G-PAC organizes Civic Media Festival for Georgian CSOs To raise awareness about the use of social media and other technologies to improve policy analysis and advocacy, Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) conducted a one-day social media festival on April 19th for Geor-gian CSOs. The festival was organized at the IREX Multimedia Education Center using unconference format, which is a par-ticipant-driven meeting that is structured and led by the people attending it. How to reach citizens in remote are-as and make their vice heard by the decision makers? What is data-driven advocacy? What is data visualization? How to use open-source data? How to effectively interact with audience through social media? – These were the topics which were discussed during the festival. “This is a very useful event which gives participants the opportunity to talk with and learn from each other” – said Mikheil Benidze, project manager from International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy. Tbilisi Civic Media Festival is part of “Georgia Civil Society 2.0” is a component of the Policy, Advocacy, and Civil Society in Georgia (G-PAC) Project, implemented in collaboration with the TASCHA. The project focuses specifi-cally on using social media and other technologies, data visualization, and information design to improve policy analysis and advocacy.

NCCL Organizes Public Lecture on Mergers and Acquisitions

On April 17, at Free University Tbilisi, the Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP)-sponsored, National Center for Commercial Law (NCCL), organized a public lecture and discussion on “Mergers and Acquisitions - Georgian Business Practice.” The Deputy General Director of the Georgian Bank,. Avtandil Namicheishvili, gave the lecture which was fol-lowed by an active question and answer period. Mr. Namicheishvili discussed the most important mer-ger and acquisition cases which have taken place in Georgia over the past few years. He explained

the basic legal issues lawyers dealt with in these cases and gave some de-scription of the contract drafting procedures and techniques that must be used to achieve successful results. More than one hundred students and le-gal professionals attended the lecture.

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 de-signed 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) con-ducted the training. The next training of the series is scheduled for May, 2013.

Legal Aid Providers Learn Evidence Preparation and Presentation Skills

On April 19, Judicial Independence and Legal Empower-ment Project (JILEP) delivered instruction in evidence preparation and presentation to 17 lawyers, represent-ing seven different legal aid organizations including GY-LA, Article 42, and Transparency International. Three lawyers from the State Legal Aid Services also attended the program. U.S. lawyer and law professor, Delaine R. Swenson discussed the American and Georgian rules of evidence with the participants and taught them tech-niques for evidence gathering and presentation. Partici-pants used the suggestions provided by Professor Swen-son to conduct mock, direct and cross-examinations of witnesses. The training also covered effective use of physical evidence in the courtroom.

Professor Delaine R. Swenson explains persuasive advocacy concepts to legal aid lawyers

“Slavery in the 21st Century” Civics club students of Tbilisi public school #71 worked to increase public awareness about the issue of trafficking in the framework of ACETT’s mini-grant project “Slavery in 21st Century”. Students con-ducted trainings and a conference for their peers and have invited representatives of Police Department to facilitate the trainings. Stu-dents have also disseminated informational materials about traffick-ing prepared by International Organization of Migration in public places. Mini-grant project was carried out in the framework of the Applied Civic Education and Teacher Training Program (ACETT), which is implemented by PH International in Georgia.

“Green Days” in Kutaisi

On April 2, 2013 Civics club students of Kutaisi public school #25 signed memorandum of cooperation with representatives of the following struc-tures: a Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Protection and Nat-ural Resources of Georgia and Ministry of Environmental Protection of Georgia. Signing ceremony was held at the Parliament of Georgia, with participation of a Minister and Deputy Minister of Environmental Protec-tion of Georgia, members of the Parliamentary Committee, civics teacher, students and school administration officials. According to the memorandum environmental protection activities and trainings for Kutaisi school civics club students will be organized. Shortly after the signing of the memorandum, action titled “Green days” was held with participation of students, parlia-

mentary committee members and school administration officials. Head of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Mr. Tsaga-reishvili provided seedlings for action to support students’ initiative. Kutaisi City Council supported students with tools, recommendations, territory and per-mission for the green action. Green action was held in several places of Kutaisi and was covered by Media. Initiative took place in the framework of the Applied Civic Education and Teach-er Training Program (ACETT), which is implemented by PH International in Georgia.

Books for Peers School-based civics club students in Tbilisi took part in the action “Books for peers” to support the library of Alastani (Akhalkalaki municipality) public school (Armenian-language school) with Georgian books. Students learned about the issue from social network, when a Georgian language teacher of Alastani public school asked to support 110 students of Arme-nian school with literature to improve their knowledge of Georgian language.

Fifteen school-based civics clubs (100 students) worked to col-lect the books in Tbilisi. Information about the action was spread via social networks and as a result 1000 books were collected and donated to public school in Alastani.

Initiative took place in the framework of the Applied Civic Education and Teacher Training Program (ACETT), which is implemented by PH International in Georgia.

Youth Forum in Adjara On April 20 Youth Forum was held at Chakvi #1 public school of Adjara region. Youth Forums help students to identify the needs, critical for their schools and communities and address local deci-sion-makers with these problems.

