Projects

Project Title: PTF-IDFI Partnership for improving effectiveness of ADB-CSO engagement in Georgia

Donor Organization: Project is implemented with the assistance from Partnership for Transparency Fund (PTF) with funds of the Asian Development Bank

Grant Amount: USD 13,500

Project Duration: July 17, 2017 - August 30, 2017

Objectives:  The Asian Development Bank is committed to increasing the contribution of civil society organizations to ADB operations by helping CSOs and government agencies to work more effectively together in the design and implementation of ADB-funded projects. Toward that end, the ADB has entered into a Knowledge Partnership Agreement (KPA) with the Partnership for Transparency Fund (PTF) to enhance CSO participation in ADB lending and technical assistance operations and sector and country assistance strategies. The project is being implemented in partnership with IDFI. 

IDFI and PTF will be doing fact-finding and analytical work in Georgia to assess:

- Proposed and actual level of CSO collaboration in on-going ADB operations (loans, grants and technical assistance);

- Opportunities to deepen CSO engagement in new operations proposed for the 2017-2019 period;

- Current national environment for CSO engagement and its implications for ADB-CSO engagement. 

The field and analytical work will aim to present recommended actions for a two-year capacity building programs for CSOs to engage with project implementing agencies.

Workplan

Budget

Project Title: Problems of a Growing Bureaucracy in the Context of Public Administration Reform

Donor Organization: project is implemented with the assistance from United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Governance Reform Fund (GRF) with funds of UK aid from the UK Government.

Grant Amount: USD 10,400

Project Duration: March 9, 2017 - August 8, 2017

Problem Statement and Project Objective

According to annual budget execution reports prepared by the Georgian government, the number of employees and the amount of administrative expenses in the public sector have been increasing every year.

Considering the slow rate of economic growth in recent years, the topic of growing bureaucracy has attracted increasing interest from the general public as well as the State Audit Office. The problem has been recognized by the government, which has announced its intention to cut bureaucratic costs by 10% in 2017.

The objective of this project is to develop a policy document that will study the state of government bureaucracy and, more specifically, administrative expenses in 2011-2016 for the purpose of identifying existing problems and challenges.

The policy document will then study international best practice and elaborate specific recommendations directed at both central and local governments that will ensure a more rational management of administrative expenses and help establish an effective system of human resources management.

Target Audience

The policy document will be directed at the Government of Georgia and local government bodies.

After identifying major problems and challenges in the management of human resources and administrative expenses, the document will present recommendations to government bodies on what changes would make their systems of recruitment, remuneration and resource management more efficient, rational and transparent.

Work Plan and Timeline

Budget

Financial, independent audit report of the project

/public/upload/IDFI_Photos_2017/burocracy_in_georgia_2011_2016_policy_document_idfi/Audit_Report.pdf

Project Title:Project to Support the Independence and Transparency of the Constitutional Court

Donor Organization: The project is implemented with the financial assistance of Open Society – Georgia Foundation

Project Number: HR/01/17-20482

Project Budget: USD 32,450

Project Duration: March 9, 2017 – March 31, 2018

Project Description and Goals

 
In recent years, the number of cases in the Constitutional Court with significant public and political interest (the so-called high profile cases) has increased, which sharply increased the level of public interest towards the work of the Constitutional Court as well as political pressure on it. On June 3, 2016, the Georgian Parliament adopted a package of legislative amendments that was negatively regarded by many organizations and challenged inthe Constitutional Court, which declared many of its parts as unconstitutional. The amendments significantly decreased the effectiveness of the Constitutional Court and created the risk of paralyzing it.

The shortcomings and vagueness of the general legislation and internal legal acts regulating the work of the Constitutional Court, coupled with the lack of information about the Court’s activities allowed political actors to politicize  constitutional justice.

The goal of the project is to initiate and support a reform of the Constitutional Court, promote the Court’s transparency, effectiveness and independence, evaluate its work and increase public awareness about the Court’s activities. 

Target Audience

The draft law elaborated within framework of the project will be sent to the Parliament and the Constitutional Court.

Recommendations developed as a result of the evaluation will be used to improve the work of the Constitutional Court. The results of this research and its recommendations will be made available to professional circles as well as the wider audience.    

Activity Plan 

Budget

Project Title: Empower Society for Strengthening Good Governance

Project Funded: International Visegrad Fund, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Grant Number: 21650161

Project Budget: EUR 49,670

Project Duration: March 1, 2017 – May 31, 2018

Partner Organizations: KohoVolit.eu (Czech Republic and Slovakia), K-Monitor Public Benefit Association (Hungary), Stanczyk Institute of Civic Thought Foundation (Poland).

Project relevance/context

Despite some progress over the past few years, standards of good governance, open data and accountability of government still remain a challenge for Georgia. Open data available at government portal - www.data.gov.ge does not match with the actual open data resources available at public institutions. Even the datasets, that are available, are not used sufficiently for mobile applications, public monitoring, data visualizations, creating stories, raising awareness, providing services, etc. Journalists, activists as well as society in general do not have enough skills and knowledge on how to use open data. In addition, in most cases, public information is not provided in machine-readable format and is instead disclosed in paper or scanned form. This limits opportunities for the public to properly perform its watchdog function.

Project objectives

Main project objective

Empower the Georgian public to effectively monitor and control the government as well as increase the level of openness and accountability of the Georgian government.

Specific project objectives

- Encourage use of open data and data visualization for monitoring government activities/spending among activists, journalists through establishment of an interactive platform containing hundreds of datasets.

- Improve cooperation between different groups of Georgian society (journalists, CSO representatives, activists, students, etc.) in their watchdog activities.

- Enhance standards of proactive disclosure of open data in Georgia through sharing the experience and practice of European countries.

Outputs/Deliverables: Products or Events

1. FOI requests and received public data from several Georgian government institutions

2. Establishment of the platform

3. Creating and publishing data sets

4. Consultations with partners from V4 countries on data visualization

8. Video about the platform

9. Data visualizations

10. Preparing publication

11. Presentation of the platform

12. Essay contest

13. Final presentation 

Contract

Project Title: Improving Legal Safeguards for Internet Freedoms in Georgia

Project Funded: The American Bar Association (through its Fund for Justice and Education supported by the U.S. State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor)

Sub-award Number: S-LMAQM-16-GR-1095

Project Budget: USD 11,649

Project Duration: March 1, 2017 – July 31, 2017

Project Goals and Objectives

The general goal of the project is to ensure and strengthen safeguards and Internet freedoms on the legislative level in Georgia.

To this end, the major objectives of the project are:

- Encourage public discussions on issues of blocking, filtering and take-down of online content in Georgian society;

- Foster multi-stakeholder dialogue on issues of blocking, filtering and take-down of online content in Georgia;

- Identify major challenges and problems relevant for Georgia in the sphere of restrictions of the Internet;

- Study international practice and international standards in terms of Internet freedom and share the aspects relevant for Georgia’s challenges;

 - Propose draft laws on Internet freedoms, including legal restrictions of online content.

