Georgia

Programs In Georgia

EWMI is implementing the Rule of Law Program in Georgia, a five-year, USAID-funded program focused on strengthening the rule of law in Georgia.

The Civil Society Engagement Program (CSEP) in Georgia is a five-year activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by East-West Management Institute, Inc.

EWMI implemented a five-year human rights and justice support program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) entitled Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia (PROLoG) Activity.

Advancing CSO Capacities and Engaging Society for Sustainability (ACCESS) was a seven-year project funded by USAID and implemented by the East-West Management Institute (EWMI) in partnership with the Center for Training and Consultancy (CTC) and the Civil Development Agency (CiDA) to enhance the effectiveness of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Georgia.
The East-West Management Institute (EWMI), in a strategic partnership with the Columbia University School of International Public Affairs (SIPA), addressed the challenges faced by the CSOs in Georgia by implementing the Policy, Advocacy, and Civil Society Development Program in Georgia (G-PAC), a four-year initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This program aimed to strengthen civil society’s role in advocating for and influencing the development and effective implementation of public policy reforms.
The Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP) was designed to support and strengthen the judiciary as an independent yet equal branch of government, and to improve Georgia’s commercial law system. The program is organized around the following four objectives: 1) strengthen judicial independence, accountability, and professionalism; 2) strengthen the institutional capacity of legal professional associations, legal rights NGOs, and the state legal aid system; 3) improve legal education; and 4) develop commercial law and improve commercial law related practice.
The East-West Management Institute worked in cooperation with a consortium led by B&S Europe to support important criminal justice reforms in Georgia. The Georgia Criminal Justice Statistics Project, which was sponsored by the European Commission, established a system of comprehensive criminal justice statistics and data analysis.

News In Georgia

EWMI is proud to support the Georgia Bar Association's (GBA) “Strengthening Georgia's Legal Profession and Justice System” project, a comprehensive, two-year capacity development and legal system outreach initiative.

With the efforts of Rights Georgia and the support of the EWMI-implemented USAID Rule of Law Program, another precedent of child-friendly justice was established in the case of a minor child whose biological father initially evaded caregiving and responsibil

The East-West Management Institute (EWMI), with the generous support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has been working since 2010 to improve the lives of the citizens of Georgia.  EWMI’s programs, implemented in coordination with a broad variety of Georgian,

More than 250 Adjarians from highland villages gathered to learn about women's rights, human trafficking, and free legal services during mobile visits led by the Legal Aid Service (LAS).

Crowdfunding for non-profit initiatives is a method often lauded for its ability to effectively raise funds and engage diverse audiences.

Since the conflict began in late February, Russia’s war against Ukraine has had a devastating humanitarian impact, security implications, and economic consequences that have reverberated throughout the region and the world.

In May, the Center for Civic Activities (CCA) received a Rapid Response Grant from the EWMI-implemented USAID Civil Society Engagement Program to mobilize citizens in Racha and protect the more than 100,000 hectares of the Racha-Lechkhumi forest that were auctioned off by the Georgian government

The USAID Civil Society Engagement Program announces the Act Now / Rapid Response Grants program to support community organizing and activism by Georgian civil society organizations (CSOs), civic movements, and citizen groups in response to the war on Ukraine and its implications for Georgia.

The Parliament of Georgia greatly expanded women’s labor rights via amendments to the Labor Code that were shaped by the guidance and expertise of the USAID-funded Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia Activity (PROLoG).

Religious minorities living in the mountainous Adjara region of Georgia had the opportunity to seek legal advice on matters of violence and discrimination based on gender and religion thanks to a mobile legal clinic organized by the Human Rights Education and Monitori

For over three years, EWMI's Advancing CSO Capacities and Engaging Society for Sustainability (EWMI ACCESS) project has supported an online platform, Women of Georgia, created to raise awareness about gender inequalit

In 2019, based on an initiative of the Georgian Parliament’s Gender Equality Council, and in collaboration with the Public Defender’s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Georgia’s Parliament enacted mechanisms for combatting sexual harassment in the workplace and public spaces and empowe

On July 7, the Tbilisi City Court decided a case litigated by EWMI grantee, Partnership for Human Rights (PHR).

