On 7 November the representatives of the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (Levan Avalishvili and Giorgi Kldiashvili) visited Kharagauli on the special invitation of the local non-governmental organizations (the organization “the Centre”) and the local media (newspaper “My Kharagauli”). During the visit the representatives of IDFI met with the specially gathered audience and had discussion about the issues of accessibility of public information in Georgia and the projectof the Institute “the Database of Public Information – www.opendata.ge”.  

The chairman of the board of IDFI and the director of the project “the Database of Public Information – www.opendata.ge”, Levan Avalishvili, provided detailed information to those present at the meeting about the answer received from Kharagauli Governor’s Office to the request of public information from IDFI, made within the framework of the project.

  Among the guests invited to the discussion there were the representatives of Kharagauli Council, members of a number of political parties,media and civil society organizations and other representatives of the interested society. Those present at the meeting paid the main attention to discussing the problems regarding the accessibility of public information from Kharagauli local government, namely the issues of requesting and releasing the information. The representatives of non-governmental organizations and Kharagauli Council also discussed those concrete issues, and presented to the public those specific cases, which, based on their work practice, showed the problems concerning receiving public information.

  It was mentioned that the especially hardly accessible public information from Kharagauli Governor’s Office is about administrative expenses.

The representatives of IDFI promised the representatives of Kharagauli society help in getting public information. Mutual strategy, concrete steps and events in this direction, as well as joint activities have been planned. IDFI is planning to carry out a few more meetings with the representatives of Kharagauli society in the nearest future.

The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information is planning to conduct similar meetings on a regular basis, and conduct discussions about the issues of freedom of information as well as on-site analysis of accessibility of public information in the form of meetings with the representatives of the local society in other regions of Georgia as well.