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The Netherlands supports confidence building efforts in Georgia

Tuesday, July 9
5 July 2013 - Through a contribution to the Confidence Building Early Response Mechanism (COBERM), a joint EU/UNDP Programme, the Netherlands will support three civil society organisations that work to promote confidence building efforts in Georgia.

To mark the start of these activities, Ambassador of the Netherlands in Georgia, Pieter Langenberg, Head of the EU Delegation to Georgia, Ambassador Philip Dimitrov and Deputy Head of UNDP in Georgia Inita Paulovica met with representatives of the three organisations that will receive funding from the Netherlands: Go Group Media, Studio Re and Association”Peaceful and Business Caucasus” on July 4.

Together with the other projects selected within the first round of the current COBERM program, these three organisations will engage in a wide range of efforts related to confidence building within and across conflict divides, including increasing interaction amongst youth, farmers, teachers, doctors and scholars; providing better access to healthcare and education; promoting peace journalism and the role of women in conflict transformation; etc.

During his opening statement, Ambassador Langenberg mentioned that throughout the four years of his tenure in Georgia he has always been personally aware of the importance of finding a peaceful solutions to the ongoing conflicts: “Enhancing stability is, and will remain, one of the most important policy priorities for the Netherlands in Georgia. Recently this focus was reflected in a policy brief on international security by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which put an explicit emphasis on conflicts in the European neighborhood, including the South Caucasus”, Ambassador Langenberg stated.

The contribution of EUR 200.000,- to the COBERM Program is financed by the Stability Fund of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Besides COBERM, the Netherlands’ Stability Fund also provides a 2-year, USD 2.7 million contribution to UNHCR to promote durable solutions for displaced persons in Georgia. “In doing so, the Netherlands is striving for an integrated, comprehensive approach towards international security. An approach that employs the broadest possible range of instruments and stakeholders”, says Ambassador Langenberg.