In a recent interview, Nino Tevzadze, a Deputy Director at the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN), articulated her perspective on the importance of joining and aligning with the European Union (EU) through her Civil Society Development Project. She emphasized the project’s democratic contributions, public participation, access to social services, EU support, and community values.
How the EU's support through the Civil Society Development Project has strengthened the capacity of local organizations to promote public participation in decision-making
According to Nino Tevzadze, the overall objective of the project is to strengthen civil society, with all activities focused on this goal. The project targets organizations operating in the Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti regions, with specific activities aimed at enhancing their capacity to effectively participate in the decision-making process.
One of the key components of the project is a series of thematic and organizational development-oriented trainings conducted throughout its duration. These trainings are complemented by mentoring sessions, which play a crucial role in deepening participants’ knowledge and facilitating the practical application of what they learn. Training topics were selected at the start of the project based on analysis of the civil society needs assessment.
Ms. Tevzadze also mentioned study visits organized in the Czech Republic, which have been highly important for involving CSOs in sharing experiences related to the provision of social services in the country. These visits also have allowed participants to observe the work being done by Czech CSOs to improve social service delivery. Additionally, Ms. Tevzadze highlighted the Youth Professional Program and Youth Thematic Camps, mentioning that they provided young people and active citizens in the target regions with opportunities to gain valuable experience and implement various initiatives aimed at improving local conditions. The project also supports civil society representatives through open grant competitions. This component was particularly impactful, as it enabled organizations to implement meaningful changes on the ground.
The project primarily focuses on improving the quality and accessibility of social services, with the grants issued aimed at enhancing the quality of life for the most vulnerable groups by addressing service gaps. Simultaneously, the implementation of these initiatives helps NGOs grow and strengthen their competencies, which is vital for maximizing their long-term impact on beneficiaries.
Moreover, Ms. Tevzadze emphasized that the civil sector has had the opportunity to engage in multi-stakeholder working groups and collaborate with experts to assess existing social services in the target regions, develop recommendations, and, in some cases, design new services tailored to emerging needs of beneficiaries. Notably, five social services developed within the project, in partnership with municipalities, have been formally approved and adopted by the respective municipalities.
In conclusion, the combination of interventions—be it thematic and organizational development-oriented trainings, mentoring sessions, grant competitions, or experience in co-creating services—significantly enhances the capacity of the civil sector. These efforts collectively ensure that their participation in decision-making processes is well-informed, evidence-based, and, ultimately, effective.
The European values the project instils in communities, and how local stakeholders embrace them
“European values include inclusivity, accountability, and transparency, among others. All three values underpin the entire project and its activities, particularly within multi-stakeholder working groups, grant initiatives, and youth programs, where the benefits of these values are clearly demonstrated. A key focus was involving all stakeholders as much as possible, highlighting the advantages of inclusive participation, transparent decision-making, and shared responsibility. The local community has directly witnessed the positive impact of applying these values on the ground. Moving forward, it is crucial that the strengthened civil sector continues to actively work in the region, upholding these values and fostering sustainable progress.”
– Nino Tevzadze
The ways the project has contributed to improving access to social services for vulnerable groups, and aligned with EU standards for social inclusion
In terms of improving access to social services, Nino Tevzadze highlighted the creation of new services tailored to specific needs, the assessment of existing services based on 21 criteria, and the development of recommendations to enhance these services.
Additionally, Ms. Tevzadze added that an extra grant competition was held, piloting new services or raising awareness of existing ones, as well as improving their accessibility for potential beneficiaries in the target regions. Overall, the topics addressed through the grant competition and subsequent work on improving services were quite diverse. The competition reached a wide range of beneficiaries, including children, young people, women, individuals aged 60 and older, people with disabilities, and others. All these initiatives were designed to involve vulnerable groups, consider their needs, and protect their interests.
Success stories from the project where EU-backed initiatives have empowered citizens or fostered a more democratic and equitable society at the local level
According to Ms. Tevzadze, five municipalities in the project’s target regions adopted social services developed within the project. She emphasized that practically every grant awarded was a kind of success story. These grants have either piloted new services in the region, such as the establishment of a Social Integration Centre for elderly people in Akhaltsikhe, raised awareness about existing services, or improved the quality of current services by enhancing the skills of local specialists.