Students, teachers and school administration offi-cials from 81 ACETT partner schools in Adjara, total of 150 individuals took part in the forum. Participant students were divided into nine work-ing groups, which were facilitated by civics teach-ers. Initially students have identified problems, which are critical for their municipalities, towns, villages and schools; they have then prioritized the topics for discussion: infrastructure rehabilita-tion needs, children’s rights, civic rights and re-sponsibilities, environmental problems, im-

portance of healthy lifestyle promotion, citizen safety, education and entertainment. These topics were discussed and project ideas were developed for those, which received most of the votes.

Later in a day, students presented the project ideas to local decision-makers, including the representatives of Su-preme Council of Adjara, local municipalities and city council, universities, regional educational resource centers, businesses and media. Representative of the Young Lawyers Association also took part in the forum. Youth Fo-rum was covered by the local television stations.

On April 20 youth forum also took place in Akhalkalaki, Samtskhe-Javakheti region with participation of school-based civics club students from Armenian-sector schools and local decision-makers. Local Government officials expressed their support to project ideas, which were identified. Further meetings will be planned by parties to discuss the details of projects.

Youth Forums are being held in all 11 regions of Georgia in the framework of Applied Civic Education and Teach-er Training Program (ACETT), which is implemented by PH International in Georgia.

American experts share experiences with Georgian civics teachers

On April 22-26 ACETT is hosting civics experts from the United States - Katherine Cadwell and Jean Berthiaume, who will train their Georgian colleagues in consultancy pro-tocols and community-based learning. More than 40 civics teachers from different regions of Georgia will learn about professional learning communities and service learning through these workshops. Workshops will also include mod-eling of consultancy groups with participation of Georgian civics teachers and a civics master-class by experts from the United States.

Workshops and master-class are organized in the frame-work of the Civics Teacher Forum of Georgia, which is sup-ported by the Applied Civic Education and Teacher Train-ing program.

IFES Public Lectures on Gender and Women’s Political Empowerment IFES organized two public lectures on gender equality and women’s politi-cal empowerment at universities in Akhaltsikhe and Telavi. More than 100 students—many alumni of IFES’ civics course “Democracy and Citi-zenship,” and professors attended the lectures, led by IFES gender expert. The lectures yielded a great level of interest from the students and transi-tioned into interactive discussions with the students. The lectures address youth perceptions of gender roles and are conducted through USAID’s In-creased Trust in the Electoral Process project, Implemented by IFES. More than 500 hundred students from Tbilisi, Batumi, and Kutaisi univer-sities have already participated in the lectures.

IFES Hosts CEC in Washington, D.C. IFES hosted a three member delegation from the Central Election Commis-sion (CEC) of Georgia, including its chairman, in Washington, D.C. The dele-gation visited the U.S. to learn more about experiences and best practices on the use of electronic voting technology, which could be utilized in Georgian elections. The delegation spoke to local election officials in the D.C. area on the use of electronic voting equipment for a pilot project in Georgia’s 2014 lo-cal elections. CEC Chairman Zurab Kharatishvili, CEC Member Tamaz Shar-manashvili and CEC Spokesperson Eka Azarashvili were accompanied by Sr. Program Manager Anthony Bowyer to meetings with local election commis-sions in Alexandria, Fairfax County, Montgomery County, the District of Co-lumbia and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

IFES Trains Journalists and NGO Representatives on Gender and Human Rights

IFES organized two-day training for Geor-gian journalists and Gender Equality Net-work (GEN) representatives in Telavi. The aim of the training was to increase journal-ists’ and GEN members’ awareness on gen-der issues through a human rights perspec-tive; 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 na-tional legislation and policy on gender and women`s rights; discrimination clauses, European Court of Human Rights’ judg-ments 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. Par-ticipants were involved by analyzing case studies and preparing group presentations on gender and discrimina-tion clauses.

IFES Engages Majoritarian Candidates and Voters with Disabilities 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 discus-sion, including persons with disabilities residing in Nad-zaladevi, representatives of disabled persons’ organiza-tions, 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 communi-

ty 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 Betsy’s hotel in Tbilisi. The training covered legal aspects of EDR, and outlined the timetables and procedures for filing complaints at the Dis-trict, 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 Georgia’s 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 April’s parliamentary by-elections in the districts of Nadzaladevi, Samtredia, Baghdati.

IFES Supports Establishment of a Gender Equality Body under the Supreme Council of the Au-tonomous 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 Equali-ty 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 GEN—a coalition of 15 gender equal-ity-focused NGOs representing 10 regions of Georgia, met with Vice-Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia and Chair-person of the Parliamentary Gender Equality Council Manana Kobakhidze to discuss a framework for cooperation between the Gender Equality Council and GEN. The prelim-inary 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 GEN’s 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 ex-pressed 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 gender-conscious reporting, message development, media com-munication, public speaking and presenting; trainings also included the topic of inter-party democracy and self-government 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, partici-pants 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.

