Transcript Georgia

Foundation for the Development of Human Resources
 Georgia is a Eurasian country in the Caucasus located
at the east cost of Black Sea. It is bordered on the
north by Russia, on the South by Turkey and Armenia,
and on the east by Azerbaijan. It is a transcontinental
country, located at the juncture of Eastern Europe and
Western Asia.
 Georgia is currently a member of the United Nations,
the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth of
Independent States, the World Trade Organization
and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation, and seeks integration with the Europian
Union and NATO.
The Flag and the Coat of Arms of the Georgia are depicted above
The motto of the Georgia is – “Strength is in the Unity”
The Anthem is – Freedom
 Georgia is divided into
nine regions and two
autonomous republics.
The regions are further
subdivided into 69
districts.
 Peoples of Caucasus that speak languages that belong
to the Caucasian language family are divided into two
groups – North Caucasian and South Caucasian.
 Ethnic population of Georgia is diverse, it includes
more then 21 ethnicities. Except title nation, larger
ethnic groups resident in Georgia are Azerbaijani
6,5%, Armenian 5,7% and Russian 1,5% ethnic
minorities.
 There are four major religious groups in country:
Orthodox 84%, Islam 10%, Armenian-Gregorian 4%
and Catholic 1%
 Some of the ethnic minorities are not present in the
unit of percentage.
 In 1992-1993 ethnic conflicts unfolded among
Georgians and local separatists in the two regions of
Georgia – Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which led to
widespread inter-ethnic violence and military
confrontation.
 Supported by Russia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia
achieved and maintained de facto independence from
Georgia.
 While military confrontation there were innumerous
losses from both, Georgian-Abkhazian and GeorgianSouth-Ossetian parties.
 While military confrontations innumerous war crimes
have been committed including ethnic cleansing of
250,000 Georgians from Abkhazia.
 More then 25,000 Georgians were expelled from
Tskhinvali as well, and many Ossetian families were
forced to abandon their homes in the Borjomi region.
Then they moved to Russia eventually.
 As about ongoing interethnic tensions in Georgia,
Meskheti Turks scattered throughout the former
Soviet Union are seeking return to Georgia;
 Ethnic Armenian groups in Samtskhe-Javakheti region
of Georgia are seeking greater autonomy from the
Georgian government.
Vardzia’s church and bell tower
 Azerbaijan and Georgia cannot resolve the alignment
of their boundary at certain crossing areas.
 Many Azerbaijanis along with other ethnic minorities
in Georgia are facing a problem of social disintegration
and underrepresentation in country’s legislative,
executive and judicial powers.
 Unlike urban ethnic minorities of cities Tbilisi and
Rustavi, rural population of minorities for the most
part lacks knowledge of the state official language Georgian, which makes it harder for them to
participate in many social areas and activities.
The fortress village Shatili
Pitsunda, resort town in Gagra district
Medieval citadel in Georgia, which is standing above the city of
Gori
The ruins of Bagrati Cathedral in Kutaisi
 National variety of the Georgia is one of its
fundamental qualities, which defines the processes of
the development of democracy in the country.
National minorities constitute 17% of total amount of
the population (Armenians, Azerbaijani, Ossetians,
Greeks, Russians, Ukrainians, Romani and so on).
Some of them (Armenians, Azerbaijani, Ossetians,
Greeks, Abkhaz) create densely populated regions,
villages, cities and the regions inside cities.
 While the collapse of the Soviet Union, Georgia went
through the ethnic conflicts, wars (military
confrontations) and collapse within two of the regions
of the country – Abkhazia and South-Ossetia. While
the period of market economy and democracy
changes, population encountered enormous political,
financial and on top of all existential crises. Country
faced total and rigid fight for the power. Not only the
politicians, but regular citizens as well are politicized
pathologically.
 The process of privatization and redistribution of the
property and economical goods proceeds painfully and
unhealthy. Some individuals became rich, but basic
stratum of the population fights for survival, but
unfortunately plunges into the deeper poverty.
