New Adjara - New Challenges

The “New Adjara-New Challenges” project had been implemented by UNAG in partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS). It supported the development of civil society organizations (CSOs) in the Adjara Autonomous Republic.
It was the first major initiative targeting CSOs in Adjara, where the work of CSOs and media had been repressed and severely inhibited by local authorities that governed the autonomous republic until May 2004. As a result, Adjara CSOs have not developed on par with their colleagues from other provinces of Georgia. The primary objective of the project was to empower CSOs to better serve beneficiaries, to establish linkages with other CSOs in the country, and to evolve organizationally.
The project enabled CSOs to receive information on best practices and organizational development of CSOs in Georgia. CSOs in Adjara were encouraged to cooperate with CSOs and public sector organizations nationally and establish more efficient and effective decision-making practices.

Activities of the program
• Promoting Adjara-based CSO activities among various national and international organizations in Georgia;
• Promoting coalition-building among Adjara CSOs;
• Providing Adjarian CSOs with timely and updated information on donors’ new initiatives and projects;
• Funding up to five advocacy projects run by coalitions of CSOs in Adjara;
• Promoting effective dialogue between CSOs and local government through round-table discussions;
• Offering two-week internship for five representatives of Adjarian CSOs in several leading non-governmental organizations of Tbilisi.

Civil Support Center based at the UNAG Batumi Field Office:
• Conducted roundtables and meetings discussion concerning ongoing problems and reforms with public sector representatives, international and local organizations;
• Prepared a newsletter highlighting the most recent issues and best practices of CSOs;
• Maintained a library of international and local publications on democracy and civic activism;
• Disseminated information on the activities of Adjara CSOs in other regions of Georgia;
• Provided training on organizational development, advocacy, and freedom of information.
Enhancing the Network between Mass Media, Governmental and Non-governmental Sectors
Aside from implementing the “New Adjara- New Challenges” project in Batumi, Adjara, which aimed at capacity building and development of Adjarian CSOs, UNAG contributed to establishing informal networks between the mass-media, non-governmental and governmental sectors in Georgia through delivering professional trainings and roundtable discussions to local mass media outlets and self-governance bodies. This project was supported by the World Bank and aimed at enhancing the skills of local mass-media outlets in forming better cooperation and communication methods with the local government and CSOs and thereby increasing civic engagement in the region.

UNAG Batumi Field Office