A thematic training was conducted in Kazbegi for municipalities that signed the European Charter on “Equality of Women and Men in Local Life” in 2025, which aimed at the practical implementation of the Charter’s principles and effective integration of equality issues into the budgetary processes of local self-governments.
The session was organized through collaboration between the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG) and UN Women. Representatives of financial services from Dedoplistskaro, Dmanisi, Dusheti, Tetritskaro, Keda, Khashuri, and Khelvachauri municipalities participated in the training.
The event was opened with welcoming remarks by NALAG Deputy Executive Director Lasha Archvadze and UN Women Project Analyst Mari Jobava, who also presented the Ministry of Finance’s vision on the GRB mechanism and ongoing reforms.
The practical part of the session was led by public finance management expert Shorena Kakhidze. During the training, participants learned how equality principles are integrated at all stages of the policy and budgeting cycle, what international standards are adopted, and what the budget planning model compliant with the Charter’s requirements looks like. Special emphasis was placed on data, indicators, program budgeting documents, and the practical steps necessary for developing a gender-responsive budget.
As noted by Tamar Prangishvili, lead consultant of the project “Women’s Leadership for Democracy in Georgia,” as a result of the two-day work, municipal representatives received recommendations and improved skills that will help them fulfill the Charter’s requirements in 2025 and take more systematic steps toward strengthening equality at the local level.
It should be noted that through NALAG’s advocacy, currently 32 municipalities in Georgia have signed the Charter, although interest in the initiative is growing and even more self-governing units are expressing a desire to join the document.