 The level of unemployment is extremely high and the
tendency of labor migration doesn’t decrease. Efforts
of the leaders of political parties and governmental
forces are dedicated towards conquering or retaining
of the power.
 Stemming out of it, in political discourse they are
accentuating the social problems and necessities of the
population while or in between of the elections only,
for gathering of political dividends. After the so called
“Rose Revolution” the power/government inclined
towards authoritarianism, strict politics turned out to
the repressions and violation of the fundamental
human rights – freedom of self-expression and private
property.
 In situation and circumstances mentioned and
described above interpersonal and intergroup
relations are becoming vulnerable, especially
interethnic relations.
 Therefore, Foundation for the Development of Human
Resources elaborated series of the projects for effective
management of the interethnic relations, part of them
has been implemented successfully already and
another part is still waiting for its turn of the
realization.
Georgia
 Foundation for the Development of Human Resources
is a non-governmental, non-profit organization, which
was established in 1996.
 The mission of the organization is – to promote
human positive potential which leads towards peace
and well-being in civil society.
 Goals of the foundation are:
 Civic society building: promoting population to
formulate civic self-consciousness, strong civil position
and to encourage their active participation in civil
society
 Psycho-social assistance: supporting population in
psycho-social well-being within variable environment
through development of their spiritual, mental and
physical resources
 Goals of the foundation are:
 Peace and confidence building: promoting peace-
building activities and implementation of nonviolence methods of conflict resolution in society.
 Since the day of its establishment, there were almost 40
projects implemented by the foundation. Hence,
functioning of the FDHR is always intense.
 There were projects and programmes implemented in the
sphere of Georgian-Abkhaz peace building dialogue.
 Since 1996 till the end of 2006 there were programmes of
psycho-social rehabilitation of IDP’s (children, adolescents
and adults as well) conducted in collaboration and support
of such international organizations as UNV, NRC and War
Child Netherlands.
 Drama workshop
Art Workshops
Using art therapy
methods for
overcoming
traumatic
experience of
military events
while ethnic
conflicts.
 As it is mentioned in the main goals of the foundation,
one of the directions of its activities is dedicated to
capacity building and strenthgening through training,
working seminars and coaching services.
 Innumerous amount of different type of the beneficiaries
went through the training and workshop sessions held by
FDHR training-experts.
 The topics of training covered such issues as Advocacy,
Assertiveness, Conflict solving and management,
Developing creative self-expression skills, Effective
communication, Facilitation, Job searching and effective
cooperation, Leadership, Management of interethnic
relations, Problem solving technologies, Project cycle
management, Psychological consulting and psychotherapy,
Psychology of management, Strategic planning, Street
mobile works, Stress management, Success achievement
and Team building.
 Another important direction of the FDHR activities is
dedicated to the issues of Managing Interethnic
Relations and Conflict Prevention.
 As it was outlined above, there are two of the regions
of Georgia – Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti which are densely populated by largest groups of
ethnic minorities – Armenians and Azerbaijanis.
These regions are considered as conflict prone zones,
because population of ethnic minorities is striving for
further decentralization from the Central Georgian
Government.
 Population of largest ethnic minorities (Armenians
and Azerbaijanis) is aspiring to receive higher
education in their native countries – Armenia and
Azerbaijan.
 Most of the rural population doesn’t speak State
official – Georgian language, which is an obstacle to
their integration into societal life of the country.
 Hence, for conflict prevention and tension decaying
measures, since 2001 till present, FDHR has been
implementing the projects regarding the management
of interethnic relationships in Samstkhe-Javakheti and
Kvemo Kartli regions of Georgia, which was supported
by OSCE HCNM, DFID and International Alert.
 Main goals of the project were:
Promoting and contributing to development
processes of the integration of Samtskhe-Javakheti
region;
II. Advancing the mechanisms of managing interethnic
relations in the region;
III. Promoting active cooperation of the representatives
of central and regional Governmental structures in
the sphere of the regional interethnic problems’
solving.
I.
