EWMI’s Socio-Economic Development Activity in Azerbaijan (SEDA) project has led several high impact initiatives these past few months with very promising outcomes. SEDA brought better roads to a small town in Khachmaz, raised awareness and improved services for the elderly and disabled, and finally helped support advocacy groups in applying pressure to reform the local … Continue reading Making an Impact in Azerbaijan
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Bringing Innovation to Social Procurement in Kyrgyzstan
On October 23, 2013, EWMI’s Kyrgyzstan Collaborative Governance Program (KCGP) organized a conference entitled “Social Procurement: International and Kyrgyzstan Experience” in partnership with the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) and UNICEF. Representatives of Kyrgyzstan’s government, including the Minister of Social Development and senior officials from other ministries, along with local authorities, civil society organizations and … Continue reading Bringing Innovation to Social Procurement in Kyrgyzstan
Tipping the Scales of Gender Equality in Georgian Courts
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. To address this issue of gender disparity in the courts, in April 2013, the Deputy Chief of Mission Bridget Brink, Supreme Court Chairman Konstantine Kublashvili, and the Minister … Continue reading Tipping the Scales of Gender Equality in Georgian Courts
Encouraging Socio-Economic Development in Azerbaijan
EWMI’s Socio-Economic Development Activity (SEDA) in Azerbaijan includes a grants program that supports organizations that engage in advocacy on socio-economic development at local and regional levels. Poverty reduction, participatory water management, environmental protection, improved social services, and efficient seed registration procedures are among the initiatives that civil society organizations (CSOs) have launched with grants from … Continue reading Encouraging Socio-Economic Development in Azerbaijan
Open Development Cambodia to Become an Official NGO
Open Development Cambodia (ODC) is soon to become an official Cambodian NGO. On July 10, ODC’s governing board was installed and by-laws promulgated in a brief ceremony at the EWMI office, shared by ODC. The board, comprised of seven members with a vast range of knowledge and experiences in Cambodia’s development, particularly in IT field, were … Continue reading Open Development Cambodia to Become an Official NGO
Backlog Reduction Initiative in Serbia Shows Promising Results
According to the most recent statistics available (from late 2012), six courts in Serbia, working with EWMI’s Separation of Powers Program (SPP) funded by USAID, have reduced their case backlogs by 49%, from 23,000 to 12,000 old cases. The task ahead is to extend this success to other jurisdictions around the country. The reduction of backlogged … Continue reading Backlog Reduction Initiative in Serbia Shows Promising Results
Enhancing Access to Social Services for the Elderly in Azerbaijan
For almost 10 years, Nabat Aliyeva has lived alone in her home in Alinazarli village in Beylagan rayon. She has an oncological disease. Remarkably, Nabat was not aware that social services are available for elderly people living alone in her area. “Recently I heard from our community leader that an organization held a meeting about … Continue reading Enhancing Access to Social Services for the Elderly in Azerbaijan
Sixteen Georgian Think Tanks Sign an Ethical and Quality Standards Document
On May 21, 16 Georgian Think Tanks signed an Ethical and Quality Standards Document. The document presents comprehensive standards to guide the work of Georgian think tanks and establishes principles to ensure that the think tanks meet the highest possible professional standards. The ethical code covers organizational themes such as transparency, accountability and governance, while the … Continue reading Sixteen Georgian Think Tanks Sign an Ethical and Quality Standards Document
EWMI Grantee Facilitates Greater Collaboration on Sustainable Energy Issues
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. To ensure a more participatory process that accounts for community and environmental concerns, EWMI … Continue reading EWMI Grantee Facilitates Greater Collaboration on Sustainable Energy Issues
Court Monitoring Programs Highlight Shortcomings in Criminal and Administrative Court Proceedings
EWMI Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP) 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 GYLA’s case, their findings covered the period July to December 2012; TI’s reporting covered the period June to October 2012. … Continue reading Court Monitoring Programs Highlight Shortcomings in Criminal and Administrative Court Proceedings