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Third Annual Report THIRD ANNUAL REPORT Award Period: October 31, 2014 – October 31, 2019 Reporting Period: October 31, 2016 – September 30, 2017 Submitted to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of Cooperative Agreement No. AID-114-A-14-00008 by the East-West Management Institute, Inc. Tamuna Karosanidze, Chief of Party, Tbilisi: [email protected] Delina Fico, EWMI Director for Civil Society Programs, New York: [email protected] #5 Marjanishvili St., Third Floor • Tbilisi 0102 Georgia • Tel (995 0 32) 2202 444 • www.facebook.com/EWMI.ACCESS Background ................................................................................................................................................. 3 Approach ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Key Activities an Accomplishments ....................................................................................................... 4 Key Issues and Challenges ....................................................................................................................... 9 Component One: Citizens become more aware of and involved in CSO Activities ............... 10 Component Two: Improving CSO leadership, organizational capacity, and sustainability ..... 19 Component Three: CSO Policy Research, Monitoring, and Influence Increase ....................... 27 Component Four: Centers For Civic Engagement Continue To Provide Space For Public Dialogue ..................................................................................................................................................... 35 Project Management .................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Public Outreach ....................................................................................................................................... 41 EWMI ACCESS Annual Report: Oct. 31, 2016 – Sep. 31, 2017 Page 2 of 43 I. BACKGROUND The Advancing CSO Capacities and Engaging Society for Sustainability (ACCESS) Project works to enhance the effectiveness of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Georgia. ACCESS is a five-year $6.4 million project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by East West Management Institute (EWMI) and its local partners, the Centre for Training and Consultancy (CTC) and the Civil Development Agency (CiDA). ACCESS builds on the successes of EWMI’s and USAID’s previous work with CSOs in Georgia under the Policy, Advocacy, and Civil Society Development in Georgia (G- PAC) project. ACCESS works to achieve four objectives: 1) Citizens become more aware of and involved in CSO activities; 2) CSO leadership, organizational capacity, and sustainability are improved among organizations throughout Georgia; 3) CSOs are able to effectively monitor, analyze, and influence key government policies and processes; and 4) The Centers for Civic Engagement (CCEs) establish local ownership so that they continue to operate as politically neutral gathering spaces for public discourse. ACCESS pursues these four objectives through grants supporting policy research, watchdog, and civic engagement activities by CSOs; technical assistance programming to strengthen CCEs and CSO management and operations; and a wide range of events that deepen dialogue and partnerships between citizens, CSOs, government, businesses, and media. ACCESS prioritizes in particular the expanded inclusion of women, minorities, and youth in its initiatives to ensure that voices from these groups are more fully taken into account in CSO activities and governance processes. By increasing the use of science, technology, and innovation in CSO activities, ACCESS also assists civil society in becoming more effective and efficient in representing the needs of the public. ACCESS began on October 30, 2014, and is scheduled to end on October 31, 2019. Note: This report serves both as aACCESS quarterly report for July – September 2017 and the third annual report covering October 31, 2016 – September 30, 2017. The report integrates fourth quarter activities, achievements, and challenges in reporting on ACCESS Year Three progress and activities. EWMI ACCESS Annual Report: Oct. 31, 2016 – Sep. 31, 2017 Page 3 of 43 II. APPROACH ACCESS’ mission is to enhance the effectiveness of CSOs in Georgia by enabling more constituent-connected, organizationally mature, and financially sustainable cadre of CSOs that progress toward managing direct USAID funding to them. To achieve this goal, ACCESS offers integrated support to a geographically diverse and demographically inclusive group of CSOs, with particular attention paid to regional organizations. The integrated support includes grants, peer mentoring, training, individual consultations, special initiatives, and networking opportunities. ACCESS puts special emphasis on assisting CSOs to engage constructively with government institutions at the central and local levels in fashioning responsive policy, generating and leading public debate over transparent and effective governance with all levels of decision-makers, fostering cooperation among CSOs, the private sector, and government institutions, as well as engaging citizens in CSO activities so that they view CSOs as legitimate representatives of their concerns. In Year Three, ACCESS pursued this mission by: implementing comprehensive grants and technical assistance programs targeting regional and Tbilisi-based watchdog organizations and think tanks; engaging CSOs in open discussions with local and national government, media, citizens, the private sector, and political parties on key local and national issues and the government’s initiatives to address these issues; encouraging CSOs to reach out to citizens and engage them in setting their agendas and designing their advocacy and public awareness activities, as well as in implementing these activities; supporting meaningful and effective cooperation between CSOs and the private sector, and assisting CSOs to exchange practical information and ideas on effective strategies to engage citizens and influence public policies. ACCESS-supported CCEs continued offering organizational and technical support to CSOs, citizens, political parties, donors, and other groups to organize town hall meetings, information campaigns, policy debates, and other civic events. In the lead up to the 2016 Parliamentary and 2017 Local Elections, CCEs operated Election Media Centers, providing a neutral space to the key electoral stakeholders to learn and distribute election related information. III. KEY ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS EWMI ACCESS Annual Report: Oct. 31, 2016 – Sep. 31, 2017 Page 4 of 43 Key Activities and Accomplishments – Year Three, Objective One Launched two consolidated initiatives under Citizens Outreach Grants (COG) program in support of countering anti-western disinformation and empowering women voters. In response to these programs, ACCESS received 78 applications and issued 7 grants, averaging $15,000 each, to CSOs throughout Georgia. The two grant programs complemented ACCESS other ongoing initiatives aimed at supporting Georgia’s European integration and protecting women’s rights. Provided continued and new financial support to additional 7 CSOs to implement COG-supported activities. Through the COG-supported projects, engaged 2,796 citizens, including 1,549 women, 694 youth, and 903 ethnic minorities in civic activities. Capitalized on the opportunity offered by the CineDoc Film Festival to support innovative linkages between documentary film directors and civic activists and funded two short creative documentaries by these groups to help civic activists reach wider audiences and raise the profiles of their advocacy issues. In partnership with CSOs, independent experts, and popular public figures organized 3 CSO Bus Tours, reaching 6 villages and facilitating direct and open discussions between CSOs and citizens from the most remote communities of Georgia. Some of the bus tour videos reached 23,000 views and 11,000 engagements on ACCESS Facebook page. Through two Regional Civic Engagement Weeks (RCEWs) comprised of 60 events throughout the country supported regional CSOs efforts to raise citizens’ awareness about anti-western disinformation and highlight women voters’ needs. The RCEWs directly engaged 1,779 citizens and generated wide media interest, receiving media coverage 40 times. To support emerging civic activists and initiatives in the regions, ACCESS organized 6 Best Practice and Innovation Events (BPIE) on urban activism, engaging 103 participants, including 65 women and 15 youth. As part of the Right to Know Campaign, ACCESS conducted open discussions about its objectives, activities, and progress to date in 5 regional centers of Georgia, engaging 109 citizens and CSO activists, including 60 women, 18 youth, and 14 ethnic minorities. Organized 30 events dedicated to gender equality issues, engaging 612 citizens, including 440 women, 412 youth, and 74 ethnic minorities to promote women’s rights in the context of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence in November – December 2016 and Women’s History Month in March 2017. Continued support to CiDA-led CSO Transparency Declaration and attracted 16 more CSOs to proactively disclose their financial information (i.e. funding sources, amounts, and priorities) to promote greater transparency of civil
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