 The project has been implementing within the
duration of two years and therefore had two main
content parts – sensitivity rising activities and
developing mechanisms of the managing of
interethnic relations.
 During the year of 2005, 216 representatives of regional
and central governmental structures participated in
the trainings and working seminars aiming at
sensitivity and awareness rising.
 The product of working seminars turned out to be the
most important result of the project – the Code of
Ethics for Interethnic Relations.
 441 public servants of Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo
Kartli regions participated in interethnic awareness
and sensitivity rising trainings;
 The bank of ideas for the joint Georgian-Armenian
and Georgian-Azerbaijani regional projects has been
created;
 Steps towards economical integration of the both
regions has been undertaken;
 What is more important contacts among central and
regional public servants has been established.
 By the end of 2005 the project of Managing Interethnic
Relations in Samtskhe-Javakheti region was taken up
through mass-media – TV and Radio programmes,
there were 7 articles written in the newspapers;
 Comments were made apart from the governmental
structures, Georgian ambassador in Armenia made a
remark about the project, many European and local
NGO organizations became interested in the activities
implemented by FDHR.
 During the year of 2006, the project has been
presented to the wider society;
 MIER trainings were conducted for the representatives
of central governmental structures of Tbilisi;
 Problem solving seminar has been conducted for
central and regional representatives, which was aiming
on promoting integration and cooperation process
among central and regional governmental structures.
 The manual “Managing Interethnic Relations” has
been prepared by trainer-experts of FDHR and
eventually published in three languages: Georgian,
Russian and English.
 An exhibition of touristic potential and agricultural
products of Samtskhe-Javakheti region was held in the
April of 2006, in Tbilisi.
 Training for trainers in the School of Public
Administration of Zurab Zhvania was held in 2006.
Three floats of students were trainer by FDHR trainerexperts and method of MIER was embedded in
curriculum of the Public School.
 It is worthy to mention about the content of trainings
for sensitivity and awareness rising in the sphere of
interethnic relations:
I. The issue of identity has been discussed broadly;
II. Participants were introduced to the theory of
stereotypes and gained skills of their overcoming;
III. The block of effective communication has been
worked out intensely, as one of the important
component of interethnic relations management;
IV. Participants became aware about different
international legislative documents which are
promoting ethnic minorities’ rights and their
effective participation in societal life of the country.
 Working seminars were based on the methodology of
Manfred Max-Neef and Gregory Batson;
 Manfred Max-Neef is a Chilean economist and
environmentalist. He worked with the problem of
development in the Third World, describing the
inappropriateness of conventional models of development,
that have lead to poverty, debt and ecological disasters for
Third World communities.
 Gregory Batson was a British anthropologist, social
scientist, linguist and cyberneticist whose work intersected
that of many other fields. His most noted writing is “Steps
of an Ecology of Mind” (1972), which was used and adapted
while working seminars regarding the theme of interethnic
well-being and co-existence.
 Using the hierarchy of the necessities (according to
Gregory Batson) there was a bank of joint centreregional, interethnic (Georgian-Armenian & GeorgianAzerbaijani) project ideas elaborated;
 On the other hand, based on the matrix of Manfred
Max-Neef, participants formed the normative of
behavior regarding the interethnic relationships
management. Eventually worked out normative was
published as a Code of Ethics for Interethnic Relations.
 Based on the methodology of Human Basic Needs and
its Satisfiers, Manfred Max-Neef elaborated the matrix
which was used while working with the population.
The matrix was designed for revelation of basic human
needs and its satisfiers and ultimately for elaboration
of the project ideas through brain storming workshops
with the participants. Those ideas were useful and
effective for further economical development of the
Third World countries.
 Using the matrix of Manfred Max-Neef FDHR trainer-
experts supported participants of the workshops
(Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijani State servants of
Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli regions) for the
generation of the ideas for interethnic economical and
developmental projects;
 Enormous bank of ideas has been created by the end
of the workshops and it is worthy to mention that
several projects were carried out.
