Inception Report – Action plan – Kutaisi, Georgia, 2022 – 2025

Name of Evaluator

Nino Khukhua

Email

ldageorgia@aldaintranet.org

Member Name

Kutaisi, Georgia

Action PlanAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... Title

Action plan – Kutaisi, Georgia, 2022 – 2025

1.1 Does a forum exist?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

To prepare an action plan and ensure the involvement of local actors, Kutaisi Municipality planned and implemented several types of activities, namely:

– Developed a Google questionnaire, which served as a public opinion survey. The questionnaire was sent to the representatives of civil societies and young people. The representatives of the municipality mayor were instructed to distribute the questionnaire among the residents of the territorial units so that more people could state their position. A total of 400 people filled out the Google questionnaire.
– The municipality created a working group that unites non-governmental organizations in different fields. The municipality organized a meeting in the format of the mentioned group, where they discussed the needs identified as a result of filling out the Google questionnaire. The working group includes representatives of local civil society and vulnerable groups, as well as the head of the GenderOGP participating governments are bringing gender perspectives to popular policy areas, ensuring diversity in participatory processes, and specifically targeting gender gaps in policies to address gov... More Equality Council. The group unites 10 members.
– A meeting was organized at Akaki Tsereteli State University and Kutaisi Private University, where the students were informed about the OGP and were given information about the questionnaire;
– Also, a public meeting was organized by the local democracy agency of Georgia and with the municipality’s involvement, with local actors, including young people, civil society organizations, and lecturers. A draft action plan was presented for discussion at the meeting.
– A meeting was organized with the members of the Gender Equality Council, where it was discussed the action plan considering the gender context.
– Also there were held meetings with the students and the academic staff of the university, and with the Mayor’s representatives in territorial units.
– With the involvement of the mayor’s representatives it was planned informational meetings with the citizens to identify their needs.

Provide evidence for your answer:

• Meeting with the academic staff of the university (attendance sheet)
• Meeting with Mayor’s representatives in territorial units (attendance sheet)
• Google Questionnaire (doc)

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

• Davit Chkhobadze, Director of Imereti Development Center – davit_chkhobadze@wvi.org;
• Tamar Moseshvili, Imereti Scientists Union “Spectri”- tamarmoseshvili@yahoo.com;

1.2 Is the forum multi-stakeholder?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

In the Kutaisi municipality, meetings were held with various actors, namely: representatives of the municipality, representatives of civil society organizations, young people, academic staff of the university, and representatives of vulnerable groups.
However, it should be noted that at one of the public meetings, an initiative was taken by CSOs to increase and diversify the composition of the members of the created working group.

Provide evidence for your answer:

• Meeting with Kutaisi Independent Living Center (attendance sheet)
• Meetings with Local-actors (attendance sheet)
• Meeting with the working group (attendance sheet)
• Meeting with Students (attendance sheet)
• Meeting with youth council members (attendance sheet)
• Meeting- with the students (attendance sheet)
• Meeting with NGO representatives (attendance sheet)
• Meeting with Gender equality council

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

• Emma Kamkia, Women Sukhumi- womansukhumi@gmail.com;
• Magda Kostava, City Counselor, Chair of the Gender Council- magda.Kostava@kutaisi.gov.ge

1.3 Does the forum hold at least one meeting with civil society and non-governmental stakeholders during the co-creation of the action plan?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

On December 9, 2022, a public meeting was held on the topic “The role of civil society in the implementation of the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP)”, at Akaki Tsereteli State University, in Kutaisi.
The main principles and goals of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), and the possibilities of the local OGP program were discussed at the meeting with the invited speakers and the attending public.
Speakers invited to the public meeting spoke on the following topics:

• Head of the Administrative Service of Kutaisi City Hall, Petre Adamadze – the importance of joining the Open Government Platform (OGP) of Kutaisi municipality;
• Doctor of Public Administration; Senior Civil Society Development Expert; European Union project “Support to public administration reform in Georgia”, Lasha Gogidze – the goal and main principles of the Open Government Partnership (OGP);
• OGP Academy, Tamar Gzirishvili – the role of civil society in the implementation process of Open Government Partnership (OGP);
• Head of the Foreign Relations and International Projects Department of Kutaisi City Hall, Shorena Khukhua – presentation of the 2023-2025 action plan of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) of Kutaisi municipality.

