Georgia

National MDG Targets and Indicators

For each of the eight Millennium Development Goals there are a number of national indicators adjusted to address specific Georgian needs:

 

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

National Goal: Eradicate extreme poverty

Indicators:

• Halve the proportion of people living below the poverty line.
• Halve the proportion of people that have unbalanced diets.
• Ensure socio-economic rehabilitation and civil integration of population affected and displaced as a result of conflicts and natural calamities.

Achievement status:

Georgia has enjoyed impressive economic growth largely due to a wide range of reforms. However, desite the growth, poverty has decreased only slightly, and both the incdence and severity of poverty remain of great concern to the Government.

In its porgramme for 2008-2012, the Government pledged enhanced efforts to fight poverty and improve its citizens well-being. The policies to eradicate poverty seek to consolidate resources and create effective institutions for helping the poor, with a particular benefits emphasis on social benefits.

Poverty levels remain high as well as regional disparities. Since 2002 real incomes have increased (on average by 6%) in the urban areas while in the rural areas they have decreased (on average by 3%) (State Department of Statistics, 2007a).

The incidence of poverty at the end of 2006 (measured with respect to 40% of the median consumption) was 9.4% of the population (in 2005 it was 10.1, and in 2004 it was 10.9) and with respect to 60% of the median consumption it was 23.3% (in 2005 the incidence was 24.1 and in 2004 it was 24.6) (Department of Statistics 2007b: 84).  

Poverty Severity as 60% of the median consumption was 4.0 in 2004, 3.6 in 2005, 3.3 in 2006. As 40% of the median consumption it was 1.7 in 2004, 1.5 in 2005, 1.3 in 2006.

Through its Economic Development programme, UNDP assists the government of Georgia to develop new policies for promoting sustainable economic growth.

In June 2008, UNDP launched the National Human Development Report "The Reforms and Beyond", which examines the main reforms from the human development prospective. It also provides specific policy recommendations for optimizing the inclusiveness of economic growth and improving the effciency of social services. 

 

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education

National Goal: Ensure coherence of Georgian education systems with educational systems of developed countries through improved quality and institutional set-up

Indicators:

• Maintain universal primary education; ensure the transformation of school education into 12 year cycle; inclusion into the International Systems of School Education Quality Assessment; achievement of institutional coherence with modern school education systems.
• Ensure establishment of accreditation system for tertiary education institutions; achievement of institutional coherence with modern tertiary education systems.
• Ensure the transformation of vocational education into the one focused on labour market needs; facilitate the establishment of institutional support to private sector development in vocational education.
• Ensure the function of inclusive and integrated educational programmes; incorporate the principles of inclusive education into national study programmes.

Achievement status:

One of Georgia's most comprehensive and effective policy changes was in the education system. The Government invested in refurbishing school, restructuring the schools' management system and introducing a new transparent examination system.

However, access to education by people leaving in remote areas is still an issue and requires more attention.

With regards to preschool education, the 2007 Global Monitoring Report (UNESCO 2006) reports a gross pre-primary enrollment rate of 49%; a child-rearing study carried out in 2005 by UNICEF indicates kindergarten attendance among 3-6 year olds to be around 55% (Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia 2006a).  The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey for 2005 estimated that 44% of 3-4 year olds were attending pre-school and 58% of children in primary grade 1 had attended pre-school in the previous year.

The official MDG progress report estimates the net primary enrollment rate at 95.6% in 2004 (Government of Georgia 2005); the Global Monitoring Report (UNESCO 2006) puts it at 93%. 

 

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

National Goal: Promote gender equality and empower women

Indicators:

• Ensure gender equality in employment.
• Ensure equal access to activity in the political domain and all levels of management.

Achievement status:

By the end of 2007, women accounted for 9.4% of MPs. Out of 13 parliamentary committees, women chair only two, and among the 26 deputy chairpersons of the committees there are five women.

Despite some progress made through legislative initiatives, the number of women in local self-governance bodies has been decreasing – from 14% after the local elections of 1998, the percentage of women dropped to 12% in 2002. As a result of 5 October 2006 elections, only 195 out of 1,750 elected individuals, i.e. 11.14%, were women. Out of 17 ministers three are women and out of 46 deputy ministers nine, i.e. 20% are women. In the judicial branch of the government, out of total 270 judges, 120 or 44% are women.

According to the State Department of Statistics, in 2005 the average nominal monthly salary of women in all fields of the economy and all sectors was 49% of that of men.

UNDP’s project Gender and Politics assists the government of Georgia in gender policy development. It also supports women in the region in their efforts to take decision-making positions and actively participate in political processes.

 

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality

Natioanl Goal: Reduce child mortality

Indicators:

• Reduce by two-thirds, by 2015, the under-five mortality rate.

Achievement status:

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) are declining from 21.2 to 18.4 and from 24.9 to 19.7, respectively (official statistics) for the period 2000-2006.

According to the Reproductive Health Survey (RHS) 2005, there has been a decline in the post-neonatal mortality rate, which in turn significantly lowered the infant and child under-5 mortality.

The trend for the IMR and U5MR rate indicated by MICS 2005 preliminary results is in line with the Reproductive Health Survey estimates.