Beneficiaries

The primary beneficiaries are civil society, media, and private sector and government institutions as well as the general public. The project team plans to organize workshops (at least 3 workshops) with the participation of the following stakeholders:

- Government institutions

- Media and CSO representatives, members of academia

 - Representatives of private sector, including Internet service providers

Project activities:

1) Workshops

In order to achieve the stated goals and objectives, the project team plans to encourage public discussions on issues of blocking, filtering and removal of illegal content in Georgia. For this purpose, at least three workshops will be organized with the participation of various stakeholders (media, NGOs, government, private sector and academia representatives).

The major objectives of these events will be: on the one hand, to show the importance and relevance of the project topic for Georgia, and on the other hand, to take their positions into account before the initiation of a draft law. In general, these workshops will foster multi-stakeholder dialogue, which could lead to the elaboration of proper legislative proposals reflecting the interests of a wide segment of society.

2) Study and a draft law

Another important activity of the project is to prepare a comprehensive legal and practical analysis of the Internet regulation in Georgia and international standards in this regard. The main focus will be on issues of filtering, blocking and takedown of illegal content, and the role of different stakeholders and institutions in this process.

Based on the study, a package of recommendations will be elaborated for the government to adopt a comprehensive policy to ensure Internet freedom in the country. Most importantly, as Internet restrictions are chaotically regulated in different legal acts, adopting a uniform law on freedom of Internet is crucial. Therefore, the project team will elaborate a draft law regulating the above-discussed issues. The proposal should inter alia include an exhaustive list of scenarios when certain content can be filtered, blocked or taken down.

Equally important is having a clear and unambiguous distinction between the powers and obligation of state institutions dealing with the issue of freedom of Internet, e.g. GNCC, Prosecutors Office, State Security Service, Personal Data Protection Inspector, etc. The role of courts should be precisely defined in the process of filtering, blocking and takedown of illegal content. Also, rights and obligations of ISPs should be clear and enshrined in the legislation.

3) Communication of the draft law with the public

In order to have public consensus on the prepared draft law, the project team will closely cooperate with different stakeholders. The draft law will be distributed among IDFI’s partners from the media, NGOs and academia. Also, representatives of the government and private sector will be informed, including the participants of the workshops. The studies and recommendations worked out during the project will be public and anyone will have the opportunity to comment. In this way, IDFI will get feedback from different stakeholders with various means of communication and make final changes to the draft law.

4) Submission of the draft law to the government

Afterwards, the final version of the draft legislation will be submitted to the relevant government institutions to have it later be initiated in the Parliament of Georgia. 

 Contract

Project Title: Supporting the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in Georgia

Donor Organization: United Nations Development Program (UNDP) – Governance Reform Fund (GRF) through SIDA – Swedish International Development Agency

Project Number:  00060981

Grant Amount: $140,700

Project Duration: 1 December 2016 – 31 July 2018

Problem Statement

Georgia was one of the first countries that actively endorsed the  Sustainable Development Goals and started integrating them in its domestic policy agenda. The Administration of the Government of Georgia (AoG) was identified as the main institutions that would be in charge of coordinating all matters related to the integration, implementation and monitoring of the SDGs on the national level.

In addition, GoG has committed to provide a Voluntary National Review on the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. GoG has presented the first Voluntary National Report in September 2016 at UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF), which highlights the initial approach of the Government to streamline the SDGs into the national development agenda. The current report does not include specific data on individual goals and targets but is rather an overview of the SDG process and general developments in this regard.

Despite the leading regional role that Georgia has in the process of advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, there are certain needs to be addressed in order to move forward with the successful implementation of Sustainable Development Goals and its targets prioritized by Georgia. Currently, AoG does not have a mechanism that would enable it to effectively monitor the implementation of activities that are related to the SDGs at the national level. Moreover, voluntary reporting conducted by GoG is performed by manually gathering the data from responsible public institutions. Currently, an innovative monitoring methodology that would cover all Goals and targets that were prioritized by GoG is yet to be set up.

Another significant challenge is related to public awareness about the SDGs in Georgia. The awareness of stakeholders and the public on Sustainable Development Goals is low, which creates a gap for public ownership, oversight and policy input. The employees of public institutions are not well-informed about the national and international efforts on the implementation of SDGs. Low awareness and insufficient capacity prevents mid-level public servants from providing adequate policy input when it comes to the implementation of the prioritized SDGs and the relevant targets. Furthermore, specific groups such as the youth, private sector and academia are not properly informed about the international and domestic developments that take place around SDGs. It is important to create an enabling environment and would foster public ownership on the Goals and support knowledge-sharing about the efforts made on global, regional and domestic levels.

Additionally, civil society organizations are not sufficiently involved in the national efforts aimed at the implementation of 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. In order to increase the public ownership on the national activities related to SDGs, it is vital to empower specific target groups with sufficient information and skills that will at a later stage translate into tangible input.

Project Objectives

The aim of the sub-project is to support the Administration of the Government of Georgia (AoG) in effective monitoring of the national agenda on the implementation of UN Sustainable Goals (SDGs), based on a pilot system that will initially monitor Georgian performance on Goal 16.

The project intends to use an innovative approach and develop an electronic monitoring system that will enable effective and transparent monitoring of the national agenda of UN Sustainable Goal 16 that can be later adjusted to all SDGs after the successful testing of the initial tool. The electronic monitoring tool will support the distribution of up-to-date information about the performance of public agencies on individual targets and indicators of Goal 16 and subsequently all 169 targets of the SDGs.

The project also aims to increase public awareness about the global agenda on UN SDGs in the Georgian context. The planned target groups of the awareness campaign are central and local public employees, the private sector, youth, civil society and academia. Active involvement of various stakeholders in the implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals will increase public ownership of SDGs as well as national activities aimed at their implementation.

Project Goals

Main Goals of the project are:

- Create an electronic monitoring and evaluation mechanism that will be utilized by AoG for ensuring effective coordination between government agencies in the process of monitoring and reporting on the national SDG agenda;

- Increase public awareness and facilitate knowledge-sharing on global, regional and national developments on SDGs and their implementation;

- Based on the principles of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), support AoG in institutionalizing and operationalizing the SDG coordination process.

