EU, UNDP launch GEL 9 mln grant programme to help Georgia’s rural regions respond to COVID-19 crisis
The programme will be implemented in eight municipalities – Akhalkalaki, Borjomi, Dedoplistskaro, Kazbegi, Keda, Khulo, Lagodekhi and Tetritskaro. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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The European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched a GEL 9 million grant programme together with the Georgian Agriculture and Rural Development Agency (ARDA) to help Georgia’s rural regions respond to the economic and social challenges amid the coronavirus crisis.
The programme will be implemented in eight municipalities – Akhalkalaki, Borjomi, Dedoplistskaro, Kazbegi, Keda, Khulo, Lagodekhi and Tetritskaro – where UNDP and the EU are working together 'to promote livelihoods outside agriculture’.
The Rural Development Programme will assist non-agricultural business start-ups and growing enterprises with grants worth up to GEL 170,000 per project.
Additional grants worth up to GEL 30,000 will be provided to businesses to improve energy efficiency. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
The grants are designed to:
- boost rural entrepreneurship
- create sustainable jobs
- improve the management of natural resources
- promote climate action.
Georgian Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Levan Davitashvili said the grant programme 'is a flexible and effective instrument for strengthening the rural economy'.
It will help diversify economic activities in Georgia’s regions and foster non-farming businesses across the country”, Davitashvili said.
The European Union Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell noted that ‘the EU is mobilising all possible resources to assist Georgia to recover from the current crisis’.
I am especially glad that these grants will target rural areas around the country, where economic development can be a challenge even in normal times”, he said.
Today we are making 9 million GEL in grant funding available to develop economic activities in rural areas w/@agricultureGEO & @UNDPGeorgia.
— Carl Hartzell (@CarlHartzellEU) May 7, 2020
Truly crucial area -hope and trust our support will make tangible difference.
➡️https://t.co/lQZorGI7fl#StrongerTogether #TeamEurope pic.twitter.com/RFrvNhFed5
Stating that Georgia’s ‘exemplary COVID-19 response has saved lives’, UNDP Head Louisa Vinton said this new grants programme aims to save livelihoods that are threatened by the shutdown.
We kicked off a US$ 3M EU-funded grant programme to help #Georgia's rural regions recover from #COVID19 & #BuildBackBetter
— UNDP in Georgia (@UNDPGeorgia) May 7, 2020
We are assisting rural businesses to grow, create jobs, introduce smart & green economic solutions.@EUinGeorgia @agricultureGEO https://t.co/CuR9nLq4uS
The EU and the UNDP are long-term supporters of rural development in Georgia. More than GEL 600 million (€179.5 million) in EU assistance has been allocated to Georgia under the ENPARD programme for 2013-2022.
This support is designed to improve agricultural productivity, refine rural development policies and create new economic opportunities for rural communities, both in agriculture and outside of it.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing an additional $3 million in assistance to the Georgian healthcare system in response to COVID-19.The US Ambassador to Georgia, Kelly Degnan, said that the CDC has been supporting Georgia to prepare for and response to the pandemic since January.
About 700 hectares of forest landscape on the slope of Mount Mtatsminda in the heart of the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi will be restored over the next four years, announced Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze today.
Frontline health workers, local civil servants and other risk groups in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and the regions will receive a total of 40,000 protective face shields produced by Georgian company CaucasPack.
One of the largest Japanese energy companies, TEPCO Renewable Power (TEPCO RP), has acquired 31.4% of the shares of Georgian hydropower company Dariali Energy. This is TEPCO RP's second investment in a hydropower project overseas.
The Georgian government plans to register a total of 1.2 million ha of land over the next three years. Overall, 1 million ha of land has been registered since the restoration of Georgia’s independence in 1990s until 2016, whereas the same amount of land has been registered since that time until now.
UNDP Head in Georgia Louisa Vinton says Georgia’s response to the pandemic has undoubtedly saved lives and it will be studied in the future as a best practice. "But here, as everywhere in the world, COVID-19 has also exposed social vulnerabilities and economic imbalances. The UNDP therefore welcomes the resolve of Georgia’s leaders to go beyond ‘business as usual’ to design a recovery plan that builds on the positives and neutralizes the negatives to map out a path to a green, fair and inclusive future”, said Vinton.
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the lending arm of the World Bank Group, has approved €73.1 million under the 'Emergency COVID-19 Response Project' for Georgia. The project aims to help the government’s efforts to mitigate and address the health and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is offering €91,340,000 to help Georgia prevent and respond to threats caused by the coronavirus pandemic, announces the Finance Ministry of Georgia. The loan agreement was signed today under the 'Emergency COVID-19 Response Project' for Georgia.
The French Development Agency will allocate €190 million to Georgia to contain the spread of the coronavirus and support energy reforms in the country, announces the Finance Ministry of Georgia. Georgian Ministry of Finance and French Development Agency signed the agreement today.
The Human Rights and Monitoring Center (EMC) has appealed the decision to build a hydro power plant in Guria in Tbilisi City Court.
A memorandum has been signed today between the UNDP, Sweden and the Georgian Ministry of Health to support Georgia’s efforts to strengthen its medical governance and improve health services for people amid the coronavirus.
Eleven municipalities in Georgia have been awarded 5 million GEL in grants for local infrastructure and business development as part of a programme to support the integrated development of Kakheti, Imereti, Guria and Racha-Lechkhumi-Kvemo Svaneti, announces the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia.
The European Union is starting nine new projects to support vocational education and labor market development in Georgia.
The European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have completed the fourth round of business bootcamps aimed at helping aspiring young entrepreneurs create and expand rural businesses.
The European Union (EU) and UNDP are inviting rural entrepreneurs from the Georgian municipalities of Dedoplistskaro, Kazbegi, Lagodekhi and Tetritskaro to take part in the third round of the ‘Digitalise Your Business’ project, announces the UNDP Georgia.
The European Union, along with France and the Czech Republic, has launched a new project Strengthening Social Protection in Georgia, which aims to improve and extend social protection services in Georgia. The goals of the project are making social services more accessible on local levels, improving information analysis on social issues, and assisting in development of the Social Code in Georgia.