Georgia to Receive £4.5 mln from Good Governance Fund

On November 24, the British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Alan James Carter Duncan visited Georgia within the frames of the third round of the ‘Wardrop Dialogue’ at which he announced that Georgia would receive £4.5 million from the Good Governance Fund in order to further important reforms in relation to strengthening democratic institutions.

“We are committed to supporting Georgia as it seeks to strengthen democratic institutions, undertake important reforms, and further protect human rights and media freedom. That is why we are continuing our Good Governance Fund, which will provide up to £4.5million (13.94 million GEL) over the next year to help these reforms,” Duncan said.

Duncan was in Georgia this week to take part in the Wardrop Dialogue which serves as a venue for both sides to discuss the wide spectrum of Georgia-UK cooperation.

Duncan held meetings with Georgian governmental officials, including President Giorgi Margvelashvili, acting Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Mikheil Janelidze.

“The UK’s commitment to Georgia, as an international security partner and regional democratic role model, is unwavering,” said Duncan.

He also touched upon Georgia’s Foreign Policy and its progress in terms of EU integration.

“Through its democratic credentials, open economy and progressive human rights, Georgia is playing a vital role in the stability and security of the wider region. Georgia’s progression towards Euro-Atlantic integration, both through NATO and the EU, will only serve to build on the progress already made,” he added.

The Good Governance Fund is a multi-year program to provide expert advice, training and assistance to the governments of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

The fund supports activities such as:

Strengthening the rule of law and democratic accountability as well as reforming police and justice systems;

The liberalization and modernization of key sectors such as energy and banking;

Reform of tax systems, improvements to the business environment and the reduction of red tape to generate foreign investment and help private sector entrepreneurs to drive exports;

Anti-corruption measures to help improve transparency and encourage effective public financial management;

Strengthening independent media to ensure balanced and accurate news and public affairs reporting.

This is a cross-government fund and there will be options to extend it to other countries in further years. For FY 2015/16 the allocation is £20 million.

Natia Liparteliani