Expected results

- A electronic monitoring system is created for effective monitoring of SDG 16 and subsequently all SDGs;

- A pilot monitoring report for SDG 16 is prepared;

- Awareness of the general public, civil society, public officials, media and youth is increased regarding 2030 UN Sustainable Development Agenda;

- The capacity of the Administration of Government of Georgia is increased on coordination of SDG implementation

Planned Activities

Budget

Independent Auditor’s Report

/public/upload/IDFI_Photos_2018/sdg_georgia/sdg_audit_report.pdf

Project Title: New E-Governance Initiatives to meet OGP Commitments in Georgia

Donor Organization: Tetra Tech ARD/USAID Good Governance Initiative in Georgia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia

Grant Amount: $ 72, 685 ($ 65,935 Supported by USAID and $ 6,750 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia)

Project Duration: 12 December 2016 – 30 April 2018

Implementing Partner: e-Governance Academy (Estonia)

Problem Statement

Implementing innovative e-governance solutions both on the central and local levels remains a challenge for Georgian public institutions. Nevertheless, there is significant interest and political will among the majority of public agencies to bring innovation into the public administration process in Georgia. Georgian institutions and civil society organizations have been widely relying on the Open Government Partnership (OGP) as a source and driver of innovation, transparency and public participation. Throughout the past several years, CSOs and public institutions have successfully co-created several important projects and initiatives. The OGP 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 National Action Plans are a vivid example of the co-creating and knowledge-sharing between civil society and the public sector.

Currently, there are several challenges that are related to successful engagement of municipalities and public institutions into OGP. In particular, municipalities and public institutions have demonstrated significant gaps with regard to public engagement and using new tools of e-participation and electronic transparency. Bringing municipalities into OGP and open government into the municipalities still remains a challenge. The initial mapping has revealed that municipal public instructions often do not possess necessary skills and technical capacities to successfully interact with the public, in a way that is transparent and efficient. In addition, several central public institutions have also demonstrated the need for assistance when it comes to citizen engagement and e-governance. Existing practice has demonstrated that existing mechanisms of e-participation do not effectively enable the agencies to interact with the public. 

Some of the main existing challenges with regard to e-governance are:

- Limited awareness on the prinicples of good, innovative and engaging governance and lack of capacity to follow these principles in practice;

- Insufficient knowledge and expertise to effectively publish and access public information, to engage citizens in policy planning, budgeting etc.;

- Limited Transparency of political and administrative processes, thereby hindering civic engagement in public policy;

- Limited use and awareness of public e-services.

Project Objectives

The aim of the project is to support three pilot municipalities and 2 Ministries in implementing effective electronic tools of engagement and citizen participation. The project will assist the municipalities of Batumi, Akhaltsikhe and Kutaisi in the implementation of innovative citizen engagement solutions and in increasing the capacity of human resources in areas of citizen engagement, participatory budgeting and electronic service delivery. These municipalities are represented with specific commitments in the 2016-2017 OGP National Action plan and the project aims to assist them in different ways.

In addition, the project will assist 2 Ministries in improving 2 existing e-governance tools that are aimed at increasing citizen engagement and improving communication between public agencies and citizen on the delivery of specific services.

Project Goals

Within the framework of the project, IDFI and the e-Governance Academy (eGA), working in close cooperation with representatives from City Halls of Akhaltsikhe, Batumi and Kutaisi as well as from Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs and Ministry of Finance of Georgia will undertake efforts targeted at:

- Setting up a new electronic system for facilitating involvement of citizens in local decision-making processes in Akhaltsikhe, Batumi and Kutaisi. The main aim of the system is to speed up communications with citizens, promote transparency, and allow for improved decision-making and service-delivery.

- Development of Participatory Budgeting Mechanisms (procedures, tools) of the Local Budget for Kutaisi, Batumi and Akhaltsikhe. The main objectives of this activity are effective elaboration of the local budget, increased public awareness and understanding of budgetary processes and improved mechanisms for public engagement in discussions on draft budget;

- Elaboration of a concept note (including international best practice analysis) and terms of reference (TOR) for development of an effective patient’s portal of the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs;

- Development of a concept note and TOR to improve the  participatory budgeting online platform of the Ministry of Finance;

- Creation of new websites for Akhaltsikhe, Batumi and Kutaisi municipalities to improve e-transparency and electronic participation.

Expected results

In order to meet the above-mentioned goal the following main objectives will be achieved through introduction of new e-governance solutions:

- Enhanced transparency, good governance practices and e-communications with the public in Kutaisi, Batumi and Akhaltsikhe;

- Promoted public engagement in the process of policymaking and budgeting in Kutaisi, Batumi and Akhaltsikhe;

- Two central agencies (Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs) will be assisted to use e-governance techniques to increase transparency and citizen engagement while conducting their activities.

Planned Activities

Budget

Project Title: Strengthening the System of Parliamentary Democracy in Georgia

Donor Organization: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the European Union funded program on “Strengthening the System of Parliamentary Democracy in Georgia”

Project Number: 00101142

Country: Georgia. 

Grant Amount: USD 266,195.00

Period Performance: 1 September, 2016 - December 28, 2018

Problem Statement (Situation Analysis)

UNDP, in the frames of its EU funded Project “Strengthening the System of Parliamentary Democracy in Georgia”, supports the Parliament of Georgia in the involvement process in Open Government Partnership (OGP) through development and implementation of legislative openness action plan commitments. Since only a few parliaments worldwide were involved in the OGP initiative, such a decision was itself an innovative approach. To provide support to the Parliament of Georgia in being involved in OGP initiative, UNDP partnered with the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), the leading Georgian CSO engaged together with the Government in the OGP initiative at national level.

In the framework of the EU/UNDP supported project IDFI started working with the Parliament of Georgia to develop OGP Action Plan in December 2014 and in less than a year, a remarkable progress was achieved. According to the Action Plan, Parliament of Georgia established the Permanent Parliamentary Council on Open and Transparent Governance (thereafter – the Council). Council is a parliamentary permanent body and is responsible for elaboration and implementation of the Action Plan. Currently, 17 commitments from the OGP Action Plan remain to be implemented. The Parliament through its Council will be a responsible body and take ownership for the implementation of the Action Plan and coordination of the overall process. While implementation of the principles of Parliamentary Openness is a direct obligation of the Parliament, the Council, as a newly formed institution, will require external support to successfully accomplish the assigned tasks and responsibilities.

While the Georgian Parliament has succeeded in joining the OGP initiative through adoption of the OPG Action Plan in 2015, the implementation of the commitments undertaken under the Plan call for an intensive engagement of the Parliament in this exercise. Although the Plan is drafted for the period of 2015-2016, yet only a few commitments have been carried out, mostly due to the limited human and financial resources available at the Parliament. On one hand, Parliament requires support in overall monitoring of the process; and, on the other hand, the actual implementation of a selected number of commitments, those requiring additional resources, are needed. Another challenge is the upcoming parliamentary elections, when the newly-elected Parliament will need active support in familiarizing itself with the OGP initiative, forming anew the Parliament’s Permanent Council and following up on the existing commitments, as well as developing the next Action Plan for the period of 2017-2018. Georgia will be co-chairing OGP in 2016-2017 and taking Chairmanship in 2018, the Global Summitt will be held in Georgia. Parliament of Georgia as a key actor in OGP will be an important part of the event and it will need a substantial support both in expertise and organizational issues.

