Georgian Civil Society
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AN ASSESSMENT OF GEORGIAN CIVIL SOCIETY Report of the CIVICUS Civil Society Index 2010 2 FOREWORD The development of civil society is entering a new stage in Georgia. Inspired by the 2003 Rose Revolution and the widespread and ongoing post-revolution euphoria, and shaped by the events and processes of recent years (protest demonstrations, elections, the war, economic crisis) Georgian society is currently re-evaluating its values. A significant part of Georgian society seems to be disappointed, as years of revolutionary changes have not brought the results they expected. Thus, there is a need to find new ways to solve existing problems. Georgian civil society is also affected by this slow progress. In this regard, every effort to facilitate the re-evaluation of these change processes and to help identify new goals should be welcomed and supported. The CIVICUS Civil Society Index project, implemented by the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD) under the aegis of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and with the kind financial support of the Open Society Institute, is one of the first attempts to analyse and understand the new reality in which Georgian civil society operates. The project was supported by different, and sometimes opposing, civil society organisations, and provided for an active dialogue with segments of civil society that are often excluded from participating (e.g. mass media, business community, political parties). We hope that the atmosphere of cooperation and good relations generated through this inclusive project will survive beyond the timeframe of the CSI project and continue to positively impact the development and consolidation of civil society in Georgia. This report was prepared by David Losaberidze, PhD, Programmes Coordinator and Member of the Executive Board, Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development. We wish you an informative and pleasant reading. Kind regards, Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD) Tbilisi, September 2010 CIVICUS Civil Society Index Analytical Report for Georgia 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The CSI Georgia project was implemented by Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD) with the financial and technical assistance of Open Society Institute. The CIVICUS Civil Society Index project methodology has been developed by CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation. The project team was assisted by an Advisory Committee 1 which significantly contributed to the project implementation process. We also appreciate contributions from the following researchers: George Babunashvili, Tamar Charkviani, Ana Chelidze, Rusudan Chkheidze, Gia Gotua, Nino Ghambashidze, Tinatin Jishkariani, Ketevan Khapava, Vasil Mamulashvili, Tina Tkeshelashvili, Zurab Tsiklauri, Merab Tsindeliani, and Sopho Vasadze, who were actively involved in different activities of the project, collecting and analysing materials for case studies, research, and focus-group discussions. The following members of CIVICUS staff took part in the research and preparation of this final report: Tracy Anderson, Yosi Echeverry Burckhardt, Mariano De Donatis, Andrew Firmin, Megan MacGarry and Mark Nowottny. This report is the result of a team effort, rather than the product of an individual author or a group of authors. We would thus express our particular gratitude to civil society representatives for their participation in the national workshop and all of the valuable feedback and recommendations that helped accomplish the project objectives. David Losaberidze Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development Tbilisi, September 2010 1 The CSI Georgia Advisory Committee consisted of: Ramaz Aptsiauri, Manana Ghurchumelidze, Paata Gurgenidze, Nana Janashia, Emzar Jgerenaia, Lela Kartvelishvili, Ghia Khasia, Tamar Khidasheli, Kakha Khimshiashvili, Koba Liklikadze, Kamila Mamedova, and Bakur Sulakauri Gurgenidze, Nana Janashia, Emzar Jgerenaia, Lela Kartvelishvili, Ghia Khasia, Tamar Khidasheli, Kakha Khimshiashvili, Koba Liklikadze, Kamila Mamedova and Bakur Sulakauri CIVICUS Civil Society Index Analytical Report for Georgia 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD ....................................................................................................................... 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... 4 TABLES AND FIGURES ................................................................................................... 5 LIST OF ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................ 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................... 7 I. CIVIL SOCIETY INDEX PROJECT AND APPROACH ................................ 9 1. PROJECT BACKGROUND ........................................................................................ 9 2. PROJECT APPROACH ........................................................................................... 10 3. CSI IMPLEMENTATION ......................................................................................... 12 4. LIMITATIONS OF CSI STUDY ................................................................................ 15 II. CIVIL SOCIETY IN GEORGIA ...................................................................... 16 1. CONCEPT OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN GEORGIA ............................................................ 16 2. HISTORY OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN GEORGIA ............................................................. 17 3. MAPPING CIVIL SOCIETY ..................................................................................... 19 III. ANALYSIS OF CIVIL SOCIETY ................................................................... 22 1. CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ............................................................................................ 22 1.1 The extent of socially-based engagement ............................................. 23 1.2 Depth of socially-based engagement ..................................................... 24 1.3 Diversity within socially-based engagement .......................................... 24 1.4 Extent of political engagement ................................................................ 25 1.5 Depth of political engagement ................................................................. 26 1.6 Diversity of political engagement ............................................................ 27 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 27 2. LEVEL OF ORGANISATION .................................................................................... 27 2.1 Internal governance .................................................................................. 28 2.2 Infrastructure ............................................................................................. 28 2.3 Sectoral communication ........................................................................... 29 2.4 Human resources ..................................................................................... 29 2.5 Financial and technological resources ................................................... 30 2.6 International linkages ............................................................................... 31 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 32 3. INTERNAL PRACTICE OF VALUES ......................................................................... 32 3.1 Democratic decision-making governance .............................................. 33 3.2 Labour regulations .................................................................................... 33 3.3 Code of conduct and transparency ......................................................... 34 3.4 Environmental standards ......................................................................... 35 3.5 Perceptions of values in civil society as a whole ................................... 35 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 36 4. PERCEPTION OF IMPACT ...................................................................................... 37 4.1 Responsiveness (internal perception) .................................................... 37 4.2 Social impact (internal perception) .......................................................... 38 4.3 Policy impact (internal perception) .......................................................... 39 4.4 Responsiveness (external perception) ................................................... 39 4.5 Social impact (external perception) ........................................................ 40 4.6 Policy impact (external perception) ......................................................... 41 4.7 Impact of civil society on attitudes .......................................................... 41 CIVICUS Civil Society Index Analytical Report for Georgia 5 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 42 5. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................... 42 5.1 Socio-economic context ..........................................................................