Project Title: „Improving the Accountability and Transparency of the Georgian Courts“

Project is financed by: Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), East-West Management Institute (EWMI).

Total Budget of the Project: $49 720.00

Duration of the project- 12 months.

In October 2011 the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) launched a project within the framework of a program of Eurasia Partnership Foundation “Initiative for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary”, which is aimed to support the development of accountability and transparency of the judiciary system in Georgia and the level of freedom of information in the country.

The main objective of the project:

The objective of the project is to increase the degree of accountability and transparency in activities of judiciary system of Georgia, the increase of availability of public information within the judiciary system via monitoring of E-Resources and visualization of various statistical data pertaining to judiciary field.

Tasks of the project:

• to increase the level of transparency and accountability of judiciary system;
• to support the efficiency and transparency of public finance expenditure;
• to promote the development of freedom of information via establishment of standards of E-Democracy;  
• to improve social control over public authorities via engagement of citizens, non-governmental sector and media;
• to increase the level of trust of population towards judiciary system  via development of transparent judiciary system.

Monitoring of E-Resources of judicial authorities of Georgia:

Along with development of information and communication technologies, the Internet has become important mechanism of effective control for society.  In the modern world the Internet has significantly simplified the relationship between the government and the society, has fostered the permanent control over and the transparency of the activities of government. By means of the Internet, E-Resources of public authorities, including their official web-pages have become the most optimal means for direct contact between the state authorities and the society. In the aforementioned context highly important are the official web-pages of the judicial authorities, which must contain and publish necessary and interesting information for the society.

Within the framework of the project, the monitoring of information content and electronic component of web-pages of administrative bodies of judiciary system of Georgia shall be conducted by means of the methodology compiled on the basis of international practice and in accordance with the Georgian reality in order to determine the degree of information transparency and electronic governance (E-Accessibility and technical operability). The following official web-pages of judiciary authorities shall be the subject of monitoring:

The Supreme Court of Georgia: http://www.supremecourt.ge

Kutaisi Appeal Court:  http://www.kutaisiappeal.court.gov.ge

Batumi City Court:  http://batumi.court.gov.ge

Gori District Court:  http://gori.court.gov.ge

Zestaponi District Court:  http://zestafoni.court.gov.ge   

Zugdidi District Court:  http://zugdidi.court.gov.ge

Tbilisi City Court:  http://tcc.gov.ge

Telavi District Court:  http://telavi.court.gov.ge

Mtskheta District Court:  http://mtskheta.court.gov.ge

Rustavi City Court:  http://rustavi.court.gov.ge

Sachkhere District Court:  http://sachkhere.court.gov.ge

Poti City Court:  http://foti.court.gov.ge

Kutaisi City Court:  http://kutaisi.court.gov.ge

Khashuri District Court:  http://khashuri.court.gov.ge

Court of Jury:  http://www.msajuli.ge

Constitutional Court of Georgia:  http://www.constcourt.ge

The results of monitoring of each unit of judiciary system, the analysis of assessment and detailed recommendations shall be published on the web-page of Institute and shall be provided tothe coressponding administrative body individually.

By means of generalizing the monitoring results it shall be possible to elaborate the complex conception of development of E-Resources of judiciary system.

Processing of and visualization of statistical data:

It is possible to obtain large amount of statistical data of social importance within the judiciary system. Each court of law or the corresponding administrative body monthly, quarterly or annually publishes statistical data pertaining to its activities.

Within the framework of the project the fit-to Georgian reality software shall be created, by means of which the process of “visualization” of various statistical data within the judiciary system in Internet space (namely on web-pages and social networks) shall be simplified. 

Project beneficiaries:

•       lawyers (attorneys);

•       legal experts;

•       socially active citizens;

•       experts;

•       researchers;

•       representatives of public sector;

•       representatives of judiciary system.