Many marginalized groups are especially vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, EWMI’s Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia project (PROLoG) had planned to unveil a new mural in Marneuli designed to represent and support local girls and women living in the city.

In order to respond to the COVID-19 crisis in a timely manner, EWMI’s Advancing CSO Capacities and Engaging Society for Sustainability (ACCESS) Project in Georgia promptly announced the Rapid Response Grants (RRG) program for Georgian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), civil movements and citize

In light of recent developments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, EWMI’s USAID-funded PROLoG made funds available for COVID-19 Rapid Response Grants and invited its current and past CSO and LEPL partners --members of the Coalition for an Independent Judiciary, GBA, LAS and universities--to submit pro

With funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the East-West Management Institute, Inc.

EWMI is closely following developments related to the current outbreak of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID – 19) and monitoring guidelines provided by relevant international, national and local public health authorities.

Like mirrors, children reflect the society they live in and are images of what happens around them. This is why heart-shaped mirror pins were chosen as the symbol of the regional civic campaign on violence against children.

Students in Georgia have been working together to find creative ways to raise awareness about the discrimination faced by religious and ethnic minorities and foreigners residing in Georgia.

In response to the petition initiated by a group of active citizens supported by EWMI ACCESS Citizen Outreach Grant (COG) recipient Civil Society Insisitute (CSI), Batumi now has one more recreational area, where local residents can spend their free time.

On October 24, the first findings of the study “Gender Equality in Georgia: Barriers and Recommendations,” supported by USAID-funded EWMI-PROLoG and the UN Joint Programme for Gender Equality, were presented at a meeting of Parliament’s Gender Equality Council.

With a grant from EWMI's Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia (PROLoG) Activity, the National Institute for Human Rights at Free University Tbilisi, in partnership with the Constitutional Court of Georgia, conduced its second annual summer school on human rights at the Constitutional Court of Georgia

On September 16-17, the High School of Justice organized a training on general human rights concepts for 14 judges from Tbilisi and the regional courts of Georgia.

On July 24, the EWMI/PROLoG-supported Human Rights Chair at Ilia State University organized a public lecture on Combatting Race Discrimination in the Georgian and American Legal Systems.

Through its Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia (PROLoG) Activity, EWMI organized a two-day workshop on Human Rights for thirty-two Tbilisi City Court judge assistants.

Through its Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia (PROLoG) Activity, EWMI organized a two-day workshop on Human Rights for thirty-two Tbilisi City Court judge assistants.

On June 2-6, the US Embassy and USAID organized the American Days celebration in four different regions of Georgia.

On February 6, the High School of Justice (HSOJ) presented its new website and web-portal to the public.

On January 16, the Coalition for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary, supported by EWMI-JILEP, met with President Giorgi Margvelashvili to discuss the process of selecting a new Chief Justice to replace Kote Kublashivili whose term comes to an en

In order to provide the next generation of Georgian lawyers with the information and skills they need to make their new adversarial-based system work more effectively, on December 6-7, EWMI-JILEP sponsored Georgia’s 4th National Trial Advocacy Competition for Georgian law students.   Th

EWMI is pleased to announce the launch of the Advancing CSO Capacities and Engaging Society for Sustainability (ACCESS) Project to strengthen civil society organizations (CSOs) throughout Georgia.

On July 12, Ilia State University (ISU) held a commencement ceremony in Tbilisi for the first 29 graduates of its new Masters of Public Administration (MPA) Program.

On April 16, 2014, EWMI and the National Center for Commercial Law (NCCL) at Free University held an event to publicly present a newly published, Georgian language, Contract Law Textbook

In July 2012, the gender distribution in the Georgian Judicial Administration was 63% male.  Several high positions within the court lacked female representation and were entirely made up of male jurists.

Hydro-power will be an important component to developing a sustainable domestic energy supply in Georgia. However, several hydro-power plant (HPP) construction contracts were signed without the input of the communities those HPPs would affect or an assessment of their environmental impacts.

EWMI’s Policy, Advocacy, and Civil Society Development program in Georgia (G-PAC) is a four-year initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development.