 In April-May 2006, in the frame of the project
“Management of Interethnic Relations in SamtskheJavakheti region” an exhibition of touristic and
agricultural potential of the Samtskhe-Javakheti
region took place in Expo Georgia exhibition centre in
Tbilisi.
 This event had positive consequences in terms of
different deals and further partnerships.
 It is notable, that as a result of the exhibition, the
products of the region were brought into the market of
Tbilisi – milk food, mineral water and so on.
 The methodological ground of the Code are the logical
levels of life according to Gregory Batson.
 Creative group discussion, joint generation of
moral/ethic statements by Georgian, Armenian and
Azerbaijani public and state servants has been
conducted for elaboration of the normative of the
Code.
 According to the conception of the logical levels of
human life, human action, as well as the ethic action,
is reflected in the logical system.
 The levels of the system, as well as the sequence of
these levels are derived from the following context:
I. Environmental context (ecological,
cultural/historical, everyday life, etc);
II. Context of behavior and perception (individual
behavior, collective behavior, public opinion,
behavioral stereotypes and stereotypes of thinking,
rituals, traditions, etc);
III. Context of values, meaning of life and fundamental
principles;
IV. Context of identity (individual, group, ethnic, social,
political, gender, professional, cultural or subcultural, etc);
V. Context of family, community, region, town, village,
micro social environment, etc.;
VI. Entire context of the country’s institutions, the
country and the state;
VII. Context of mankind as a whole, as well as of
universal global processes and values;
VIII. Context of world and the universe.

The Georgian, Azerbaijani and Armenian
participants of the seminar, as well as the specialists
from the Foundation for the Development of Human
Resources developed creative approach of the
discussion of the above mentioned logical sequence
and generated ideas in relation to it.
Ethic norms and a system of guidelines were
developed regarding following spheres:
I. Ecological and cultural/historical environment of
the region;
II. Traditions and habits of the ethnic groups;
III. Joint efforts aimed at capacity building within the
ethnic groups;
IV. Acceptance of the ethnic groups’ identity and
respect for differences;

Considering ethnic principles in terms of the
development of Samtskhe-Javakheti, Kvemo Kartli
regions and entire state;
VI. Considering ethnic principles in the global context,
i.e. common to all mankind.
V.

The principles and provisions of the Code were
arranged according to the named sequences.
 It is notable that after the publishing of the Code,
participants voluntarily signed the memorandum of its
practice, which meant that they took the responsibility
of abiding the normative they created.
 This is one of the current projects of the FDHR, which
is implementing with the support of the German
Hanns-Seidel Foundation.
 Project was initiated since the beginning of 2006 and
each step of it had different goals.
 First two steps of the project were dedicated to the
survey research.
 During 2006, FDHR staff members and invited experts
carried out basic study for the development of the
manual concerning interethnic sensitivity curriculum.
 First basic study – General analysis of the situation in
Georgia included:
I. Interethnic variety of the Georgia;
II. Actual and potential spots and regions of interethnic
pressure in Georgia;
III. Basic issues concerning interethnic variety of
Samtskhe-Javakheti region;
IV. Basic issues concerning Kvemo Kartli region;
V. Georgian-Abkhaz conflict;
VI. Georgian-Ossetian conflict;
VII. Instruments of conflict prevention initiated by Georgian
government and International donor organizations;
VIII. Importance of formal education sector regarding
Georgian education system;
IX. Subject programme overview– Georgian as a secondary
language;
X. Subject programme overview – Georgian history,
Georgian geography, Civic education, Religions and
society;
XI. Study has been finalized with an action plan of the
Foundation for the Development of Human Resources
and Hanns-Seidel Foundation.
 The project 2007, has been dedicated to the content
analysis of the manuals for 7th-9th grades. Namely:
History, Geography and Civic Education.
 The project of 2007 was closely related to such official
institutions as the Ministry of Education and Science
of Georgia, Tbilisi University after Ilia Chavchavadze
(ex pedagogical university) and the Department of
Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia;
 The main goal of the project was the analysis of the
situation at secondary schools concerning teachers’
activities in the field of interethnic relations.
