UNICEF welcomes Georgian Gov’t initiative to further increase benefits for socially vulnerable children

UNICEF on Monday welcomed the initiative of the Georgian Government to address the needs of the most vulnerable children in Georgia by increasing their benefits from ₾100 ($32/€27) to ₾150 ($49/€44) starting in June.   

UNICEF Representative in Georgia Ghassan Khalil said the Government’s decision to increase the benefit was “an important step” towards decreasing child poverty in the country.

UNICEF has been partnering with the Ministry of IDPs, Labour, Health and Social Affairs to improve the Targeted Social Assistance programme in order to reduce the number of children living in extreme poverty. UNICEF stands ready to support the Government of Georgia in further reducing child poverty in Georgia so that children enjoy better education, social inclusion and more sustainable development,” Khalil added.

The Government initiative will see a total of ₾341 million ($111mln/€103mln) allocated from the budget for the programme this year, with the assistance set to continue into 2023, the Georgian Prime Minister said in a weekly Government meeting on Monday. The decision will affect more than 215,000 children in the country.