On April 30, 2013, Deputy Chief of Mission Bridget Brink joined Supreme Court Chairman Konstantine Kublashvili and Minister of Justice Tea Tsulukiani to open a conference, organized by EWMI, entitled “Gender in the Court: Working Toward a More Inclusive Court System.” The conferenc

On April 22-26, EWMI’s Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP) organized workshops at four Georgian law school libraries in connection with its “Information Services Development Program,” launched in November 2012, with the goal of developing a core set of functional law libra

EWMI grantees, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) and Transparency International Georgia (TI) presented the findings of their most recent court monitoring efforts on April 2, 2013.

In a continuing effort to further develop commercial law and improve commercial law related practice in Georgia, EWMI’s Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project funded an intensive instruction on international business transactions and contract drafting.

EWMI’s Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP) provided witness interviewing training to nine representatives of four Georgian free legal aid provider NGOs, and three lawyers from the state free legal aid service.

On February 11-12, EWMI’s Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP) sponsored Georgia’s first Client Counseling Competition for law students at Free University in Tbilisi.

Healthcare expenses in Georgia have risen steeply over the last decade. By 2009, they constituted an average of 35% of household income, with 60% of these health expenditures going toward prescription drugs.

On December 4-7, EWMI’s Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP), together with the Free University’s National Center for Commercial Law (NCCL), conducted its masters training program in teaching methodology for law professors from eight Georgian law schools.

On December 8, the Georgian Bar Association (GBA) held its annual General Assembly. By the end of the meeting, the Assembly had adopted long awaited amendments to the Professional Ethics Code of Lawyers and the GBA’s Disciplinary Responsibility By-laws.

On November 13, EWMI’s USAID-funded Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP) launched an information services development program for Georgian law libraries. The purpose of the program is to improve law libraries at several Georgian law schools.

In early June, EWMI’s Policy, Advocacy, and Civil Society Development Program in Georgia (G-PAC) selected the winners of its second Partnership for Change (PfC) grant competition. Four grants totaling US $189,775 were awarded:

On May 23, the Civil Development Agency (CiDA), a Georgian NGO supported by a grant from EWMI’s Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP), organized a conference entitled, “State Legal Aid Service: Reality and Challenges.” During the conference, CiDA presented their study of the

New media technologies are becoming increasingly important tools for civil society organizations (CSOs) to garner public support and advocate for their causes. However, these technologies are often underutilized by CSOs.

It is estimated that 1% of the world’s population suffers from an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, according to Nino Darsavelidze, Director of the Autism Society of Georgia (ASG), “autism awareness in Georgia is still very low.”

Professor Robert Melnick was in Georgia from April 8 – 14 as part of the EWMI G-PAC MPA program at Ilia State University (ISU).

Robert Walsh understands how large cities can promote economic growth. Since 2002, he has worked in Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration as the New York City Commissioner of Small Business Services (SBS).

Improved collaboration between government, business, and civil society is essential to promoting economic growth in Georgia. This was the message sent by leading international and Georgian academics and practitioners at the “Public Policy in Action” conference in Batumi on March 16 and 17.

In today’s interconnected world, civil society organizations (CSOs) must be able to use a wide range of media tools effectively. Media platforms are essential to an organization’s public relations (PR) strategy, yet high-tech PR skills are often not well developed among Georgian CSOs.

On February 24, EWMI’s Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP) in Georgia delivered a conference entitled, “Contemporary Issues in Commercial Arbitration: International and Georgian Perspectives” in cooperation with Tbilisi State University National Center for ADR (NCADR), the

Despite great progress made in the area of legal education in Georgia, thousands of students still graduate ill-prepared to advise clients in complex criminal and commercial matters.

EWMI’s USAID-funded Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Program (JILEP) broke new ground in legal education by sponsoring a summer school on practical skills for lawyers July 18-21 in Tbilisi.

On June 12, as part of an effort to support the development of a more independent judges association, EWMI-JILEP sent five representatives of the Judges Association of Georgia (JAG) to Poland to meet with representatives of the Polish Judges Association, Iustitia.

The East West Management Institute (EWMI) is pleased to announce that it has launched the Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP) in Georgia, a four-year initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The East-West Management Institute (EWMI) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a cooperative agreement to implement the Policy, Advocacy, and Civil Society Development Program in Georgia (G-PAC), a four-year initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (U