The News in Brief
Thursday, November 5
uarevo.in.ua releases recording of alleged conversation between Mikheil Saakashvili, Nugzar Tsiklauri and Givi Targamadze
A Ukrainian webpage, uarevo.in.ua, has released recordings of a phone conversation between Georgia’s former President and the current Governor of Odessa, Mikheil Saakashvili, and Nugzar Tsiklauri, a Georgian MP.
Three audio recordings have been published on the webpage; the two men are heard discussing the possibility of launching permanent protests once the Judge delivers a verdict over the Rustavi 2 case. Nugzar Tsiklauri is heard to say that the mood of their supporters is good and NGOs have also expressed their support; he claims that after the verdict some people will arrive near the court and up to 3000 people will picket Rustavi 2.
“We have tents and some assorted equipment, the installation of which will begin tomorrow. As far as I have been, when our people are there, they will mobilize 600 people in order to organize clashes and resist police reactions. We plan to bring some people from Samegrelo who had previously served as special squad members. I think something smells bad and let’s see what happens,” Tsiklauri said.
The ex-President says that maximum mobilization throughout the country is necessary and bigger meetings, rallies and concerts should be held. Tsiklauri then says:
“We think that if he (the judge) postpones the verdict, we will leave 70 to 100 people here, so that the tents are not left empty. Then we will begin acting in the regions and when they inform us about the verdict. So, when the judge says that the verdict is on its way, we will begin permanent demonstrations, because we do not know when are they going to announce an immediate execution of the verdict. It is possible that he won’t say it publicly and will do it secretly. Anyway, it will happen within a week and we need to be mobilized by then.”
After that, the phone is passed on to Givi Targamadze and the ex-President asks him about who exactly is going to be mobilized.
“There are some people who are ready and willing. Enough people, I think. Some of them had been fired, some are our people, but the most important thing for us is that we withstand the first part of their retaliation. I think we will do it. We will withstand the first as well as second and third parts,” Targamadze says. (IPN)
What is the friendliest town in Georgia?
Greetings are an important part of social relations; they are welcoming, can make a person feel at ease and foster positive relations between one another. Greetings are small in effort but can have a big impact on a person’s day.
The Georgian market research and consulting company ACT conducted a nationwide survey to reveal the friendliest town in Georgia.
The results revealed Georgia’s friendliest town was Zugdidi, in the western region of Samegrelo.
Survey representatives carried out the informal test by greeting 700 people on the streets of five major Georgian towns: Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi and Telavi.
In Zugdidi, 96 percent of people responded back with a reciprocal greeting, said ACT.
As for Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, the friendliest district was Isani. (Agenda.ge)
UNICEF launches a new data portal to support evidence-based policy development in Georgia
A new data portal concerning the circumstances of women and children is being launched by UNICEF in Georgia. The data portal, http://data.unicef.ge, houses all major studies and surveys carried out by UNICEF during the past years.
The website displays not only the reports analyzing various studies, but also datasets that will give policy makers and researchers an opportunity to use and tailor the data to their needs.
“Data collection, analysis and dissemination are important parts of UNICEF’s work,” said Sascha Graumann, UNICEF Representative in Georgia. “We support Georgia’s collection of data by conducting surveys and building national capacities. Quality and well-disaggregated data are essential to plan effective policies and programmes. We work with the Georgian Government and other partners to ensure that major policies concerning children, newly introduced or revised, are based on quality data and evidence, e.g. the evidence generated by the UNICEF’s Child Poverty study led to the revision of the social protection system,” added Graumann.
The web portal allows the online analysis of data without statistical software. Users will be able to download full datasets of surveys and census for further in-depth analysis. It aims to promote more research and analysis of important issues that are essential for policy development, planning and advocacy.
