Democratic Governance

UNDP assists Georgia in promoting legislative, executive and judicial reforms. UNDP’s programme for Democratic Governance provides support to key institutions in Georgia: the Parliament, the ministries, the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, the Central Electoral Commission, and the Public Defender’s Office.

Public sector reform

UNDP supports reforms in the public sector through a Capacity Building Fund and through an On-demand Consultancy Service. By the end of 2009, UNDP had assisted the 18 key public agencies in dealing with up to 30 strategic issues.

Through on-demand consultancies, UNDP helps the government to promote reforms and provides technical assistance to selected institutions. To date, UNDP has arranged over 40 short-term consultancies to key agencies, including: the ministries; the Prime Minister’s Office; the Public Defender’s Office; The National Bank of Georgia; the Tourism Department of the Adjara Autonomous Republic; and the Tbilisi City Hall.

Fair electoral processes

Under a US $3million project, UNDP assists democratic institutions in Georgia to enable the introduction of fair electoral processes and active civil participation. UNDP’s assistance focuses on the four major requirements of free and fair elections: qualified electoral administrations, well-informed voters, a stable Unified Electoral Code and increased civil participation. 

Parliamentary development

UNDP assists the Georgian parliament in its efforts to more effectively represent the needs and views of Georgian citizens, to simplify law-making procedures, and to improve human resource management and public relations.

Human rights institutions

UNDP continues its assistance to the Public Defender’s Office by supporting its institutional development and the expansion of its activities into regional centres around the country.

UNDP works closely with the Tolerance Centre at the Public Defender’s office, assisting in the promotion of tolerance, equality and peace in Georgia.

In 2009, UNDP gave particular attention to ensuring the protection of human rights and access to justice in Shida Kartli, the region most affected by the August 2008 war. In addition to strengthening the effectiveness of the regional office of the Public Defender, UNDP also provided support for the Legal Aid Service of the Ministry of Justice and the Gender Equality Resource Centre in Gori. 

Judicial reform

UNDP continues to work with the Supreme Court of Georgia to promote the ongoing court system reform and to enhance the institution of the Speaker Judge.

UNDP’s initiative with the Georgian Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistance supports the state-funded legal aid system to expand its work throughout Georgia.

Local self-governance reform

In partnership with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), UNDP assists the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure to take the lead in reforming local self-governance.

UNDP support focuses on developing a long-term vision for the reform, improving the legislation on decentralization, and providing stakeholders and the general public with better information on the reform. In addition, UNDP worked on developing a concept of training for local civil servants.

Civil registry reform

In partnership with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the UK Department for International Development (DfID), UNDP actively promoted the second phase of the civil registry reform in Georgia. This US $2.8million project assisted the Ministry of Justice in modernising the civil registry system and providing the public with one-stop-shop access to its services.

Gender equality

UNDP remains one of the key players in 2009 in developing gender policies in Georgia and encouraging engagement by women in the decision-making processes. UNDP continues to work closely with the Gender Equality Advisory Council at the Parliament of Georgia and to assist in developing a draft law on Gender Equality.