Goals

The programme contributes to UNDPs overall programme aim to establish the Georgian Parliament as a credible institution with a greater role in national policy-making and European integration.

Activities

1. Support the activities of the Permanent Parliamentary Council on Open and Transparent Governance

1.1. Support the Permanent Parliamentary Council on Open and Transparent Governance during the Transition Period

1.2. Increase the capacity of the Secretariat of the Council (Speaker’s Cabinet)

1.3. Supporting the process of drafting the OPG Action Plan (the second one)

1.4. Prepare a study about the issues and new trends of Parliamentary Openness

1.5. Facilitate Public Consultations during the Elaboration Process of the Action Plan

1.6. Promote peer exchange and international partnerships between Parliament of Georgia and other OPG member parliaments

1.7. Presentation of the Interim Results of the Action Plan (The first and the second action plans)

2. Support the Parliament of Georgia in Implementation of the selected commitments of the OPG Action Plan 2015-2016

2.1. Supporting the Council in preparing Speaker’s Orders and advocating for amendments in Rules of Procedures of the Parliament needed for implantation of the taken commitments in OPG Action Plan (2015-2016).

2.2. Introduction of the system of public consultations on draft legislation (Action Plan Commitment 1.1.)

2.3. Introduction of the system of submitting legislative initiatives electronically (Action Plan Commitment 1.2.)

2.4. Development of Open Data standards (Action Plan Commitment 3.1.)

2.5. Develop mobile applications for web services of the Parliament of Georgia (Action Plan Commitment 3.2.)

2.6. Ensuring access to parliamentary information for people with disabilities (Action Plan Commitment 2.1.)

2.7. Elaborate the Concept and the Budget for improving the access for the people with disabilities to the Building of the Parliament of Georgia in Tbilisi

3. Public Awareness Activities

3.1. Raising the Public Awareness about the Parliamentary Openness and the Implemented Commitments of the Action Plan

3.2. Support the Parliament of Georgia to plan, organize and implement the Legislative Openness Week in Georgia

3.3. OGP Global Summit in Georgia

4. Promoting UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs).

Contract

Project Title: For Open and Accountable Local Government - National Assessment of Transparency and Public Participation of Georgian Municipalities

Project Funded: Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF)

Project Budget: Total budget USD 99,645 (IDFI budget –USD 38,330)

Project Duration: July 27, 2016 – January 31, 2018

Responsible Organizations: Centre for Training and Consultancy (CTC), Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) and Management Systems Development Center (MSDC)

Project Description

1. Problem Statement (Situation Analysis)

A relatively low level of public participation and public awareness is one of the major challenges for local governance in Georgia. According to a 2015 survey conducted by the Caucasus Research Resource Center, only 4% of the population is informed about the activities and services of municipalities. These numbers are not different from the results of earlier studies, suggesting that there are no positive tendencies in this regard. This low level of participation is caused not only by citizen passivity or lack of experience/culture, but also by insufficient efforts and willingness of local government bodies.

In addition, the practice of proactive disclosure of public information by local government bodies does not meet minimal standards. According to the Georgian legislation, all administrative bodies are obligated to publish public information online; however, there are no common standards or policy regulating proactive disclosure of public information by public institutions. This problem is especially relevant for municipalities.

2. Goals

The ultimate goal of the project is to enhance public participation and ease risks of corruption in municipalities by improving practices of transparency and accountability in local government bodies.

To this end, the project aims to consolidate the standards for evaluating the transparency, and mechanisms and practice of public participation in municipalities, based on which a national evaluation platform will be established.

3. Objectives

1. To improve existing evaluation standards of transparency, participation mechanisms and practice of municipalities.

2. To establish an electronic platform enabling assessment of the work of municipalities.

3. To empower and involve local public society representatives in the evaluation of local government bodies based on the new standards of evaluation.

4. To prepare and present a national report on transparency, participation mechanisms and practice of municipalities based on the assessment results.

4. Activities

1. Improvement of existing evaluation standards of transparency, participation mechanisms and practice of municipalities.

2. Establishment of an electronic platform based on the new standards.

3. Selection of local civil society representatives and holding trainings for them.

4. Assessment of all target local government bodies.

5. Preparation and presentation of a national ranking.

6. Elaboration and presentation of a national report.

5. Project Management

The project will be implemented by three organizations: Centre for Training and Consultancy (CTC), Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) and Management Systems Development Center (MSDC). Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF) will be actively involved in the implementation of the project and will monitor the process.

Project Name: Increasing Access to Judicial Decisions in Georgia

Donor Organization: United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through East-West Management Institute (EWMI) under the Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia (PROLoG) Program.

Project Number: G-1296-16-211-3024-20

Grant Amount: 37,867.50 USD

Period of Performance: 1 July 2016 –  31 March 2017 

Project Description

Current practice of non-governmental organizations in Georgia reveals existing problems in the area of access to court decisions. The research and prior experience of IDFI has shown that courts refuse to disclose decisions on specific cases on the basis of protecting personal data of the involved parties. Currently, IDFI is litigating against the Tbilisi City Court for refusing to disclose judicial decisions on cases against former high-ranking public officials. This process reveals a lack of balance between public interest and personal data protection. The existing system is unable to correctly balance access to court decisions and protection of personal data. The judiciary acknowledges the existing problem and the need of finding a proper balance between the two above-mentioned interests. A special working group was formed by the Supreme Court of Georgia with the aim to address these issues, in which IDFI took active part. We believe that the first step is to properly assess the problem, followed by research of best international practice, drafting recommendations and advocating for change. It should be noted that within the scope of the second wave of judicial reform, courts will be obligated to publish judicial decisions online. However, at this point the judicial system is not technically prepared to implement this system.

The project proposed by IDFI and its partner organizations (EMC and OSGF) aims to improve the standards and practice of access to court decisions in Georgia. For this purpose, the project team and the partners will assess domestic legislation and practice, study the best practice of access to judicial decisions and standards of their electronic publication, develop recommendations to amend legislation and will ensure the participation of an international expert in the above activities.

Goal

The core purpose of the project is to improve the legal framework and practice of access to court decisions in Georgia, bearing in mind the balance between access to judicial information and protection of personal data. The overall purpose of the project will be achieved through the following objectives: 

Activities

• Assess domestic legislation and practice in Georgia and draft a report.
• Research international best practice (legal framework as well as existing web-platforms for proactive disclosure of court decisions) and prepare the final research document.
• Consult with the Judicial Administration Working Group of the Coalition for Independent and Transparency Judiciary about recommendations and finalize the document.
• Advocate for the amendments in primary as well as secondary legislation based on the recommendations prepared within the project.
• Initiate a parallel process of strategic litigation in the Constitutional Court of Georgia.

