Organized by the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG) and supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the IV working meeting of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti inter-municipal platform was held in Poti. This gathering was part of the project titled “Supporting local and central government in the development of child-friendly social programming”.
The meeting brought together municipality heads from Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, along with specialists from social services and children’s departments. Its focus was on discussing mechanisms for planning municipal social services and sharing best practices.
Before the meeting started, Deputy Mayor of Poti, Lexo Todua, UNICEF representative Jesper Moleri, and NALAG Executive Director Nino Rukhadze welcomed the attendees with speeches. They stressed the importance of the meeting and the need for clear understanding among self-governing units about implementing delegated powers.
At the beginning of the meeting, project expert Nino Zurabishvili presented a guide containing comprehensive information on implementing new standards and methodologies for municipal services. Nato Chafidze, representing The Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, discussed standards and regulations governing personal assistant services, including criteria for selecting personal assistants.
The meeting evolved into a discussion where participants addressed existing challenges and explored various proposals to overcome them. Representatives from Zugdidi, Poti, and Senaki municipalities shared experiences and insights into social services.
Towards the end of the meeting, expert Nino Zurabishvili discussed the practice of developing municipal social programs and highlighted issues related to program planning.
The platform, established with UNICEF’s support to facilitate the exchange of experiences among municipalities and collaborative service delivery, brings together all municipalities in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti.
Importantly, the platform will continue to operate even after the project concludes. Additionally, inter-municipal platforms will be established in Guria and Mtskheta-Mtianeti municipalities, with technical and financial support from NALAG.