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Programs
Democracy and Governance
Democracy and Governance
Objective
Current Situation
Successes
Program Activities
Assessments and Other Publications
Objective
More effective, responsive, and accountable governance
USAID works to ensure the long-term viability of Georgia’s democratic transition. USAID assistance priorities are to support national and local level government reform, improve public sector transparency and accountability, advance the rule of law, foster broader public participation in political life, and promote national integration of Georgia’s ethnic minorities and confidence building measures between the government of Georgia and the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Current Situation
Two years after the Rose Revolution, the Saakashvili administration’s commitment to democratic reform is strong. The government of Georgia reduced the number of ministries from 28 to 13, adopted legislation establishing the Civil Service Council on Public Service, and instituted reforms to the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure. The government has reformed the courts, started civil registration reform, and drafted legislation that will give more power to local governments.
Despite this remarkable progress, some problems remain.
The ruling “National Movement” party dominates political life and the opposition is weak. The government passed several constitutional amendments that centralize power in the hands of the presidency and the executive branch. In addition, the president has replaced ministers frequently, which has disrupted government operations and the pace of some reforms. The government’s relationship with civil society is sometimes tense, with limited cooperation.
Courts and judges are still susceptible to political and monetary pressure and more work needs to be done to help them become fully independent. Public administration reform, while well intentioned, remains somewhat adrift, with individual ministries and entities pursuing uncoordinated efforts. Recent violence in the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia highlight Georgia’s potential for conflict.
Successes
- NGO, media, and election assistance was instrumental in laying the foundation for the Rose Revolution
- Helped institute a national bar examination for lawyers and create a national bar association
- Increased citizen awareness and involvement in public hearings by promoting the use of the Freedom of Information clause
- City managers in over 20 municipalities adopted open council meetings with agendas published in advance to increase citizen participation
- Helped draft new municipal property laws that provide for improved municipal services, increased citizen participation, and better government accountability
- Introduced new charity legislation in the tax code
- Established first independent, nationwide TV ratings system; as a result television advertising market in Georgia increased from $3 to $12 million since January 2004
- Created first-ever tolerance-promoting television show for youth, Kid’s Crossroads, which is produced by, for, and about adolescents from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia
Program Activities
Reform national governance
USAID partner Development Alternatives Incorporated (www.dai.com) trained the staff of the Offices of the President and Prime Minister in communications and outreach, provided IT equipment, and made recommendations to improve inter-ministerial coordination.
In order to develop more customer oriented public service, USAID supports the Ministry of Justice in developing a unified, centralized, and multifunctional civil registration system. Our partner the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) (www.osce.org) is working with the Ministry to maintain population information for a wide variety of public service needs, including citizenship and identity documentation, birth certificates, and population statistics.
USAID is assisting the Ministry of Education in its effort to prepare a new generation of skilled professionals by helping to introduce international standards for graduate admissions. New graduate admissions examinations will be produced by Georgia’s National Assessment and Examination Center, using the American GRE, GMAT, and LSAT tests as models. Our partner American Councils (www.americancouncils.org) is implementing this project.
Improve Justice Sector
To increase respect for and strengthen the rule of law, USAID activities seek to support the independence of the judiciary and improve the legal profession. American Bar Association's Central European and Eurasia Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI) (www.abanet.org/ceeli) is assisting the judiciary with structural reforms. ABA/CEELI supported the creation of Georgia’s first independent bar association and will continue to support its organizational development.
To combat domestic violence, USAID through ABA/CEELI funds the Center for the Protection of Constitutional Rights to provide free legal aid on the issue. USAID partner Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association prepared draft legislation on domestic violence, which is pending adoption in the Parliament.
USAID supports the Georgian government’s anti-trafficking plan and our partner, Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association (GYLA) (www.gyla.ge), is helping the government draft an anti-trafficking law to protect potential trafficking victims. GYLA is also carrying out a media campaign to raise awareness about trafficking. Parts of the media campaign are geared particularly to potential victims of trafficking. GYLA also provides free-of-charge legal aid and shelter to victims of trafficking.
Strengthen Parliament
USAID partner organization National Democratic Institute (www.ndi.org) is implementing a parliamentary strengthening project that responds to the priorities of the government of Georgia. The project works with Parliament to improve its ability to communicate with voters, develop legislation in a way that invites public participation, and promote women’s involvement. So far, USAID has trained 150 members of Parliament (MPs) on faction management and voter outreach, and 380 parliamentary staff members on legislative drafting. Roundtable discussions on eight different legislative drafts were organized and involved more than 1,400 citizens and 60 MPs. Our assistance helped create a Speaker’s Advisory Board, a Parliamentary Women’s Gender Equity Council, and a parliamentary internship program.
Active citizens and accountable local government
USAID partner organization Urban Institute (www.urban.ge) is implementing the Communities Empowered for Local Decision Making project, which works with government officials, citizens, and others to improve local government in Georgia's 30 largest municipalities. The project provides training to improve the cities’ budgeting skills in order to maximize their limited resources. Citizens are also being trained to better understand financial issues and to lobby elected officials to prioritize citizens' main concerns.
Strengthen political parties
USAID works with political parties at both the national and regional levels. In order to continue the evolution of Georgian politics towards issue-based agendas, USAID partner International Republican Institute (www.iri.org) implements a project to assist political parties in their efforts to build coalitions around reform-minded agendas and enhance the participation of Georgian youth and women in the political process. The use of polling is on the rise to tailor outreach and programs to constituents and attract followers.
As a result of our assistance, four of the strongest opposition political parties formed an alliance to put forward one candidate against the ruling United National Movement’s candidates in Georgia’s October 2005 bi-elections. USAID also provided reliable opinion poll data to all major political parties and worked with two leading Georgian youth NGOs to train domestic election observers for the elections.
Promote National Integration
USAID partner United Nations Association of Georgia (www.una.ge) is implementing a new project to promote an increased sense of national unity among Georgia’s citizens. The project will reach out to communities in isolated regions of the country, and boost respect for human rights. The project will work with the government to develop a national strategy to promote ethnic integration and tolerance, offer small grants to community organizations, and create two tolerance-promoting TV programs. The project will also strengthen ties between Georgians and Abkhazians and Georgians and Ossetians.
Promote values and good decision-making among the region's youth
Kids' Crossroads is a landmark regional television show produced by, for, and about teenagers in the Caucasus. USAID partner Internews (www.internews.ge) designed the show to instill values and good decision-making skills among the region’s adolescents by offering a window into neighboring countries' current events, traditions, and issues while delivering its important message directly from youth themselves. The bi-weekly show premiered in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan in January 2005.
Assessments and Other Publications
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