Parliamentary Inter-Factional Group Members Discuss Election Reform in Bazaleti On April 12-14, IFES, in partnership with NDI, or-ganized a workshop for Georgian Dream Coalition members of the Parliamentary Inter-Faction Group (IFG) to provide assistance as the members formu-late joint positions on election law reform. The meeting focused on: voter registration; political par-ty finance; voting technology; and election admin-istration. The group reviewed NGO recommenda-tions on political party finance, discussed pre-election voter registration, and brainstormed op-tions for compiling the voter list ahead of the presi-dential elections. During the discussions, IFES Electronic Voting Specialist Ben Goldsmith advised the group on using technology in elections, biometric voter registration, and highlighted a number of potential vulnerabilities.

English Language Week in ANI’s Marneuli Youth Center A group of 30 young people from Marneuli Youth Center, most of them ethnic minorities, organized English Language Week - ‘Learn English and Speak to the World.’

April 12-14, 2013, young members of ANI’s Marneuli Youth Center organized diverse activities for the English Language Week, including English Language Olympiad, engaging 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th graders from 12 Marneuli Public Schools and adjacent villages, flash mobs, outdoor sessions and peer train-ings at Marneuli Youth Center.

All activities carried out throughout the Week aimed at iden-tifying English language proficiency level among ethnic mi-nority schoolchildren, and promoting English language learn-ing throughout Marneuli municipality.

ANI’s Zugdidi Youth Center Promotes Literacy among Children and Youth On April 14, 2013, over 35 young members of ANI’s Zugdidi Youth Center ‘Ortus’ organized a literacy event - “Poetry with Daffodils.” Participants set up a poetry area in the front yard of Dadiani Muse-um, 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 peo-ple that stopped by to watch the performances and listen to ANI’s young activists.

The event was held within the literacy campaign that is permanent-ly organized by Education Sub-club of ANI’s Zugdidi Youth Center.

ANI’s Zugdidi Youth Center Promotes Healthy Lifestyle through Sports On April 12, 2013, members of Healthy Lifestyle Sub-club of ANI’s Zugdidi Youth Center ‘Ortus’ organized an event ‘Sport for Healthier Life’ at Zugdidi Sports Complex.

Schoolchildren from four schools took part in the compe-tition: Zugdidi Public School №12 and №10, and Public Schools of Akhalabastumani and Rukhi villages. The team of Rukhi Public School became the winner of the competition and was awarded the prizes and certificates.

The major goal of the activity was to underline the critical role sports can play for health-ier life, including in control-ling weight, maintaining flexi-bility, strength and best possi-ble health one can have.

World Health Day in ANI’s Youth Centers

April 3-5, 2013, over 250 members of ANI’s Youth Cen-ters marked the World Health Day, engaging over 700 peers, children and adults throughout 7 municipalities of Georgia (cities of Gori, Akhaltsikhe, Telavi, Ozurgeti, Batumi, Kutaisi and Zugdidi) to raise public awareness on how hypertension is linked to heart attack, stroke and other diseases that ultimately may result in fatal consequences for an individual. Participants carried out more than 25 activities for the World Health Day, including documentaries and fea-tures, voluntary work at the shelters for seniors, awareness raising and information dissemination cam-paigns and street rallies, flash mobs, surveys to identi-fy public awareness on the risks of high blood pressure, healthy lifestyle marathons, peer trainings at schools, and round-table discussions at Youth Centers facilitat-ed by guest speakers.

All activities on the World Health Day reflected on the main theme of the Day - high blood pressure and focused on the causes and consequences of hypertension. World Health Day was celebrated as a part of ANI’s ‘Double Twinning’ component – the initiative that enables Youth Center members and host-NGOs to build close partnerships with their peers and counterparts from another region of Georgia.

ANI Advocates for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

‘Your and My Rights!’ On April 13th, 2013 USAID Europe and Eurasia Bureau Administrator Assistant Paige Alexander, Assistant Sec-retary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Affairs, Thomas Melia, USAID Mis-sion Director Stephen M. Haykin and Director of USAID’s Democracy and Governance Office Danielle Reiff visited ANI’s Gori Youth Center. Members of Gori Youth Center organized an event ‘Your and My Rights’ to advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities.

To promote accessibility, to advocate for re-moving all types of barriers in society for per-sons with disabilities and to empower them to participate fully in social life, young members of Gori Youth Center held simulation session about the Articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Throughout the performance, young members role-played all major Articles from the conven-tion, including rights for full participation and inclusion into society, access to education, right of personal mobility and independent living, rehabilitation and health care, work and employment, adequate living condition and social welfare. Simulation was followed by roundtable session and Q&A session, where the guests and the members of Gori Youth Center discussed the main directions of ANI project and reflected on its progress and achievements.

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April 15-28 , Issue # 8

DG Office Team: Danielle Reiff, dreiff@usaid.gov, 2544112

Kirsten Michener, kmichener@usaid.gov, 2544199 Keti Bakradze, kbakradze@usaid.gov, 2544151

Khatuna Khvichia, kkhvichia@usaid.gov, 2544148 Ninka Buachidze, nbuachidze@usaid.gov, 2544120

Rusiko Tabatadze, rtabatadze@usaid.gov, 2544138 Anna Chaus, achaus@usaid.gov, 2544194