Tbilisi, March 5, 2024 – Within the EU-funded “Green Guria” project, CENN and partner organisations hosted the first Steering Committee meeting in Radisson Blue Iveria Hotel. The meeting was intended to evaluate the progress of the “GREEN GURIA: Supporting Local Democracy and Rural Development for Inclusive and Sustainable Green Growth” project and facilitate the exchange of information and recommendations.
Laurent G. Nicole, Executive Director of CENN; Ketevan Khutsishvili, Programme Manager for Emergency Management, Civil Protection, Rural Development, and Intellectual Property at the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia; Tengiz Nasaridze, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia; and Giorgi Urushadze, State Representative of Guria, opened the event and delivered a welcome speech.
During the meeting, the delegates from UNDP, FAO Georgia, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia discussed the current rural development initiatives, food security measures, and community-based local support programs under ENPARD IV.
“Not a single EU-funded initiative is a stand-alone project direction. The European Union has had important policy dialogue with the Georgian government for more than ten years, which promotes rural development and agriculture in Georgia, and the beginning and end of this policy is to make the countryside in Georgia a much more attractive place for people who want to live in rural areas with dignity and develop the economy.” – Ketevan Khutsishvili, Programme Manager for Emergency Management, Civil Protection, Rural Development, and Intellectual Property at the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia;
Moreover, a panel discussion took place during the meeting, allowing guests to interact with the members of the recently formed local development groups from the Ozurgeti, Chokhatauri, Lanchkhuti, and Gurjaani municipalities.
„I would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the European Union for their valuable support in fostering rural development initiatives in Georgia. For over 7 years, CENN has been part of the ENPARD program, focusing on rural development in Georgia. We’ve worked on rural development projects in Keda and Tsalka, collaborating with local communities to bring about positive changes. And now we are happy that have the opportunity to work in Guria region in this direction. The project Green Guria started in 2022 and the aim of the project is the diversification of local economy via attracting investments, strengthening local civil society and promoting the introduction of competitive agricultural and environmental practices at local level. And as a result supporting the green growth of the country.“ – Laurent G. E. Nicole – Executive Director, CENN
“The topic around which we gathered is one of the priorities for our state and government. This is reflected in the policy strategy of the Ministry, as the leader of the sectorial policy, in its action plan, and in this direction, we have been discussing working together and implementing a number of successful projects for many years. In this part, our cooperation within the framework of ENPARD is most important” – Tengiz Nasaridze, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.
The representatives of the European Union, the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture of Georgia, the Ministry of Economy, international organisations and the local self-government of Guria attended the event.
CENN implements the project in cooperation with partner organisations, the Young Pedagogues’ Union, the Institute of Democracy, and the Local Action Group of KEDA (LAG), supported by the European Union within the European Neighbourhood Program for Rural and Agricultural Development ENPARD IV. The project aims to reduce poverty and improve the economic and social environment, as well as the living conditions of vulnerable communities, through civic engagement, inclusive rural development, and green growth.