Information about the East-West Management Institute (EWMI)and Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia (PROLoG) Program: http://ewmi-prolog.org/en/about 

Name of Grant Activity: Transparent Public Procurement Rating– Assessing Public Procurement Legislation and the Enforcement Process in the Eurasian Region

Donor Organization: Open Society Institute Budapest Foundation (OSI)

Grant Recipient: Institute for Development of Freedom of Information

Total Grant Amount: 137, 473 USD

Project Number:  OR2016-2819

Period of Performance: June 10, 2016 – June 9, 2017

Existing Situation

Traditionally, public procurement is considered to be one of the key areas susceptible of corruption, especially in the economies of developing countries with widespread corruption. Constituting 10-20% of GDP and 45% of government spending, public procurement can become a significant budgetary waste at taxpayers’ expense.

The importance of corruption free, effective and transparent institutions is highlighted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a part of the United Nation’s 16th Sustainable Development Goal. In addition to the London 2016 Anti-Corruption Summit Communique, where corruption is named as a top priority having global importance anti-corruption is also one of the main areas identified in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitments focusing on the efficiency of public contracting. In fact, the Open Government Guide lists four steps to achieve “fair and good value-for-money” public contracts , focusing on improving existing public procurement systems to make them more transparent and accountable.

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine are the states, which became independent from the Soviet Union simultaneously, yet have had varied success in terms of fighting corruption within the same timeframe. The fact is illustrated by the significant differences in rankings of the Corruption Perception Index among the selected states. For instance, looking at the indexes of Georgia, Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine, there is almost a 100 ranking position difference between the best and the worst performing Eurasian states selected for the project out of the 176 countries examined in the report (Georgia -50th, Armenia -92nd, Moldova -103rd, and Ukraine - 142nd ).

Having diverse political and legislative regimes, the public procurement systems of the abovementioned states differ accordingly. One of the distinctive aspects is civic control over public procurement. Georgia has a transparent system of public procurement with effective mechanisms of public control over the public procurement Dispute Resolution Board, where the Council is composed of the representatives of civil society on the rotation basis. Similar civil control mechanisms are very weak or non-existent in other Eurasian states, where much of the effort is concentrated on reactive control, rather than on proactive prevention.

Unlike civic control mechanisms, the laws on freedom of information – crucial element for transparent public procurement system – is present in the constitution of all the Eurasian states . Yet, the systems of public procurement of the states in question vary, as they are based on three different international standards (EU Directives on Procurement, the UNCITRAL Model Law, and World Trade Organization’s General Procurement Agreement). However, despite the fact that these standards focus on different aspects of economic activities, they are all directed toward transparency, integrity and objectivity, with efforts to harmonize respective provisions.

In order to establish and develop common standards of transparency and civic participation in public procurement systems of the selected Eurasian states, regulations based on the universal principles, such as transparency, openness and civic engagement should exist. As of now, there is no universal model for a standardized legal framework of public procurement that could assess legislation and lay the ground for the reform and development of public procurement systems. IDFI aims to address this particular gap by developing a common standard for assessing the legislative framework of public procurement by focusing on Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

In addition to the lack of universal model for a standardized legal framework of public procurement legislation, there is no effective mechanism for tracking the PPL enforcement process in the pilot states. Despite some improvements of PPLs in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, there are significant problems with the enforcement of PPL provisions. To match the existing gaps between legislations and their implementation process, IDFI, with its partner experts will assess the PPL enforcement processes in the pilot states and will work out an effective monitoring mechanism to regularly assess the developments in PPL and its implementation practices in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Objective

The project aims to elaborate a common standard for assessing the legislative framework of public procurement in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, which will later be used to evaluate the PPL enforcement process in the pilot states.

Activities

- Elaborating Public Procurement Legislation Assessment Methodology

- Launching online platform - Public Procurement Legislation Rating (PPLR) of the Eurasian Region

- Assessing Public Procurement Legislation enforcement process

- Building a network of Open Public Procurement Advocates

- Conducting active advocacy campaigns to reach out to relevant stakeholders including public officials, businesses, media, civil society and communities

GOOD GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE (GGI) IN GEORGIA

Project Title:Developing a Transparency and Integrity Framework for the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia
Project Funding: Tetra Tech ARD, USAID/Good Governance Initiative in Georgia
Project Code: GGI-G-006
Total Budget: $ 52 351,52 (GEL 129,376.30)
Project Duration: March 9, 2016 – December 8, 2016

Project Description

Transparency, financial accountability, public engagement and access to public information are key principles that should be guiding every public institution. The Georgian public service system has seen a swift change from virtually absent public integrity to a system that guarantees a certain level of accountability of public institutions. Despite of a functioning institutional mechanism for the prevention of corruption, the progress still greatly depends on the individual effort of the institution and its management.

An effective and targeted effort to prevent corruption and increase accountability is based on several core areas:

• Transparency

• Effectiveness of the institutional framework

• Access to public information

• Evidence-based policy planning

• Fiscal accountability

• Public oversight

• E-governance

The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) aims to create an independent anti-corruption and transparency framework for the Ministry of Regional Development and infrastructure (MRDI) and incorporate the framework into the national anti-corruption system.

Goals of the Project

Main goals of the project are:

• To identify existing risks of corruption at MRDI through a comprehensive situation analysis.

• To create a working group tasked with the development of an internal anti-corruption policy document.

• Develop an Anti-Corruption and Integrity Strategic Document for the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure

• Develop indicators that will guarantee successful monitoring of the achieved progress.

• Advocate for the formal adoption of the document and its incorporation into the general anti-corruption framework.

• Improve access to public information for further cultivation of public engagement.

Planned Activities within the Framework of the Project:

• Conduct individual interviews with major stakeholders at MRDI, its subordinate agencies and third parties, on corruption, existing procurement practices, procedures related to spending and implementation of infrastructural projects.

• Study internal audit reports and recommendations of the State Audit Office and monitor areas relevant for anti-corruption. Analyze international best practices with regard to corruption in infrastructural projects and large public spending.

• Carry out a detailed situation analysis on existing practices of transparency, accountability and access to public information in MRDI. Identify potential corruption risks, procedural flaws and the implementation of the current legal framework.

• Establish a working group composed of representatives from MRDI, its subordinate agencies and IDFI. The working group will be in charge of developing the MRDI anti-corruption strategy and its action plan for 2016-2017.

• Organize workshops and round table involving exerts of the field.

• Develop output and outcome indicators for the monitoring of implementation of the action plan.

• Develop the strategy and action plan on the prevention of corruption inside MRDI and its subordinate agencies. Following the adoption of the final document and the consultation with other Civil Society Organizations, IDFI will advocate for the adoption of the document as an internal regulation.

• Publication of the document and training of MRDI employees is another important phase of the project. It is vital that MRDI staff sees the document as a guideline for the prevention of corruption.

• Facilitating public engagement in the threats of corruption is another important phase of the project. Public interest can be mobilized through a transparent and effective system of disclosing public information. IDFI will issue individual recommendations on access to public information and proactive disclosure of public information, as well as advocate for a general improvement of the freedom of information environment through the adoption of the Freedom of Information Act.

