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Policy P Aper Series saqarTvelos strategiisa da saerTaSoriso urTierTobebis kvlevis fondi sajaro politikis dokumentebi POLICY SERIES PAPER Mentors: Ekaterine Metreveli Vladimer Papava Aleksandre Kvakhadze Editor: Rusudan Margishvili Technical Editor: Artem Melik-Nubarov All rights reserved and belong to Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, including electronic and mechanical, without the prior written permission of the publisher Copyright © 2020 Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies ABOUT THE PROJECT The Policy Paper Series include policy documents developed within the framework of the project - National Minorities in Political Processes – Engagement for Better Future. The papers were elaborated by the young representatives of political parties, for whom it was the first attempt to work on an analytical document. The papers address the challenges and solutions for the ethnic minorities engagement in the political, economic or social life of Georgia. The project was implemented by the Rondel Foundation with the support and active participation of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (OSCE HCNM). The project aims to increase the political and social inclusion of ethnic minorities and to facilitate healthy policy debate on the issues of national minorities among the political parties, thus overall contributes to the good governance practices. Within the framework of the multi-component project, members of Tbilisi-based political party youth organizations, young people living in Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli and active representatives of the local community attended various thematic seminars. The project also included thematic meetings of representatives of political parties and government agencies with the representatives of national minorities, the preparation of TV programs, and internships for young people representing ethnic minorities in political parties. The views and opinions expressed in this papers are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (OSCE HCNM) and the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (Rondeli Foundation). CONTENTS THE MAIN WAYS TO INVIGORATE ETHNIC MINORITIES TO ENGAGE IN POLITICAL PROCESSES Ana Mosashvili Nika Petriashvili...................................................................................................................................5 MAIN WAYS TO INCREASE THE LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES IN MUNICIPAL PROJECTS Irakli Mikiani Gega Oragvelidze Irakli Kartvelishvili..............................................................................................................................12 THE ROLE OF YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS IN THE PROCESS OF INTEGRATION OF ETHNIC MINORITIES Roland Baghaturia.............................................................................................................................18 IMPROVING THE SUPPORT OF ETHNIC MINORITY EDUCATION IN TBILISI HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS TRANSPORTATION COMPONENT (CASE OF KVEMO KARTLI) Elene Alimbarashvili Lasha Makhatadze Tornike Mumladze.............................................................................................................................31 TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN THE PANKISI GORGE AND LOCAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Giorgi Mskhalaia Salome Lomidze................................................................................................................................36 CULTURAL CENTERS IN AZERBAIJANI POPULATED REGIONS AS A PLATFORM FOR CULTURAL DIALOGUE Giorgi Areshidze Ani Shaishmelashvili Mamuka Jugheli................................................................................................................................43 PROMOTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURE AND THE ARTS AMONG ETHNIC MINORITIES Nino Gachechiladze Nino Tsanava.....................................................................................................................................50 INCREASING THE LEVEL OF AWARENESS OF ETHNIC MINORITIES IN THE SAMTSKHE-JAVAKHETI REGION Ednar Mgeladze Elisabed Sarkisova Natia Liluashvili.................................................................................................................................57 THE MAIN WAYS TO INVIGORATE ETHNIC MINORITIES TO ENGAGE IN POLITICAL PROCESSES Ana Mosashvili – Strategy Aghmashenebeli Nika Petriashvili – United Georgia - Democratic Movement SUMMARY The civic integration of ethnic minorities is a strategically important issue for Georgia. Although, no one denies its importance, its active discussion often escapes political interests. The problems of the integration of ethnic minorities into society are gradually growing and becoming more and more serious. One of the most important issues is the low rate of minority engagement in political process and this is something which has a negative impact on the quality of democracy. The passive involvement of minorities in various political activities is determined by many factors. In particular, these include: the lack of the knowledge of the state language, the passive stance of political parties, the information vacuum and the problem of political, social, and cultural exclusion, etc. Precisely for the purpose of solving the problem of the language barrier, a 1 + 4 educational program was launched in 2010 which aims to enable young people from ethnic minorities to study in state institutions of higher education. A fundamental change in the situation is possible through a well-thought-out and targeted state policy that will be fully focused on the social integration of minorities. Of course, non-governmental organizations, the mass media and political parties must be involved in solving this problem and society should also take a certain share of the responsibility. It is necessary to develop and implement tangible alternatives. In this paper, we will discuss several alternatives for solving the problem of the low rate of minority engagement in political processes. These alternatives include: setting quotas in the parliamentary body, the formation of political parties on ethnic grounds and programs and activities of political parties for the involvement of minorities. From these given alternatives, the last of the three aforementioned in the form of the programs and activities of political parties is the most flexible because political parties that should take representatives of ethnic minorities into account during the formation of their party candidate lists and include them in the roster of the first 20 candidates. Such an approach will invigorate minorities and give them more incentive to become more actively involved in politics. However, as we have already mentioned, the Georgian government and to some extent the local governments should also bear some responsibility. The Parliament of Georgia must initiate certain changes in the Election Code of Georgia and oblige political parties to include ethnic minorities in their activities. The Georgian government may also provide financial incentives to parties that take greater responsibility for this issue. The role of non-governmental organizations is also important as they should find ways to stimulate minorities politically and, of course, it is very important for the political parties to reflect minority issues in their agendas and nominate their representatives in the party candidate lists. If we look at the reality of our country, there are no political parties expressing the interests of ethnic minorities in the Georgian political space nor are there any specific mechanisms that would encourage the presence and activity of these representatives. This problem can only be solved by 5 making a fundamental change. Ethnic minorities must have a sense of political identity with the state and under no circumstances should they be alienated from the Georgian political reality. INTRODUCTION The issue of the recognition of ethnic minorities and their political, social and cultural involvement is one of the most important challenges for our state. This issue is closely related to the establishment of a Georgian democratic state and social consolidation. The state’s policy towards minorities has changed over the years but it has not been able to fully meet the challenges facing the country. The level of the political participation of ethnic minorities is markedly low. Minorities make up a large part of the country’s population and attending to their civic and political involvement is tantamount to the growth of the quality of democracy while their exclusion from various activities will significantly damage and hinder the democratic progress of our state. We have seen a number of projects and initiatives across the country put forth to address this issue but no significant progress has been made. The Open Society Foundation’s study on ethnic minorities illustrates that ethnic minorities do not have a sense of identity with the state and too great a number of people are alienated from Georgian society.1 The reasons for their limited engagement in political life varies and so it is very important to concentrate on all of the necessary factors and analyze the problems in order to stimulate their political participation to the greatest extent possible. The main reasons for the political passivity of minorities are the language barrier, the problem of political, social, and cultural exclusion and the inadequate attention of political parties to
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