On November 22, 2023, the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information held the concluding event of the project: “Advancing the capacity of CSOs and the Media in the field of Freedom of information and freedom of speech,” which was supported by the Czech Republic’s Official Transition Promotion Program.

The event was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Georgia – Petr Kubernát, the executive director of IDFI – Giorgi Kldiashvili, the Rule of Law and Media Direction Head of IDFI – Giorgi Davituri, as well as representatives of media, academia, public institutions, and the civil sector.

The event was opened with a welcome speech by IDFI’s Executive Director, Giorgi Kldiashvili. He spoke about challenges regarding access to public information. Furthermore, he mentioned the importance of freedom of information in the context of a democratic state and expressed gratitude to the Czech Republic’s Official Transition Promotion Program for support.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Georgia – Petr Kubernát addressed the audience and shared the importance of the right of access to public information. Mr. Ambassador emphasized the importance of state accountability in light of the process of Euro-integration of Georgia and noted that a big part of the preconditions defined by the European Commission are connected to the accountability of the government, which also implies ensuring accessibility of public information.

The event summarized project activities and achievements. Furthermore, the presentation of the handbook, prepared during the project, was held. A number of activities were performed in the framework of the project, including publishing analytical articles regarding legal standards of the European Court of Human Rights. Furthermore, the handbook titled “National Legislation, the Convention, and the Right to Public Information: Practical Tips to Increase Efficiency” was prepared.

This handbook reviews normative regulation of public information and challenges regarding it. The handbook refers to the standards of the European Court of Human Rights and their application on the national level. The handbook contains practical components; therefore, it is useful to a wide audience, including not only practitioner lawyers but also any person interested in public information.