Ruling GD Praises Bera Ivanishvili for Donating $1.1m to Amazon Forest Saving Fund

Ruling party Georgian Dream (GD) has praised Bera Ivanishvili, son of former Prime Minister of Georgia, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, for his announcement that he will transfer $1.1million to the Amazon Forest Saving Fund.

Bera is a Georgian singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur. He established his music career in both Georgia and the United States, and is the founder of the Georgian record label and production studio ‘Georgian Dream.’ He published a video a few days ago in which he speaks about the need to save the Amazon forest, which is the “lungs of our planet, our life and the future of our children.”

“This is a call to action. Today, I want to help my Brazilian friends… Despite the fact that I live thousands of miles away, my Brazilian fans treat me … as a family member. In the spirit of such love, I want to help them as much as possible,” he said.

The video also voices a call to participate and act in order to save the Amazon.

“Any contribution, regardless of quantity, is significant and important. Together, we can make a change. Thank you and God bless you,” Bera tells viewers.

Bera Ivanishvili’s announcement was followed by controversial comments from society, the majority of whom took to social networks, to criticize him for helping Brazil and not Georgia.

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia responded to the criticism of Bera, saying it is unfair to slam a person for a charitable act.

"It is unfair to attack a charitable act, and in this case twice as unjust because Bidzina Ivanishvili’s family has been helping our country to preserve our historical heritage for years and is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on educational projects for our future generations," he said.

Gakharia added that it is absolutely unacceptable when a young person's philanthropy becomes the “subject of a political attack due to a political context.”

The Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia published the comment of Minister Levan Davtashvili, who says that criticizing Bera is shameful, especially when it comes to the topical issue in the world, the Amazon forest.

“It is hard to make a comment on such a criticism towards a kind step, especially when the philanthropy of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s family is immeasurable,” he added.

Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Natia Turnava also made a comment, saying Bidzina Ivanishvili and his family are always helping Georgia, and it is no surprise that they pay attention to global problems too.

“Bidzina Ivanishvili has done and does a lot for Georgia directly. Billions are being spent by him to develop our tourism infrastructure, restore cultural heritage sites, and develop the Georgian economy in general. He is a philanthropist on a global scale, and it is no surprise that he focuses not only on Georgia's development, but also on global issues such as climate change. We live in a global world and everything affects Georgia too. Ecological challenges are one of the major threats that everyone should take care of,” Turnava said.

Sopho Kiladze, Chairman of Parliament's Human Rights Committee, took to Facebook to express her support to Bera, claiming that everyone knows what the Ivanishvili family have done for Georgia, including those who criticize Bera.

“They are donating this money from their own pockets and why it should become a subject of such an uproar, I have no idea,” her post reads.

Brazilian environmental organization ISA, the Social-Ecological Institute, reports that Bera Ivanishvili has become the new ambassador of the campaign "Forest People" (#PovosDaFloresta).

The organization writes on its website that the Georgian musician will spread the voice of Brazilians to Europe and enhance the organization's environmental work.

The proliferation of fires in the Amazon rainforest drew international attention in August. The number of fires decreased by 35% in September, but experts say this is merely a slowdown in a crisis with global repercussions.

There were still 19,925 fire outbreaks in September on the Brazilian part of the rainforest, which accounts for nearly 65% of the Amazon basin. Moreover, through the first nine months of the year, the number of fires soared by 41% compared to the same period in 2018, Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) says.

By Tea Mariamidze

Image source: 1tv.ge