UN Team visits Kaketi and Kvemo Kartli Regions

The UN team made up by the representatives of FAO, UNFPA, IOM and UNDP toured the Kakheti and Kvemo Kartli regions on October 31 and November 1, 2022

The UN team met with local authorities and stakeholders to discuss development needs and explore opportunities for future cooperation as well as  to have a firsthand experience of different aspects of the UN’s work on the ground.

The trip kicked off with a visit to a vineyard of the “Telavi Wine Cellar”, which is one of the leading Georgian wine companies currently partnering with FAO. Together with Tamar Otkhmezuri, FAO Consultant and Guram Sakvarelidze, FAO Communications Consultant, the UN team met with the founder of the company Zurab Ramazashvili and got first-hand information about the organic solutions, which have been implemented at the vineyard to tackle agricultural pests and ensure environmental sustainability and improved food safety standards, in line with the 2030 Agenda.

The partnership between FAO in Georgia and the “Telavi Wine Cellar” has been initiated as part of the Mating Disruption Programme, which is implemented with the support for the EU as part of its EU4Business Initiative, EU Innovative Action for Private Sector Competitiveness in Georgia.

In the course of the visit, the UN team met with the First Deputy Mayor of Telavi, Mr. Nikoloz Metreveli, the Head of the Administration of the Municipality Ms. Tamar Zazanashvili and the Head the Judicial Service, Ms. Ana Peikrishvili to discuss areas with great potential for cooperation. The discussions at the meeting focused on the UN’s longstanding relationship with the municipality in various fields, including child rights, support to returned migrants, youth development and disaster management.

One of the main issues of the discussion was the integration of minorities into the region’s political, economic, and cultural life. The sides also discussed the prospects for strengthening cooperation for the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities.

In Telavi, the UN team also had an opportunity to meet the newly appointed State Representative in Kakheti Mr. Giorgi Aladashvili to discuss long-standing ties and areas of future cooperation.

The sides exchanged thoughts related to programs implemented in the region by the UN agencies. The State Representative introduced his long-term vision of Kakheti’s economic development. The meeting also set out some areas of possible future cooperation.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the UN-Georgia partnership as well as the UN Day, UN Resident Coordinator Sabine Machl, the Director of the Telavi History Museum Guram Ushukashvili, the Deputy Mayor of Telavi Pikria Kurshitashvili and the Head of the culture service of the administration of the State Representative in Kakheti  Leila Legashvili opened a ‘’SDG Open Space’’ at the Telavi History Museum  - a stunning conference, meeting, and training venue for smaller groups of up to 100 participants. Alexander Lortkipanidze, an activist of the UNFPA MenCare Campaign, TV presenter and writer delivered a lecture for students of the Telavi university and high-schools about the significance of the SDGs. The main goal of the SDG Open Space is to engage young people in advocating for the achievement of the SDGs.

Next stop was in Telavi where the team met Marina Raidt-Altunashvili. After living in Germany for eighteen years, where she worked as a licensed music therapist, Marina Raidt-Altunashvili returned to Georgia and decided to make music therapy accessible for the residents of her hometown of Telavi. The therapy sessions are offered to children with special needs, children and adolescents on the autism spectrum, and those with conditions such as Down Syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, speech difficulties and various behavioral disorders, as well as their parents and caregivers. The centre renders its services not only to the Telavi residents, but also to neighboring municipalities.

IOM in Georgia is piloting innovative interventions which support local livelihood opportunities for returning Georgian migrants that not only assist with their own reintegration but also contribute to the revitalization of their home municipalities, making the environment more favorable for reintegration overall. Under the IDF project - “Sustainable Reintegration and Community Revitalization - Pilot Initiative in Communities of Return”, the centre is now furnished and equipped with all the necessary instruments to provide effective and comfortable services. This project aims to contribute to the sustainable reintegration of returning migrants and community revitalization.

While in Kvemo Kartli, the UN team held consultations with the Mayor of Rustavi Ms. Nino Latsabidze. Ms. Nino Latsabidze provided detailed information about ongoing and planned reforms, projects and existing challenges in Rustavi. Discussion focused on ways to expand existing cooperation.

During the visit to Kvemo Kartli region, UN Resident Coordinator Sabine Machl visited the Business Incubator and Innovation Hub in Rustavi. The Head of the Rustavi Innovation Hub Revaz Barbakadze, the project Manager Mikheil Lobzhanidze and UNDP Georgia Innovations Specialist Khatuna Sandroshvili shared information about innovative projects which provide development opportunities for young people and novel solutions for local development.

Established in 2017 with the financial support of UNDP, the Hub has been supporting youth economic empowerment in the region. The Hub is a space where civil servants collaborate with diverse groups and individuals for designing solutions for addressing urban challenges. The Hub has created a knowledge handbook and a board game to engage young people in finding innovative solutions. The Hub has also supported start-ups to develop their own ideas and turn them into real profitable activities.

In the course of the visit, UN Resident Coordinator Sabine Machl attended the puppet show “Luna and the Planet of Fireflies” in Tamarisi village, Marneuli region together with the deputy mayors of the Marneuli Municipality - Zurab Pangani and Temur Shubitidze.

The puppet show “Luna and the Planet of the Fireflies” was prepared in cooperation with the Marneuli Culture Centre within the framework of the programme “Ending Violence against Women and Girls in Georgia” (EVAWGG), which is jointly implemented by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Women with the financial support of the European Union. The puppet show is part of the campaign “Do not Differentiate: a Girl and a Boy are both your Future!“, through which the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reminds everyone that both girls and boys are of equal value to their families, communities and countries.