2021-12-10
Today's meeting of the thematic coordination group bringing together state institutions and development partners discussed the issue of democratic governance.
The meeting was co-chaired by Deputy Head of the Government Administration Revaz Javelidze and Leah Kaplan, Director of the Democracy, Rights and Governance Office at USAID/Georgia.
The meeting's participants included Deputy Finance Minister Ekaterine Guntsadze, Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Mzia Giorgobiani, and representatives of the Justice Ministry, the Civil Service Bureau, and the Communications Commission.
The meeting emphasized the need of further developing democratic governance. Representatives of relevant state institutions reviewed performance and achievements in their respective areas, and discussed in detail sectoral priorities and needs to be addressed in order to achieve these priorities. The conversation also touched on open governance reform and various directions of public service reform. The participants discussed ways to foster the further implementation of public service reform, the importance of standardizing public service delivery, and the needs facing e-governance, also the significance of updating the anti-corruption policy, and issues pertaining to free access to information, media freedom, and public finance management and decentralization.
Development partners presented their views on the issues discussed and expressed readiness to continue cooperation.
Meetings of thematic coordination groups (social welfare, sustainable natural resources use, economic growth, human resources development, democratic governance, the rule of law, and justice), organized by the Donor Coordination Authority of the Administration of Georgian Government, are held once a year to facilitate strategic dialogue on the Government's priority directions between development partners and state institutions.