 Next type of target group was especially chosen for
identifying of the most sensitive and informative
issues for the beneficiaries: school teachers, students
of pedagogical university and youth leaders from
Patriot camp;
 Survey research included both – qualitative method of
analysis (focus groups) and quantitative method as
well (filling of questionnaire forms).
 Elaboration of training components by trainer-experts
of FDHR;
 The project 2007 has been finalized by presentation of
the survey results to representatives of all above
mentioned institutions.
 The main goal of the project is conduction of trainings
for rising awareness and sensitivity regarding the
issues of managing interethnic relations;
 Trainings will be conducted for Georgian, Armenian
and Azerbaijani teachers of history, geography and
civic education in secondary schools, future student
teachers (Ilia Chavchavadze University) and for youth
leaders of Patriotic Camps.
 After completion of training course, 15 participants
will be chosen out from 200 with the purpose of
further conduction of trainings for their colleagues
(teachers), students of the university and youth
leaders;
 Another main goal of the project is writing and
publishing of the special manual in management of
interethnic relations and rising sensitivity and
tolerance for secondary school teachers, future school
teachers and youth leaders.
 During final step of the project, experience sharing
workshop is planned among Ukrainian and Georgian
trainer-experts;
 15 chosen participants will be able to receive ToT in
managing interethnic relations conducted by
Ukrainian and Georgian experts;
 Eventually trained trainers and Georgian experts will
visit Crimea, Ukraine, for experience sharing activity,
where they will have an opportunity to see how the
programme is working in practice at schools.
 The project 2008 will be finalized by PR activity
regarding the programme manual and conducted
work.
 Another current project of the FDHR is “Training in
management of interethnic relations for the Georgian
police”. The project is being implemented in Georgia
on the basis of the recommendations of the OSCE
High Commissioner on National Minorities.
 The aim of the project is to increase effectiveness of
policing within multiethnic society and the task of the
project is to create a syllabus for the issues of
multiethnic relations for the Police Academy, as well as
to hold trainings for police officers oriented towards
the Kvemo Kartli Region society.
 An independent expert from UK – Mr. Robin Oakley,
held an interesting seminar on effective policing in
multinational society, in which seminar several
leading NGOs participated together with the
Foundation for the Development of Human Resources;
 One of the most important stages of the project
implied consideration of the experience and
viewpoints of the police officers working in the central
and ethnically diverse regions of Georgia in terms of
problem identification, which is related to effective
functioning of law enforcement agencies in the angle
of interethnic relations;
 Especially for this purpose problem solving working
seminar has been conducted in November 2007, for 20
police officers from ethnically diverse regions and 10
police officers from central regions – Tbilisi.
 Based upon the results of the working seminar
programme for training of trainers in managing
interethnic relations has been elaborated and
conducted for Police Academy lecturers.
 In March 2008, FDHR trainer-experts elaborated the
curriculum and the brochure for the subject –
management of interethnic relations;
 It is worthy to mention that those documents were
prepared based upon ongoing correspondence with
Police Academy lecturers.
 Next category of the projects basically covers the topic
of “Unemployment, labor market and national or
social minorities”. There is a special training
programme worked out regarding job seeking, selfaffirmation in the sphere of the trade market and
motivation. This programme has been implemented
for mostly vulnerable stratum of the population,
including ethnic minorities as well.
 Another direction of the projects implemented by
FDHR is dedicated to the issues of children and
adolescence.
 One of the current projects in this direction is
“Rebuilding Lives Project” implemented in
cooperation with “Save the Children Foundation
Georgia”.
 The project is aiming at establishment of the mobile
service in the country, which is directed to the
assistance of street children.
 Foundation is involved in the RLP project as a
consulting party. FDHR representative consultants are
providing methodological and supervisory support to
the Tbilisi mobile service team, mainly to peer coach
educators, who has an experience of being street child
in the past and are working presently with street
children.
Thank you for your attention!
www.fdhr.ge