Final Report

/public/upload/IDFI_Photos_2017/anticorruption/final_report_mrdi_eng.pdf

Name of Grant Activity: Organizational Development Grant - IDFI
Donor Organization: Open Society Institute Budapest Foundation (OSI)
Grant Recipient: Institute for Development of Freedom of Information
Total Grant Amount: 113,850 USD
Project Number: OR2015-22682
Period of Performance: September 1, 2015 – August 31, 2017

Project Description

Over the years since its foundation, IDFI has gradually developed into a credible organization combining watchdog activities with in-depth research, and further advocacy in the field of open government in Georgia. Despite considerable success, however, IDFI is like many other CSOs as the vast majority of received funding is aimed at specific analytical output, leaving scarcely any resources for institutional development.

A grant from Think Tank Fund is crucial for further organizational and financial sustainability, which has become even more evident with the growing impact of IDFI. As there is no clear division of responsibilities, the Institute needs support to reorganize its internal structure, one of the goals of which will be to delegate part of responsibilities. In terms of quality of research, IDFI needs long-term thematic priorities for research products, standardization of various research outputs it produces, improvement of internal quality control mechanism, and establishment of external one. Besides, the limited resources hindered IDFI from comprehensive editing of its products. Development and applying of various research methods is another challenge for think tank direction of IDFI. Furthermore, IDFI needs more resources and knowledge for better communicating its findings with various target groups, such as more comprehensive communication strategy, assistance from web-developer and designer etc.

Goal of the project

The goal of the project is to assist the overall development of IDFI as a think tank in three specific areas: quality of research products, communications and advocacy, and internal development and governance.

Activities

• Quality of Policy Research and Methodology
  
  • Creating thematic priorities, formats and methods for research
  • Implementing internal and external review systems
  • Contracting for editing and translation services
  • Organizing distribution of research outputs
  • Conducting trainings for IDFI team on research methods and research formats
  • Subscribing to online libraries
• Communications and Outreach
  
  • Elaborating long-term and short-term theories of change
  • Elaborating communications strategy
  • Preparing and presenting comprehensive analysis of policy impact of IDFI
  • Sending a representative of IDFI to study visit in a foreign leading think tank organization
  • Conducting training in communications for the staff of IDFI
  • Hiring web-designer/developer
  • Conducting media monitoring to evaluate policy impact of IDFI
• Internal Development and Governance
  
  • Creating new governing structure comprised of a board of advisors, the board and executive director
  • Creating thematic institutional directions reflecting hybrid character of the Institute
  • Creating a position of Assistant to Executive Director
  • Inviting Internal development expert for regular consultation and assistance
  • Inviting fundraiser expert for regular consultation and assistance
  • Creating a full-time position for PR and communications manager
  • Organizing annual team-building meetings for the staff

Project Title: Strengthening the System of Parliamentary Democracy in Georgia

Donor Organization: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the European Union funded program: “Strengthening the System of Parliamentary Democracy in Georgia”

Country: Georgia. 

Partner organization: Parliament of Georgia

Grant Amount: USD 45,335.70

Period Performance: 28 DECEMBER 2015 - 28 APRIL 2016

In September 2011 Georgia joined Open Government Partnership (OGP) Initiative. OGP is a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to make government more open, effective and accountable, leading to more efficient use of public resources, innovation and inclusive growth. It was launched by eight founding governments, including the United States and the United Kingdom. UNDP is an active supporter of the OGP globally, especially in the component of Legislative Openness.

Among 65 OGP member countries, at the onset of its membership, Georgia was scored among the highest (15 out of 16 maximum) on budget transparency, access to information and asset disclosure. As an OGP member state, Georgia dedicated itself to transparent and collaborative processes in public service, state procurement, public finances, and administration of justice, public participation and developing innovative technologies. Within almost three years Georgia managed to adopt and implement the first Action Plan (2012-13), participate in the OGP Steering Committee elections and adopt the second Action Plan (2014-15). In September 2014, Georgia was elected as an OGP Steering Committee Member for two years.

As the Government of Georgia had made progress in terms of engaging and fulfilling OGP commitments, UNDP, in the frames of its EU funded Project “Strengthening the System of Parliamentary Democracy in Georgia”, decided to support the Parliament in engaging in the similar process, through developing the legislative openness action plan. Since only a few parliaments worldwide were involved in the Initiative, such a decision was itself an innovative approach. To provide support to the Georgian Parliament, UNDP partnered with the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), the leading Georgian CSO engaged together with the Government in the OGP initiative at national level.

The process was launched in December 2014 and in less than a year, a remarkable progress was achieved. More particularly: on 12 February 2015, the Parliament officially announced its readiness to engage in the OGP and by the Order of the Speaker of the Parliament formed an Inter-Factional Group. Consisting of 11 Members of Parliament from majority and minority factions, the Group was tasked to develop the Open Parliament Georgia (OPG) Action Plan. To ensure close collaboration with the civil society, leading local and international organizations were invited to participate in the process through signing the Memorandum of Understanding with the Parliament on 30 April 2015. On the same day, the Parliament ratified the Declaration on Parliamentary Openness. After several rounds of meetings and workshops, the Inter-Factional Working Group and the Open Parliament Georgia Working Group (composed of local and international organizations) produced final draft of the OPG Action Plan, which was adopted by the Bureau of the Parliament on 17 July, 2015.

The main purpose of the Action Plan is to ensure the openness of the Parliament in accordance with the OGP principles and Declaration on Parliamentary Openness. The Action Plan, composed of 18 commitments, is setting up specific milestones to push parliamentary openness forward: (1) Public involvement, including for opportunities to comment on draft bills, present legislative proposals and attend plenary sessions; (2) Access to information, including for publishing draft bills in an editable format so that anyone can comment and adapting the Parliament’s web resources to the needs of people with disabilities; (3) Technology and innovation to make access to the published documents as easy as possible; (4) Accountability, including for establishing a permanent Parliamentary Council on Openness and Transparency and active cooperation with civil society.

Currently, 17 commitments from the OGP Action Plan remain to be implemented. The Parliament through its Permanent Council will be a responsible body and take ownership for the implementation of the Action Plan and coordination of the overall process. While implementation of the principles of Parliamentary Openness is a direct obligation of the Parliament, the Council, as a newly formed institution, will require external support to successfully accomplish the assigned tasks and responsibilities.

Overall Objective
Parliamentary openness and citizen engagement in the legislative activities of the Parliament of Georgia enhanced.

Specific Objectives
1. Facilitating the effective functioning of the Permanent Parliamentary Council on Open and Transparent Governance
2. Supporting the Parliament of Georgia in the implementation of the selected commitments under the Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan.

Expected End-Results
1. Permanent Parliamentary Council on Open and Transparent Governance functions effectively and is operational.
2. Concepts and/or draft projects of the selected five commitments under the Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan are elaborated and adopted by the Council.

