Visiting Georgia’s regions to discuss local needs and set out cooperation plans

The UN team made up by the UN Head in Georgia, Sabine Machl, the UN Women  Country Representative, Kaori Ishikawa,  the UNFPA Head, Lela Bakradze, the IOM Georgia Program Officer,  Natia Kvitsiani, the FAO project staff,  Shahar Pincovici, Alessandra Guidotti, and Temo Kiguradze, the UNFPA Communications Specialist, Salome Benidze, the UN Women Program Coordinator, Ana Pashalishvili, and the Communications Specialist, Gvantsa Asatiani, toured the Guria and Imereti regions between November 22 and 24, 2021.

The UN team met with local authorities and stakeholders to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the regions  and  to have a firsthand experience of different aspects of the UN’s work on the ground.

The trip kicked off with a visit to IOM beneficiaries Lamara Iobidze in Kutaisi and Jumber Lomtadze in the Didvela Village, Baghdati municipality.

Lamara Iobidze and Jumber Lomtadze have spent nearly two years in Greece and returned to Georgia in 2021 to open the toy shop  and  the carpentry workshop respectively, under IOM reintegration assistance. In Imereti, as well as in other regions, IOM provides different types of reintegration assistance – mainly income-generating projects in the field of agriculture, medical assistance and vocational training. This year (October inclusive) IOM has assisted 144 returned migrants living in Imereti district.

The UN team also visited the successful nursery  LTD “Akhali Vazi” run by  Paata Makhatadze and Zurab Ghviniashvili. The nursery is supported by FAO through the EU Innovative Action for Private Sector Competitiveness in Georgia Joint Programme. EU and FAO, under the EU4Business programme, are jointly working to improve the quality and the phytosanitary conditions of the seeds and saplings produced in Georgia. The nursery produces 200 000 grapevine saplings per year on average.

The team then met with a local farmer Vepkhvia Tsagareishvili, who benefited from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) support. Owning 300 sq. m. greenhouses in Vartsikhe, Bagdati municipality, Vepkhvia grew vegetables and found that modern agriculture had a lot to offer for successful off-season production of onions, herbs and other vegetables. The demonstration plot is one of the recent ones established by FAO and EU under the ENPARD programme. New agricultural approaches and solutions introduced with FAO and EU support allowed the farmers  to get better harvests and save more money.

In Imereti, the UN team met with the State Representative in Imereti region Mr. Zviad Shalamberidze. Discussion focused on the opportunities and development needs of the region, co-operation established between the UN and the Imereti region. The sides also touched upon the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2020-2025 providing opportunities for improving well-being of people in regions and fostering local development.

At the meeting with the Mayor of the Kutaisi municipality Iosef Khakhaleishvili, the parties exchanged thoughts related to programs implemented in the region by the UN agencies in Georgia. Discussion also focused on ways to expand existing cooperation and efforts in the field of education, innovation, jobs, gender, youth development, agrotourism, waste separation and environmental protection.

In Kutaisi, the UN team also met with refugees  and the Community Group Facilitators  (CGFs) at the  World Vision office in Kutaisi. It has been three years since UNHCR and World Vision Georgia started a project “Community Mobilization and Participation”  to contribute to the realization of the fundamental rights of refugees in Georgia. At the meeting the Community Group Facilitators and refugees focused  specifically on the current situation, needs and priorities of the refugee communities in the country.

The visit to the Imereti region  was capped by the information meeting on vaccination  at the Kutaisi 60+ club for Healthy and Active Ageing. "60+ Clubs" is an initiative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Georgia Office, which promotes an active aging policy and improves the quality of life of the elderly. The club is very important for engagement and remaining connected and provides real meaningful pursuits to look forward to. Maia (Maka) Rukhadze, a representative of the Center for Allergy and Immunology, spoke about the importance of vaccination to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic.  The 60+ club members also had a chance to take their cooking skills to the next level with Chef Keti Bakradze's most comprehensive cooking class  in a new kitchen space arranged by the Liberty Bank.

While in Guria, the UN team held consultations with the Mayor of the Ozurgeti Municipality Avtandil Talakvadze.  Discussion focused on ways to expand existing cooperation and efforts in the field of agrotourism, tea production, education, health and the environment.

In the course of the visit, the team visited the Ozurgeti Domestic Violence crises centre administered by the State Social Care Agency. The team members were particularly interested to see the steps taken by crises centre to assist vulnerable women.

This was followed by a catch-up with women entrepreneurs at the social café „Ketostan” in Lanchkhuti, who have benefited from the UN Women assistance. The team members also met with the local community members in the Nasakirali and Laituri villages  to discuss the importance of community mobilization initiatives for the development of the region as well as  to present a book ‘Once there was a Girl’.  Their feedback on areas needing attention remains a valued source of information for the UN.