Majority of U5 children are exposed to multiple risks, which detrimentally affect their cognitive, motor and social-emotional development. Parental/family skills and practices are not adequate to ensure proper child care and development - 56% of families do not have resources to promote early childhood development; Corporal punishment seems to be common and frequent (60%); Child injury rate at home is high (11%).

Goal 5: Improve maternal health

National Goal: Improve maternal health

Indicators:

• Reduce by three-quarters the maternal mortality ratio.

Achievement status:

As per official statistics, Georgia is on its way to achieve the MDG goal for maternal health. The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is reported to be reduced from 49.2 per 100,000 in 2000 to 23.0 by 2006. The last three-year average shows a slight reduction from 51.5 to 40.3 per 100,000 live births for the period 2000-2002 and 2003-2005 respectively.

 

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

National Goal: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

Indicators:

• Have halted and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS.
• Have halted and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.

Achievement status:

The number of new HIV infecitons is steadily increasing even though Georgia remains a low prevalence country.  By November 2007, the total number of registered HIV cases was 1,472, including 1,119 males and 353 females. The number is steadily increasing. AIDS has developed in 614 persons, out of them 307 has died. ARV treatment is provided to a total of 322 patients.

The majority of infected people are injecting drug users (60.4%); 32.5% has been infected through heterosexual contacts; 2,7% - through homosexual contacts; in 1.4% of cases virus was transmitted from mother to child.

The largest number of HIV cases are reported in Tbilisi (522), followed by the regions of Samegrelo (228) and Ajara (221). The number of new cases of HIV infection identified in 2007 is 316; this is by 40 cases higher than the same period in 2006.

UNDP helps the government of Georgia implement the National Response to HIV/AIDS. UNDP’s project assists in revising legislation on HIV/AIDS, vulnerability research and awareness rising.

 

Goal 7: Ensure environmental stability

National Goal: Ensure environmental stability

Indicators:

• Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources.
• Halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.
• Harmonization of the housing sector with international standards, including the development of municipal (social) tenure component.

Achievement status:

The government of Georgia adopted the strategy and action plan on biodiversity preservation with Resolution #27 of February 19, 2004. The strategy covers the preservation of biodiversity for the period of 10 years, while the action plan is designed for a five-year term.

The elaboration of forestry policy and strategy started in 2005. Several important documents were prepared under the World Bank project “Forestry Development”, including: an action plan for forestry sector rationalisation and institutional development; a methodology of assessing forestry resources of Georgia; national standards for seeds of different types of forests and forestry safety measures complying with international standards.

Despite its rich water deposits, Georgia is still experiencing difficulties in supplying the population with safe drinking water in rural areas. The underground water deposits remain the main source of drinking water, providing 90% of the water supply system. Currently 84% of urban and 15.7% of the rural population is centrally supplied with drinking water.

The housing sector remains a crucial problem of the country. New commercial construction will not satisfy the population’s demand for adequate housing and the Government cannot afford to comprehensively solve this problem due to financial, human resource, legislative and institutional constraints. This issue has yet to be discussed at the legislative level.

In recent years Georgia has experienced increasingly frequent effects of climate change. The second national notification to the Climate Change Convention (2005) places emphasis on planning preventive measures to offset the negative impact of extreme temperatures and heat waves in urban areas, as well as the adaptation of sea-shore infrastructure and agricultural sector to climate change hazards. The national notification studies the impact of climate change on water resources, specifically the drinking water deposits and hydro-energy resources.

Under its Environment and Energy programme, UNDP is assisting the country in developing strategies and action plans for increasing the national potential to effectively implement the requirements of global conventions on climate change including: biodiversity conservation, the fight against desertification, the elaboration of a national plan on implementation of the Stockholm Convention of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), and Kura-Aras basin preservation and integrated management plan. In cooperation with the Global Environment Facility and the German Bank for Reconstruction (KfW), UNDP also supports the Georgia’s energy sector.

 

Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development

National Goal: Develop a global partnership for development

Indicators:

• Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system.
• Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of Georgia through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term.
• Ensure improved accessibility to communication systems countrywide, minimize digital inequality between urban and rural areas.

Achievement status:

Georgia has a rather liberal trade regime. The country’s legislation does not apply any quantitative restrictions, restrictions of licensing requirements or other nontariff barriers.

After joining the WTO in June 14, 2000 Georgia started to harmonize its customs regimes with the commitments negotiated with the WTO.

Georgia’s joining the WTO resulted in the abolishment of the Jackson-Vanik Amendment by the USA and, furthermore, granted the country Most Favoured Nation status. Later, the country was granted the General System of Preferences (GSP) beneficiary status.

The European Union lifted the status of non-market economy country for Georgia thus cancelling certain trade restrictions previously hindering the country. Furthermore, the EU expanded the GSP beneficiary status of Georgia, granted in 1995 to GSP+ that entitles 7,200 types of products with Georgian origin to enter the European Union market with zero customs tariff.

Under its Economic Development programme, UNDP helped Georgia assess the impact of a potential Free-Trade Agreement with the European Union. UNDP also helps the Ministry for Economic Development become more effective in analyzing trade information and policy, formulating negotiation positions and successfully advising the government.