“Evidence and data are also important tools for advocacy, as they identify gaps and equip us with the facts and information that are essential to influence decision makers and relevant audiences to achieve desired results. We are looking forward to seeing our data used by policymakers, programme managers, researchers, academia, students, civil society and media with the aim of monitoring the situation as well as advocating for and developing better policies for children,” said Sascha Graumann. (UNICEF)
A Ukrainian webpage, uarevo.in.ua, has released recordings of a phone conversation between Georgia’s former President and the current Governor of Odessa, Mikheil Saakashvili, and Nugzar Tsiklauri, a Georgian MP.
Three audio recordings have been published on the webpage; the two men are heard discussing the possibility of launching permanent protests once the Judge delivers a verdict over the Rustavi 2 case. Nugzar Tsiklauri is heard to say that the mood of their supporters is good and NGOs have also expressed their support; he claims that after the verdict some people will arrive near the court and up to 3000 people will picket Rustavi 2.
“We have tents and some assorted equipment, the installation of which will begin tomorrow. As far as I have been, when our people are there, they will mobilize 600 people in order to organize clashes and resist police reactions. We plan to bring some people from Samegrelo who had previously served as special squad members. I think something smells bad and let’s see what happens,” Tsiklauri said.
The ex-President says that maximum mobilization throughout the country is necessary and bigger meetings, rallies and concerts should be held. Tsiklauri then says:
“We think that if he (the judge) postpones the verdict, we will leave 70 to 100 people here, so that the tents are not left empty. Then we will begin acting in the regions and when they inform us about the verdict. So, when the judge says that the verdict is on its way, we will begin permanent demonstrations, because we do not know when are they going to announce an immediate execution of the verdict. It is possible that he won’t say it publicly and will do it secretly. Anyway, it will happen within a week and we need to be mobilized by then.”
After that, the phone is passed on to Givi Targamadze and the ex-President asks him about who exactly is going to be mobilized.
“There are some people who are ready and willing. Enough people, I think. Some of them had been fired, some are our people, but the most important thing for us is that we withstand the first part of their retaliation. I think we will do it. We will withstand the first as well as second and third parts,” Targamadze says. (IPN)
What is the friendliest town in Georgia?
Greetings are an important part of social relations; they are welcoming, can make a person feel at ease and foster positive relations between one another. Greetings are small in effort but can have a big impact on a person’s day.
The Georgian market research and consulting company ACT conducted a nationwide survey to reveal the friendliest town in Georgia.
The results revealed Georgia’s friendliest town was Zugdidi, in the western region of Samegrelo.
Survey representatives carried out the informal test by greeting 700 people on the streets of five major Georgian towns: Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi and Telavi.
In Zugdidi, 96 percent of people responded back with a reciprocal greeting, said ACT.
As for Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, the friendliest district was Isani. (Agenda.ge)
UNICEF launches a new data portal to support evidence-based policy development in Georgia
A new data portal concerning the circumstances of women and children is being launched by UNICEF in Georgia. The data portal, http://data.unicef.ge, houses all major studies and surveys carried out by UNICEF during the past years.
The website displays not only the reports analyzing various studies, but also datasets that will give policy makers and researchers an opportunity to use and tailor the data to their needs.
“Data collection, analysis and dissemination are important parts of UNICEF’s work,” said Sascha Graumann, UNICEF Representative in Georgia. “We support Georgia’s collection of data by conducting surveys and building national capacities. Quality and well-disaggregated data are essential to plan effective policies and programmes. We work with the Georgian Government and other partners to ensure that major policies concerning children, newly introduced or revised, are based on quality data and evidence, e.g. the evidence generated by the UNICEF’s Child Poverty study led to the revision of the social protection system,” added Graumann.
The web portal allows the online analysis of data without statistical software. Users will be able to download full datasets of surveys and census for further in-depth analysis. It aims to promote more research and analysis of important issues that are essential for policy development, planning and advocacy.
“Evidence and data are also important tools for advocacy, as they identify gaps and equip us with the facts and information that are essential to influence decision makers and relevant audiences to achieve desired results. We are looking forward to seeing our data used by policymakers, programme managers, researchers, academia, students, civil society and media with the aim of monitoring the situation as well as advocating for and developing better policies for children,” said Sascha Graumann. (UNICEF)