Open Governance and Anti-Corruption

Presentation of Open Data Toolkit and Awarding Ceremony of Analytical Article Contest

On February 26, - Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) presented the Open Data Toolkit and awarded the winners of the contest of analytical articles.

Amendments to the Rules of Operation of the SDGs Council in Georgia

The decree of the Prime Minister of Georgia dated January 23^rd, 2020 approved the new Rules of Operation of the Interagency Council (the Council) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Georgia.  The decree introduces a number of new regulations linked with the operation and the composition of the Council and reflects some of the recommendations that have been regularly highlighted by the Institute for Development Freedom of Information (IDFI) before.

Module on Anti-corruption Compliance Policy, of Certification Program in Fighting Corruption, is finished

The participants of the Certification Program in Fighting Corruption have successfully graduated the 3^rd module of the Program on Anticorruption Compliance Policy (Compliance in government, business and civil society; private corruption).

Plenary Hearing of the Open Governance Permanent Parliamentary Council Thematic Inquiry Report

On May 29th, 2019 Open Governance Permanent Parliamentary Council (the Council) created a thematic inquiry working group (the Working Group) for studying existing practice and legislation of citizen participation in the process of public policy development in Georgia.

Open Data Toolkit

Availability of open data in easily processable formats has given journalists a unique opportunity to conduct comprehensive studies of various issues. Combination of various data sets and programmatic analysis has revealed hidden business connections and interests, information about property and income, illegal dealings, and misappropriation of public funds by public figures and high-ranking officials.

The Open Governance Inter-agency Coordination Council has been established

Following the Decree of the Government of Georgia of February 13^th, Open Governance Inter-Agency Coordination Council has been established and the charter, as well as the composition of the council, has been approved. The coordination council covers all three branches of the government and consists of – the representatives of the ministries, deputy chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Chairman of the Open Governance Permanent Parliamentary Council.

Analysis of the General Prosecutor’s Selection Process

IDFI recommends that the authorities approve detailed criteria for the selection of the Prosecutor General, which should at least include the following components: integrity, independence, impartiality and competence. Each criterion must be explained and the Prosecutorial Council members must be provided with clear instructions of their use and assessment.

Georgia’s Anti-Corruption Indexes are Worsening

In 2019-2020 Georgia was mentioned in the rankings of several international organizations. All of them indicate that corruption situation in the country is worsening with high-level corruption being mentioned as one of the causes.

Why EITI-OGP Synergy Matters for Georgia

Despite being one of the key economic areas for Georgia, extractive industries generally lack sufficient levels of transparency and accountability. The recently published 2019 OGP Global Report demonstrates that improved transparency leads to better economic results, including increased foreign direct investment inflows and better credit ratings.

Development Plan and Future Prospects of the Open Data Platform - WWW.DATA.GOV.GE