To share experiences and best practices in the field of social programming, the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG), with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), organized a high-level meeting in Zugdidi.

The event featured the official presentation of the Municipal Platform on Social Issues of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Region. This platform was established within the framework of the three-year program Strengthening Child Protection Systems and Services in Georgia, supported by the European Union.

The meeting was opened by David Melua, project expert and representative of NALAG. Following this, the Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure, Mzia Giorgobiani, and the Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Georgia, Amy Klance, delivered welcoming remarks to the audience.

As noted during the meeting, the platform aims to develop a comprehensive, decentralized, child-centered, and needs-based approach to social program planning. It functions as a committee where representatives of municipalities in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region can exchange experiences and knowledge on social program planning.

The participants reviewed the projects Support to Georgian Municipalities in Child- and Family-Friendly Social Programming and Support to Local and Central Governments in the Development of Child-Friendly Social Programming, which were presented by Nino Zurabishvili, an expert on the aforementioned projects.

Later in the event, presentations were delivered by the Deputy Mayor of Zugdidi, Konstantine Kakava, the Head of Social Services, Nino Sulukhia, and the Head of the Children’s Department, Ia Ekhvaia. They shared their experiences in social programming for children and families with children.

The meeting was attended by the Governor of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, along with representatives from the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, UNICEF, and the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG).

Today, NALAG, in partnership with the Czech Development Agency (CzDA), held a summary meeting for the ongoing project Implementation of Participatory Planning of Social Services in Three Pilot Municipalities of Georgia – Akhaltsikhe, Dusheti, and Bolnisi Municipalities. The project aims to introduce a participatory planning approach to social programming in these self-governing units.