Civil society organizations of the Imereti region, representatives of the municipality, and young people attended the meeting.
After the speeches of the speakers, the meeting was held in question-answer mode.
The participants of the meeting expressed the opinion that the process of implementation of the action plan and its evaluation should be open and transparent.

Provide evidence for your answer:

• Meeting-with-local-actors – Attendance Sheet, Photo 1, Photo 2 , Photo 3, Photo 4

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

• Doctor of Public Administration; Senior Civil Society Development Expert; European Union project “Support to public administration reform in Georgia”, Lasha Gogidze;
• OGP Academy, Tamar Gzirishvili – the role of civil society in the implementation process of Open Government Partnership (OGP).

1.4 Has the action plan been endorsed by the stakeholders of the forum or steering committeeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and ru.../group?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The action plan developed by the Kutaisi municipality was approved by the working groups. In a positive context, the fact that the issues considered by the action plan are consistent with the needs identified as a result of public meetings or needs assessment should be noted.
However, in the part of criticism, it should be said that the approvals of the action plan are recorded verbally and are not confirmed anywhere in writing.
The action plan is available both on the website of the municipality and on the OGP official page.

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

• Dimitri Silagadze, Independent Living Center of Kutaisi

2.1 Does the government maintain a Local OGP website or webpage on a government website where information on the OGP Local process (co-creation and implementation) is proactively published?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The municipality posted information about the planned activities within the framework of OGP several times on the official website of the municipality. They have also uploaded an action plan.

Provide evidence for your answer:

• Links to all OGP activities

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

• Shorena Khukhua – Representative of Kutaisi City Hall.

2.2 Did the government provide information to stakeholders in advance to facilitate informed and prepared participation in the co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive...?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

In the process of developing the action plan, the municipality, in order to ensure the involvement of local interested actors, developed a Google questionnaire, which was distributed online and filled out by 400 people. Information about planned meetings was also disseminated in advance on the website of the municipality.
The municipality published information about the meetings on the municipality’s official website a week before.

• Google Questionnaire
  List of the meetings

Provide evidence for your answer:

• Links to all OGP activities

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

• Shorena Khukhua – Representative of Kutaisi City Hall.

2.3 Did the government ensure that any interested member of the public could make inputs into the action plan and observe or have access to decision-making documentation?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The municipality really held meetings with almost all interested actors, where both an action plan was discussed and there was an opportunity to take a position.
However, the municipality web page was technically unable to upload the action plan on the open platform and, accordingly, specific interested parties could state their position.

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

• Shorena Khukhua – Representative of Kutaisi City Hall.

2.4 Did the government proactively report back or provide written feedback to stakeholders on how their contributions were considered during the creation of the action plan?

Unclear

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The municipality, as I mentioned, organized public hearings of the action plan, where citizens had the opportunity to state their position openly. It should be noted that the issues addressed by the action plan were approved, and no additional comments were made regarding its amendment.
At one of the meetings, it was noted that it would be good if the municipality ensures the involvement of interested actors in the process of implementing the action plan and informs them proactively.

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

Shorena Khukhua – Representative of Kutaisi City Hall.

2.5 Was there an iterative dialogue and shared ownership between government and non-governmental stakeholders during the decision-making process, including setting the agenda?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

Local authorities were involved in the process of developing the action plan, as well as certain representatives of civil society.

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

• Shorena Khukhua – Representative of Kutaisi City Hall.

2.6 Would you consider the forum to be inclusive and diverse?

Very

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

I think that the forum to be diverse. The municipality is actively trying to further increase the involvement of organizations and individuals with different experiences in the process of implementing or evaluating the action plan.

Provide references here (e.g. interviews):

• Shorena Khukhua – Representative of Kutaisi City Hall.