Opening Ceremony of the Project for “Explosive Remnants of War and Mine Clearance in the Area of Administrative Boundary Line with Tskhinvali Region” of “Grassroots and Human Security Grant Assistance Programme” provided by the Government of Japan

On September 21, the Opening Ceremony was held outside the village of Ergneti, in the Shida Kartli region of Georgia, concerning the Project for “Explosive Remnants of War and Mine Clearance in the Area of Administrative Boundary Line with Tskhinvali Region”, which has been implemented within the framework of “Grassroots and Human Security Grant Assistance Programme” of the Government of Japan. The Ceremony was attended by H.E. Tadaharu Uehara, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Georgia, Mr. Nick Smart – Regional Director of HALO Trust, Mr. Giorgi Khojevanishvili – the Governor of Shida Kartli and other representatives of the regional and local government.

The Grant Contract of the above-mentioned project was concluded on March 2, 2017, between the Embassy of Japan and HALO Trust. This project has been advanced in close cooperation with the local self-government. Under this project, Japan has provided a grant for demining and clearance in the area of the Administrative Boundary Line with Tskhinvali Region. This project allowed to clear over 137 hectares of land and make it safe for 153 500 residents. The budget for the project was 346 000 USD.

The “Grant Assistance for Grassroots and Human Security Projects” (GGP) provides assistance to relatively small projects implemented by municipalities, medical/educational institutions, as well as NGOs and aims at improving the living standards of Georgian people. Within 20 years of its work in Georgia - from 1998 to 2018, the Grassroots Human Security Program (GGP) of the Government in Japan funded 163 projects, in total amounting to more than 16 million USD (16’642’524 USD). Through this funding, dozens of schools, kindergartens, hospitals were rehabilitated and re-equipped – providing essential services to the most vulnerable population; agriculture infrastructure was developed, alleviating poverty in some of the poorest villages; thousands of hectares of land were cleared from hazardous landmines, saving lives of the local population.