 See the Project's Final Report:

/public/upload/Meri/Supporting the Parliament of Georgia Final Report (ENG).pdf

Project Title: Improvement of Electronic Transparency in the Municipalities of Kakheti and Promotion of Public Engagement in the Work of Local Self-Governments
Project Funding: Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF)
Project Code: LDD/14/15-20078
Total Budget: $ 44, 950
Project Duration: 16 October 2015 – 16 April 2016

Project Description

The goal of the project is to implement tools of electronic transparency in the municipalities of Kakheti region, increase access to public information and ensure public engagement in the work of local self-governments.

Goals of the Project

Main identified goals of the project:

• Create and improve the legal basis for proactive disclosure of public information in the municipalities of the Kakheti Region
• Elaborate and implementation electronic transparency modules
• Ensure public engagement in the municipalities of Kakheti
• Improve procedures for the proactive disclosure of public information
• Capacity building for individuals employed in administrative entities of the local self-governments

Project Activities 

• Research the legal basis for proactive disclosure of public information in the municipalities of the Kakhet iregion
• Factual research on the status of electronic transparency
• Preparation of draft legislation and advocating for their adoption
• Preparation of electronic modules for the municipalities of the Kakheti region
• Conduct activities to raise public awareness

Project Title: Promoting Internet Freedom in South Caucasus - Follow up
Project Funded: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Georgia and Armenia
Project Budget: Total budget EUR 13.066 (IDFI budget – 6.800 EUR)
Project Duration: July 1, 2015 – November 30, 2015
Coordinator Organization: Stichting Free Press Unlimited
Partner Organizations: Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), Azerbaijan
Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), Georgia
Yerevan Press Club (YPC), Armenia

Project Description: During the project period, distinguished media analysts, media lawyers, Internet activists, ICT experts from Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan will be working closely together in order to address the challenges of Internet freedom in the South Caucasus. This group of professionals will be associated with three prominent local organizations, namely the IRFS, IDFI and YPC.

Project Goal: The project aims to promote Internet freedom in the South Caucasus through research, monitoring, advocacy and training. It aims to expand and consolidate freedom of speech through establishing of a regional platform where democratic changes are stimulated and promoted through campaigns and story sharing.

Project Activities:

• Monitoring and presenting the report on Internet Freedom in Georgia - 2015
• Promotion of www.freedomtointernet.com

Note: This is a follow-up of a past project. You can see full information about the activities of the past project here.

Project Name: Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) Quality Tracking in Georgia
Donor Organization: Deloitte Consulting LLP on behalf of the United States Agency for International Development (“USAID”) under Contract No. AID- 114-C-14-00007 for Governing for Growth (G4G) in Georgia
Project Number: RFA#2015 - 008
Grant Amount: 94,700.00 USD
Period of Performance: September 21, 2015 – September 21, 2018

Project Description

Collaboration between public and private actors is vital for economic development because an inclusive, participative, collaborative process leads to more effective policies and laws.

The newly-awarded USAID Governing for Growth (G4G) in Georgia project is designed to, among other things, facilitate a constructive dialogue between the public and private sectors by strengthening the capacity of both to effectively cooperate on policy and legislation. This includes building the capacity of government and private sector actors to utilize an evidence-based approach in policy-making and advocacy.

In accordance with the abovementioned principles, the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) will establish a regular, institutionalized platform for Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) intended to extend to future policy-making and development of legislation.

About Governing for Growth (G4G) Project

Governing for Growth (G4G) in Georgia is a five-year USAID funded Project implemented by Deloitte Consulting LLP since August 2014.

The purpose of the project is to support the Government of Georgia to create a better enabling environment in which legal and regulatory reforms are fairly and transparently conceived, implemented and enforced providing a level playing field for small and medium size enterprise growth.

G4G will strengthen capacity of both, public and private sectors, to effectively cooperate on identified reforms through an inclusive consultative process.

To achieve the goal, G4G will be supporting inclusive and constructive dialogue among government, private sector, and civil society stakeholders for the effective formulation of reforms to drive economic development nurtured through transparent and accountable oversight of the state.

G4G is comprised of five components: (1) Support inclusive public-private dialogue, (2) Strengthen the capacity of the GOG to develop, implement and enforce reforms, (3) Improve water resource management across multiple competing interests, (4) Improve economic governance and leadership of energy trading policy, including cross-border trading of electricity, and (5) Strengthen the capacity of private sector and civil society actors to advocate for reforms.

Goal

The objective of this grant is to develop and implement a “PPD Quality Tracking Mechanism” for which each major law or regulation proposed by selected key ministries will be evaluated upon the extent and quality of inclusive consultation and assigned a rating in terms of four PPD quality parameters:

• Policy Design and Development
• Legislation/Policy Drafting
• Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA)
• Circulation and public comment

Activities

• Preparing PPD Quality Tracking System Design and Methodology
• Implementing PPD Quality Tracking System
• Periodic reports on evaluation of laws produced
• Public discussions
• Annual Reports and awards
• Trainings for civil servants
• Trainings for representatives of CSOs
• Outreach/Dissemination activities

Name of Grant Activity: Strategic Plan Georgia 2020 – Strengthening Public Involvement (ZigB)

Donor Organization: Federal Foreign Office of Germany

Grant Recipient: Institute for Development of Freedom of Information

Partner Organization: Bremen University

Total Grant Amount: 94.785 €

Period of Performance: 10 July, 2015-10 February, 2016

Objectives:

The goal of the project is to raise the awareness among civil society groups and to strengthen the understanding of Georgia’s socio-economic development strategy “Georgia 2020”. To identify problems and to formulate relevant recommendations, existing challenges and the implementation process of the strategy will be critically analyzed.

Current State: 

The strategic document “Georgia 2020” discusses the most critical problems that hamper the sustainable economic growth of Georgia and analyzes the ways to overcome these obstacles. The problems identified are - low level of competitiveness, insufficiently developed human resources (Educational System, Health Care and Social Protection System) and the credit accessibility. Based on the current situation, the main goal of the Government of Georgia is identified as - supporting private sector, supporting development of human resources and improving the financial availability. To eradicate the aforementioned problems by the year of 2020, various activities and measures to be taken are included in strategy. The Government of Georgia has already started reforms in certain areas to reach the objectives of the strategy “Georgia 2020”, which provides an opportunity to critically analyze the implementation process.

Activities:

• Supporting analysts: 

o Organizing three day workshop and holding lectures and discussions about “Georgia 2020”;
o Selecting four analysts to receive the stipend over the four month period;
o Awarding the best analyst during the concluding forum of the project;

• Holding five series of lectures in various universities across Georgia (Batumi, Kutaisi, Telavi, Akhaltsikhe, Tbilisi);

• Holding discussions about the strategic document “Georgia 2020”, with the participation of government officials and the representatives of other interested parties. Five public discussions will be organized, where representatives of various governmental entities and stakeholders will be invited;

• Organizing a concluding conference the strategic document “Georgia 2020”. Along with Georgian experts, the conference will host number of foreign experts and academics working on Georgia’s social-economic problems;

• Publishing a concluding report, which will include the works of analysts participating in the contest and analytical pieces and recommendations by the experts and researchers.

