EAST-WEST MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE INC

Georgia civil society engagement program - see schedule o.the civil society engagement program (csep) in georgia has four objectives: (1) resilience building and strategic communication support for civic actors; (2) enhance the capacity of civic actors to address citizen-identified issues; (3) foster partnerships among civil actors and between civil actors and other sectors; and (4) develop an ecosystem for the sustainability of civic actors. The following are a few examples of the outcomes of csep-supported initiatives.efforts to resilience building and strategic communication support for civic actors, include *providing strategic communication, legal analysis and advocacy support to civil society actors to explain to the public the implications of the draft law on transparency of foreign influence that was re-introduced in april 2024. *to address increasing smear campaigns against civic actors across the country, supporting efforts to advance proactive communication and public outreach campaigns showcasing the critical role that csos play in georgia, including top priority areas like education, social issues, and women's rights, which served to increase public awareness around critical issues in the country and highlight how they had been solved in eu countries. *providing crucial legal analysis and advocacy support as csos navigated the new regulatory environment created by the law on transparency of foreign influence, and assisting them as they worked to ensure the continuity of their operations.efforts to enhance the capacity of civic actors to address citizen-identified issues, include *supporting 20 innovation and challenge grant projects, as well as two strategic support and policy grants that addressed citizen-identified issues throughout georgia, and assisting these grantees with legal information and tailored assistance, as they navigated operational challenges brought on by the introduction of restrictive legislation. One notable success was a project evaluating how government reforms to the pharmaceutical sector have impacted georgian households' access to medications - achieved a policy success in expanding health coverage to offer full medication coverage for those with chronic cardiovascular diseases, chronic lung diseases, chronic thyroid diseases, type 2 diabetes, glaucoma, parkinson's disease, and epilepsy. *supporting eight grantees to provide rapid and flexible support to address the complexities of the newly enacted law on transparency of foreign influence through legal consultations and educational initiatives. *supporting 30 new initiatives to facilitate discussions between civil society representatives and local populations about pressing local issues. Efforts to foster partnerships among civic actors and between civic actors and other sectors, include: *facilitating two wellness retreats for civic activists, watchdog and human rights defender csos as they faced an increasingly hostile working environment, as well as conducting offline and online psycho-emotional support workshops for more than 100 civic actors affected by the adoption of new restrictive legislation. *facilitating the production of videos highlighting efforts to promote the first ever school meals week in georgia, which aimed to raise awareness about the significance of school nutrition and advocate for the implementation of a free school meals program in georgia.efforts to develop an ecosystem for the sustainability of civic actors include: *developing local capacity to crowdfund as a form of domestic resource mobilization. In addition to regional presentations and the release of a resource mobilization and crowdfunding guidebook, creating a comprehensive training program on crowdfunding and developing an improved crowdfunding platform. *promoting stronger linkages between civil society and the private sector, by hosting several trainings to increase the capacity of csos in pitching their ideas to businesses and offered several opportunities for csos and businesses to explore partnerships. As a result, csep facilitated 17 partnership projects between civil society and the private sector, resulting in financial support in the amount of $53,145. *promoting stronger linkages between civil society and the private sector, csep hosted its third partnership fair in tbilisi, resulting in $9,100 in private sector support for civic initiatives, while also producing 29 episodes of the series business and eu talks to promote georgia's eu integration by raising awareness of the benefits for the business sector.