Civil engagement is a key to a nation‘s success. The United Nations Development Program issued new grants totaling over $300,000. They aim to encourage participation in local governments.
In a bid to foster government accountability and support civic activism, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has issued grants worth a total of $315,000 to 18 civil society organizations in six Georgian regions: Imereti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Kvemo Kartli, Guria, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Racha-Lechkhumi-Kvemo Svaneti.
The grants, which are part of a Danish funded $4 million program for good governance, were the result of an open call for proposals that aimed to encourage greater participation of citizens in decision-making at the local level. UNDP’s core mission is to empower those in greatest need, particularly in the six regions of Georgia mentioned above, where women and particular ethnic groups are most in need. The grants are aimed at promoting the participation of women, youths and ethnic minorities. UNDP announced that it would fund 11 projects worth USD 30,000 each, which will engage 3,000 people in 31 municipalities.
Louisa Vinton, UNDP’s Head, said that civic engagement is essential to ensure local governments respond to the local needs. “Getting citizens to participate is still a problem in Georgia. Our aim is to create space and tools that will allow local communities to have their say on matters that are important to them.”
The winning proposals will increase civic participation including petition writing, participation in municipal boards, and creating an online platform for collecting and disseminating knowledge about participatory practices.
Imereti’s civil society projects are aimed at creating a space for discussion between local authorities, civic activists, and business. They will also help citizens to take a more active role in planning municipal budgets. In Kvemo Kartli the UNDP grants will fund local youth initiative groups, promote volunteering, and use social media platforms for social issues. In Guria the UNDP grant is going to help the local “Participation Academy”, organize educational programs on decentralization and engagement of the public. In Samegrelo-Zemo-Svaneti, local organizations will help submit public petitions to address the most pressing social and economic issues and protect vulnerable groups: internally displaced persons, people with disabilities, and the elderly and children without family care.
Georgia’s National Decentralization Strategy 2020-2025 was adopted in December 2019 and created with UNDP’s support. Its goal is to increase citizens’ engagement in self-government. This is the exact goal of this initiative. Hopefully, this goal will lead to some positive outcomes when it is completed. It doesn’t require an expert to see that Georgia’s problems could be solved by a greater civil engagement.
By Nini Dakhundaridze
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