Target Audience:

The target group of the project include analysts, activists of civil society, Georgian researchers and students and other stakeholders affected by the Government’s activities undertaken in the name of the strategic document “Georgia 2020”.

Success indicators:

The success of the project will be tested in various ways. The level of civil engagement will be measured by the number of participants and the quality of their input in the activities planned within the framework of the project. To identify the problems and to formulate the recommendations, the concluding report will be published that will be introduced to the Government of Georgia.

The activities planned to raise public awareness about the project:

In order to attract the public attention, there will be a constant communication with Georgian mass media throughout the entire duration of the project. IDFI has contacts with numerous print and online media outlets. Moreover, the institute has conducted number of successful PR campaigns in the past.

GOOD GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE (GGI) IN GEORGIA 

Name of the project: Supporting and Monitoring of the Transition to Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting in Georgia (2015)
Financial Support: Open Society Georgia Foundation – OSGF
Budget: 40,814.98 USD
Project Dates: April 2015 - February, 2016

Project description

The most essential directions of the activities that were implemented in 2014 are: Purchasing lots of frequencies to build broadcasting network by private companies and transferring frequencies to the regional televisions free of charge, defining the 30-35 % lower tariff for TV broadcasters comparing to average European price in order to spread programs and starting building of private network infrastructure; Revealing the company that will build the proper net for the Public Broadcaster through competition and starting to build the mentioned network; Making decision to give 220 000 unit receivers to socially vulnerable customers free of charge and fixation low prices ( 40 GEL) on these equipment as a result of competition; Giving license to regional and local televisions free of charge and optimization of frequencies given to them.

In spite of positive outcomes, big part of activities planned by state has not been fulfilled in 2014 because of subjective and objective reasons. Building of broadcasting network did not start on time, as well as informational campaign and the process of distributing receivers. Accordingly, advocacy of this process was not carried out.

2015 year is very important period for Digital Terrestrial in Georgia. In July-August, national analogous broadcasting networks will be turned off. Switching off the analogous broadcasting to regional and local televisions will be ended in 31 December, 2015 although their activation is planned in June of this year. One of the main purposes of this project is to support and advocate information campaign.

Involvement of the organization is essential in process supervision to build the network and fulfill license conditions, distributing receivers to socially vulnerable customers, also in order to monitor the market of terminals for digital service. Also, making amendments in legal acts regulating process of transferring to digital broadcasting should be done, but at first place in the laws regarding “Electronic Communication” and “Broadcasting” in Georgia

Mentioned changes define the conjuncture and future of broadcasting market. Intensive participation, involvement and advocacy of this process is very important. Advocacy of implementation of digital switchover strategy is also essential, along with adopting strategic documents. It is especially important to conduct the last stage of the process in accordance of rightly planned procedures.

It’s much prioritized, that the issue of accessing the broadcasting network of signals of current national, local and regional broadcasters should be controlled, in order to reveal and remove systematic and non systematic obstacles. The role of Georgian national communication commission is very important in this process. The process started in 2014 and will be finished in the end of 2015, according to the state action plan.

Goals

We think that over the next 10-month period monitoring of the transition to digital broadcasting of Georgia will be covered during the project in the following ways:

- To proceed the final stage of transition to digital broadcasting platform in a democratic way and reflect interests of operators of Georgian media market and broadcasters as much as possible.
- Eradicate the technical, legal and economic barriers of the transition to digital broadcasting with active involvement.
- Monitor the activities, outline the problematic aspects, make recommendations and advocate in the following cases: Georgian National Communications Commission, LEPL “Digital Broadcasting Agency”, Licensees of the digital broadcasting network, “Georgian TeleRadioCenter” LLC, and Georgian Public Broadcaster.

Activities

In order for the Georgian media environment to be improved in the project period, it is of utmost importance that the final stage of transition to digital broadcasting is successfully implemented. The activities must be carried out in four directions:

- Monitoring of the process of information campaign of transition to digital broadcasting, Advocacy and promotion by preparing and presenting recommendations. Also preparing highly professional studies, monitoring effectiveness of social awareness raising campaign and research of the marketing efficiency.
- Involvement in the process of legal changes in the development and implementation of transition to digital broadcasting, evaluation, making recommendations, promotion and advocacy.
- Monitoring of the activities of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Digital Broadcasting Agency, Georgian National Communications Commission, “Georgian TeleRadioCenter” LLC, LEPL Georgian Public Broadcaster, Licensees of the digital broadcasting network (national and local coverage operators) related to transition to digital broadcasting process.
- Monitoring the process of distribution of the technical equipment needed for receiving digital broadcasting, study of market and society readiness, making recommendations and advocating for their implementation.
Ways for Implementation

During the project activities will cover the following major areas:

- Monitoring of license conditions, including the coverage of population, placing of TV programs and other important actions implemented by “Georgian TeleRadioCenter” LLC, “Stereo+” LLC, and local licensees of the digital broadcasting network. Also preparing study of problematic cases and providing recommendations for the activities to be implemented.
- Studying the strategy of information campaign on digital switchover made by LEPL “Georgian Public Broadcaster” and commercial broadcasters, as well as legislative changes and planned activities, and preparing recommendations.
- Evaluation of the process and intensity of information campaign on digital switchover, studying effectiveness of the channels of communication with citizens; Estimation of the effectiveness of the information campaign and readiness index of the population.
- Studying the consideration of interests of socially unprotected citizens, also studying, studying events aimed at integration and accessibility of services for users with disabilities and preparing recommendations to identify existing gaps.
- Studying the problems of the local TVs associated with transition to digital broadcasting and presenting recommendations.
- Supporting transparency of the conditions behind placing channels in digital terrestrial television network; supporting implementation of recommendations and advocating non-discriminatory and cost-oriented conditions.
- Studying the problems which arise from subsidization of end users, also from distribution and installation of digital broadcasting equipment as well as other problems related with the installation of the antennas and the other technical matters related with regulations.
- Studying of problems related with openness and interoperability of software receivers and preparing recommendations.
- Research of development of state broadcasting network, construction deadlines and research of quality with so-called 20 test point selection.
- Studying whether the interests of ethnical minorities are considered during the process of transition to digital broadcasting.

The project will be implemented via various tools such as: by research of the current state of affairs, requests of public information, face-to-face meetings and roundtable discussions, analysis of the results, SWAT analysis in order to identify problematic directions, presenting recommendations to the relevant authorities and making presentations, involvement in legislation drafting process, monitoring and analysis of the implementation process. Quarterly and thematic reports will be prepared about the results.