The project team established CSO/LA multi-stakeholder partnerships in all targeted municipalities to promote bottom-up participatory processes. The goals of the partnerships are to (1) stimulate evidence-based multi-stakeholder dialogue enabling CSOs and LAs to understand and respond to the current needs for improved quality, availability and sustainability of local social and community-based service delivery and (2) enable the inclusive social policy-making process.
Following initial consultations and agreements with the municipalities, the project team and the municipalities created a list of organisations and individuals within the municipality to become members of the working group. The project team partnered with the Centre for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG), which provided expertise on social services based on the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA). Two rounds of meetings were held in each municipality with additional meetings with the mayors as necessary.
CSRDG evaluated existing social services in each municipality against the 21 Human Rights Based Approach criteria and developed recommendations for each municipality. During the first round of meetings, the group discussed existing social services and the 21 recommendations. The recommendations were adjusted accordingly and feasibility of their application was discussed.
Ms. Tevzadze added that a second round of meetings comprised 2-day long working meetings to design new social services based on local needs and gaps. The meetings covered the following topics: definition of social service provision, selecting target groups, identifying target group needs, prioritising needs of the target groups, and developing new social service design. Prior to the working meetings, CSRDG sought information on statistics of people in vulnerable situations from various public agencies. As a result, the following social services were designed for the following municipalities:
Dmanisi
The working group selected women as target groups and worked to define needs and challenges for this segment using the Problem Tree methodology. As a result, the groups developed a series of activities responding to the existing challenges and problems of the target groups. The information exchanged during the meeting was reflected in the final document of the social service, which was sent to each member of the group.
On September 27, 2023, the Women’s Socio-economic Empowerment Programme for Improving their Knowledge on the Topics of Employment, Entrepreneurial Skills and Gender Issues was presented to the mayor and the deputy mayor. The final meeting was held on October 10th with the municipality, following which CENN received a notification that Dmanisi Municipality had approved the social services concerning the economic empowerment of women living in rural areas and allocated a respective budget.
Tsalka
The same approach was adopted in Tsalka, and the working group initially selected two target groups: the elderly and single parents. Priority was given to single parents with a special emphasis on the parent of the children with disabilities. The needs and challenges for this segment were defined using the Problem Tree methodology. Subsequently, the group defined specific activities which were incorporated in the design of the service. To conclude, the Socio-economic Empowerment of Single Parents and Caregivers of Children with Disabilities social service was approved by the municipality and a budget was allocated.
Bolnisi
Using the same approach, the Bolnisi working group selected the following target group: young people in vulnerable situations. The group worked to identify needs and challenges and accordingly define a comprehensive list of activities responding to the most significant needs and challenges based on HRBA. Following a meeting with the mayor and by working with experts, the Youth Socio-Economic Empowerment Program/Promotion of Youth Self-Determination, Welfare and Employment social service was approved with a corresponding budget allocated.
Tetritskaro
The working group selected children from 0-7 years of age with development difficulties as a target group. The selection was made using a voting system due to initially naming several target groups as a priority. After defining challenges and needs, specific activities were drafted based on similar existing programmes. Subsequently, a consultation meeting was arranged with the Association for Protection of Civic Interests of Georgia based in Telavi that has the same service. The organisation presented the early intervention programme to Tetritskaro group members, who then agreed to use the same methodology for the service in Tetritskaro, which will sit under the Union of Kindergartens. The programme was agreed upon based on additional meetings held between the working group members, the mayor and the Union of Kindergarten. The municipal sub-programme for promoting children’s early development was approved and a corresponding budget was allocated.
Gardabani
During the second round of meetings, the Gardabani working group, using the priority matrix, worked to select the appropriate target group taking into consideration necessity and feasibility of a programme for each given target vulnerable group. As a result, the group chose to work with the elderly. The needs and challenges of the target group were defined using the Problem Tree methodology and specific activities were drafted in response to the needs. A programme focusing on the socialisation of the elderly was developed as a result. The Socialisation of the Elderly Programme was approved by the municipality and a budget was allocated.