Women’s Forum - Georgia was established in 2014 and it unites more than 35 civil society organizations and experts as well as opinion leaders working on women and gender issues in Georgia.The group is aimed at increasing the effectiveness and productivity of civil society actors in Georgia in order to achieve consolidation and coordination at every level of activities enhancing gender equality. The Georgian Women Forum is the member of South Caucasus Women’s Congress that enables the Forum to establish more efficient partnerships on local, regional and international levels simultaneously. Union Women Center is a member of the Forum from the beginning.

Union Women Center takes part as partner organization and Chairperson I. Verulashvilimade presentation on the joint conference of Forum and South Caucasus Women’s Congress in Istanbul.

Representative I.Verulashvili of Union Women Center was the speaker at the Side Event of 59th Special Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CWS59/Beijing+20) which was organized by the Forum.

Women NGOs Coalition of Georgia was established in 2000 with the support of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODHR).

The Coalition aims to promote democratic state building in Georgia based on principles of equality and justice through increasing economic, social and political role of women.

Currently the Women NGOs Coalition of Georgia unites about forty members, both organizations and individuals. It has a horizontal structure with the General Assembly as its supreme administrative body. In inter-session periods all activities are carried out by working group.

Women’s Centre is the member of Coalition from the beginning and is actively involved in the work of political group.

Members of the sub-group:

Tamar Abramishvili (International Center for Education of Women)
Eliso Amirejibi (Club “Peoni”)
Ia Verulashvili (Women’s center)
Maia Bibileishvili (Child, family, society)
Maia Kuprava-Shervashidze ( Single parents’ association)

1. CIVIC EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR FEMALE ELECTORATE IN FIVE CITIES OF GEORGIA

2. “Increasing women’s political activity “ for women groups of civic educators.

3. “Active Women for Change”.

The strategic plan represents a model – a set of activities, which will be implemented in two cities of Georgia – Khashuri and Telavi by joint efforts of the members of the sub-group.
The activities envisaged by the strategic plan of action are aiming at:

• increasing women’s participation in decision making process on local level and women’s active involvement in collaboration with Local Representative Bodies in solving local problems
• overcoming information deficiency and creating information delivering mechanisms
• increasing women’s knowledge on citizens rights and responsibilities, concrete forms and mechanisms on women’s participation and various forms of women’s activities in political, economical, social and cultural fields; women’s rights, Georgian legislation on protecting women rights, experiences of women’s movement from other countries
• promoting development of relevant forms of women activity in the regions of project implementation (Telavi, Khashuri)
• promoting women’s movement in Telavi and Khashuri regions through implementation of civic education principles and volunteer activities
• increasing women’s knowledge on elections in a democratic society and promoting women’s participation in 2003 Parliamentary and 2005 Presidential elections
• motivating women to stand as candidates for Local Councils in 2006 elections of Local Representative bodies
• conducting information seminars on election procedures and observation
• promoting regional and interregional collaboration between women’s groups, NGOs working in the fields of civic education, health care, ecology, youth education.

4. PROJECT: STUDYING THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN POLITICAL STRUCTURES AND DEVELOPING DATABASE OF WOMEN MEMBERS OF POLITICAL PARTIES.

A research project among 20 political parties is aiming at studying the role of women in political structures and developing database of women members of political parties of Georgia.

Results of the study indicate that percentage of women on leading positions in political parties of Georgia is low –11% and gender issues are ignored in party programs.

Importance of the results of the study for tailoring long-term plans of the sub-group “Women and Politics” of the Coalition of Women’s NGOs of Georgia:

Results of the aforementioned study formed a basis for and facilitated development of a specific plan of action of the political sub-group on the eve of parliamentary elections of Georgia.
Based on this experience the sub-group “Women and Politics” currently obtains: a) a database of most active women members of leading political parties of Georgia; b) Initial data on intra-party democracy in target political parties, against which some of the aspects of the success of the short-term strategic plan of action of the political sub-group will be measured c) a list of priorities and needs identified by members of political parties themselves as impediments to increased gender-sensitiveness and intra-party democracy development; d) Results of direct observation of general climate within the party; e) Unofficial (verbal) agreement with at least 15 political parties on cooperation and partnership aiming at overcoming the obstacles revealed during the research.

5. MEMORANDUM OF COOPERATION WITH “UNITED DEMOCRATS” ON INCREASING GENDER-SENSITIVENESS

In the nearest future the GPPG envisages to work with 10 parties having the most important role in Georgian politics. This approach is topical. Earlier political parties were absolutely gender-blind organizations, but now, in the conditions of increased competition, the parties understand that in order to get votes from women constituency it is necessary to pay attention to gender equality issues. The state of the art creates fruitful grounds for our group to work on gender sensitivity increase of political parties in Georgia.

6. Seminar “Women and Politics”

Location: Office of the International Center for the Education of Women

Participants: 20 persons, representatives of women’s NGOs

The following issues have been reviewed during the seminar:

• Political institutions seen from the gender perspective; Women and politics; Importance of increased participation of women in politics;
• Gender quotas – as a method of increasing representation of women in politics.

Seminar “State Social Policy”

Participants: 16 persons, representatives of women’s NGOs

A western experience of forming gender-sensitive state policy has been reviewed during the seminar. The state program developed in Canada has been used as an example for illustrating main concepts and general structure of the gender-sensitive state program.

7. STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR DEVELOPENT OF SPECIFIC SHORT-TERM ACTION PLAN “SUPPORTING WOMEN CANDIDATES” ON THE EVE OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN GEORGIA.

8. Video-roller “Let’s vote in favour of women”