EU, France and Czech Republic Launch Project to Improve Georgia's Social Protection System
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Thursday, November 11
The signing ceremony of the project on strengthening the social protection system was marked on November 11 at the Embassy of the Czech Republic. The project is implemented with the financial support of the European Union, Expertise France (AFD Group) and the Czech Development Agency (CzDA), in cooperation with the Ministry of IDPs from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia.
The event was attended by the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Georgia Petr Mikiska, the Ambassador of the French Republic to Georgia Diego Kolas and Mr. Catalin Gherman, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia. Tamila Barkalaia, Deputy Minister, spoke about the position of the Ministry, and the project team held a brief presentation for the audience.
“Social protection is part of the core values of the EU. In a democratic society, it is the responsibility of each of us to care for vulnerable members of society and to ensure that all citizens can participate in social life and democratic processes. This is especially important given the reality of Covid-19, as many people need extra support. With this in mind, we are pleased to launch a new project with our Team Europe partners, which we hope will have a positive impact in the coming years,” Gherman said.
According to the French Ambassador to Georgia there is already a global alliance between the development agencies of France and the Czech Republic, and he is pleased that this cooperation has developed in Georgia.
“We support the choice of the Georgian people and their respective governments to develop a strong, dynamic European model democratic system in Georgia, which would logically be achieved in cooperation with such a successful and dynamic Eastern European democratic system as the Czech Republic. The implementation of this joint project is an important part of the broader institutional and democratic development agenda,” Colas said.
According to the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Georgia, the development of the Social Code is a key reform aimed at establishing an effective social welfare system in Georgia, which also provides for the decentralization of social protection services.
The project “Strengthening the Social Security System in Georgia” aims to support the Georgian government and state institutions in developing social services, developing evidence-based policies and strengthening social rights. The duration of the project is 24 months, and the main implementing partners are Expertise France and the Czech Development Agency.
The project will be implemented in 3 main directions. The 1st component provides for the improvement of remittances of social services and social assistance (allowance) available locally to the Social Services Agency. The 2nd component provides improved analysis of information on social rights and social services and large-scale communication. Under the 3rd component, it is planned to support the Ministry in the process of drafting a social code that will facilitate the expansion of social rights. The process of drafting the Code will be inclusive and collaborative, resulting in the development of evidence-based policies and the legislative process.
The first phase of the project has already started, within which it is planned to align the policy on the key directions and strategies that are necessary to improve the development of social protection services.
