SDG Festival in Georgia highlights remote and rural regions

Thousands of Georgians gathered in the town of Ambrolauri, Racha, on 7 June to take part in the country’s second national Sustainable Development Goals Festival, organized by the United Nations in Georgia.

Festival goers learned how the SDGs are making a difference in people’s lives. There was also a focus on efforts in the Racha region to achieve the SDGs, especially in agriculture, the green economy, energy, and urban development.

Combining art exhibitions, films screenings, sports, interactive seminars and workshops, and speeches by academics, artists, authors, business leaders, and government officials, the SDG Festival has become a cultural event.

The President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, addressed the participants and guests of the Festival.

“Racha has everything tourists around the globe are looking for: fantastic people, gorgeous landscapes and great wines” the President of Georgia said at the grand opening in the evening. She also said that she had taken the initiative to add the Oda House (traditional type of wooden house) to the list of UNESCO cultural heritage monuments.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Georgia, Sabine Machl, stressed the continuous efforts of the United Nations to support Georgia in achieving its national SDGs. “Our work on the five pillars of sustainable development – People, Planet, Peace, Prosperity and Partnership - rests on strong cooperation with our partners: the Government of Georgia, local self-governments, civil society, the private sector, academia and all development partners in the international community to make significant advances towards leaving no one behind.”

Several festival participants underlined that Racha could pilot many of the sustainable development practices, especially in the areas of agriculture, green economy, energy, and urban development.

The SDG Festival transformed public space in Ambrolauri into a colourful display of activities illustrating on how to achieve healthy, equal, sustainable communities and encourage increased engagement in community-led initiatives, green businesses and climate actions.

UN Goodwill Ambassador for SDGs and Georgian fencer, Irma Khetsuriani, who won her sixteenth gold medal at the world championship, celebrated with the UN and the people of Racha.

The festival was supported by UN agencies and donors, local and national government, and many others, all working together towards the achievement of the SDGs.