Democracy and Governance

On November 2, NDI’s Parliamentary Oversight, Responsiveness, and Transparency project launched an internship program for the Adjara Supreme Council.

The internship program is expected to enhance the research and administrative capacity of the staff of Adjara Supreme Council and to encourage youth involvement in political and legislative affairs.

On Friday, November 5, Mrs. Mariella Tefft, wife of U. S. Ambassador John Tefft, addressed participants of the National Democratic Institute's (NDI’s) Future Women Leaders program and handed out certificates of completion. The was event hosted by NDI at the Tbilisi Marriott Hotel.

The USAID funded Future Women Leaders program began in 2003. The program aims to increase the political activeness of women and support their career development by providing them with necessary skills and knowledge through a series of trainings and seminars organized throughout the year.

On Saturday November 12, the press office of the President of Georgia hosted a roundtable supported by USAID, through its Support to the New Government of Georgia project. The roundtable addressed various aspects of intergovernmental cooperation. It also addressed how the Georgian government can better communicate the results of its day-to-day activities to the people of Georgia. Regional governors, their press officers and the President’s and Prime Minister’s press office representatives attended the event.

On January 20, 2006 Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) hosted the presentation of the “No to Trafficking in Persons Project”. This three year project is supported by USAID and was awarded in October 2005.

From February 9th to 11th, USAID’s Support to the New Government of Georgia project hosted a meeting for ministry press officers in Bakuriani, Georgia.

Twenty-five press officers from different ministries and other state institutions attended the meeting, which was facilitated by Marika Verulashvili, President Saakashvili’s Communications Advisor.

On March 20, 2006, the USAID’s implementing partner Association for the Protection of Landowners’ Rights (APLR) together with Georgian government held a ceremony in the predominantly ethnic Azeri region of Kvemo Kartli to present titles of land ownership to 50 Azeri farmers. With the regional governor, Zurab Melikishvili, presiding over the ceremony held in the rural village of Vakhtangisi bordering Azerbaijan, the Georgian government demonstrated that all Georgians, regardless of ethnic origin, were entitled to receive the benefits of land ownership.

The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association recently held an anti-trafficking poster competition for residents of Tbilisi, Rustavi, Batumi, Kutaisi, and Gori. Cash awards were given to the first, second, and third place winners and their posters were displayed in the Kopala art gallery in Tbilisi.

For the past ten months eleven young Georgians and the Parliament of Georgia have become inseparable. These young people are agents of change and make a difference for their country by serving as interns in the National Democratic Institute’s (NDI) parliamentary internship program. “This Program opened my eyes to new ways about how and why strengthening institutions especially the Parliament is important to my countries development”, says Mikheil Shavtvaladze, an intern at the Rules and Procedural Issues Committee of the parliament.

New Generation – New Initiative (NGNI) and International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) assisting elections

The government of Georgia announced that local elections, originally expected for November, would be held on October 5. Two Eurasia Foundation grantees are quickly responding to assist in making the election as smoothly as possible.

On October 26, Eurasia Foundation’s South Caucasus Cooperation Program (SCCP) held a two-day conference entitled “Promoting Regional Policy Dialogue on European Neighborhood Policy (ENP).” Conference brought together government officials and civil society representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as representatives from international organizations and the diplomatic community.