Promoting IDPs' and Women's Voices in Post-Conflict Georgia

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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT‣ Include an IDP NGO on the Steering Committee for the State Strategy on IDPs (Immediate Term)Institutionalize IDPs’ participation at the national level by including an IDP NGO in the MRA’s SteeringCommittee, after garnering the preferred choice of national and IDP NGOs. Including an IDP NGO willallow IDPs to take the lead in representing and advocating for their needs at the national level. Theirlack of representation in this body currently serves as a critical gap in their avenues for participation.This involvement will be a key link to the IDP community and facilitate implementation of the StateStrategy and Action Plan, along with future policymaking on IDP-related issues.The MRA, with the support of international organizations, should strongly encourage IDP NGOs to takeleadership and participate in the Steering Committee. They can incentivize these NGOs’ involvement bycommitting to include them as an equal partner in decision-making processes. The MRA should considermaking support available to IDP NGO representatives that might need to travel to participate inCommittee meetings. They should also engage in a participatory process to enable IDP NGOs to choosethis representative. This involves enabling IDP NGOs to nominate themselves and structure a process bywhich they would elect their representative from the nominees. This effort seeks to address some of thechallenges that IDPs face in gaining effective representation at the national level.‣ Collect more systematic data on IDP populations (Immediate to Intermediate Term)As a current dearth of data on IDP populations exist, the MRA, with the assistance of internationalorganizations and national NGOs, should systematically examine the socioeconomic conditions in IDPcommunities. Anecdotal evidence exists on the differences between the IDP and non-IDP populations,as well as within the displaced population. Statistics on these issues should be collected to corroboratethese assessments.Specifically, the MRA should improve its knowledge base, beginning with an accurate census of the IDPpopulation, their gender and age breakdown, a sense of professional skills, educational and incomelevels, along with participation in government programs. To highlight issues specific to women, it shouldalso collect demographic data on women and families, including family size and composition (number ofchildren, marital status), health, violence against women, and health and education of children.Data should be disaggregated based on age, gender, old and new wave, and accommodation status.National statistics, such as those on unemployment, should also disaggregate for IDP status. Datacollection should occur every 2-3 years in order to ensure that the data is up-to-date.97
Accurate data is key in order for the MRA to understand which IDPs currently live in the mostmarginalized conditions so that it can effectively shift to a needs-based approach, a goal stated in theAction Plan. The MRA faces the challenge of allocating resources to this process while simultaneouslymeeting other commitments related to IDPs’ needs and interests. In the long-run, however, up-to-datedata serves a key purpose in enabling the MRA and NGOs to better target their resources to support themost vulnerable IDPs. This approach may be more cost-effective in the long term.‣ Systematically include IDPs in drafting and implementing IDP-related policies(Intermediate Term)The Georgian Government’s inclusion and support of IDPs has notably improved in more recent years,and it should build on efforts to conduct participatory policymaking processes. The process on draftingthe National Action Plan for Implementation of UNSCR 1325 provides a useful model for engaging allrelevant stakeholders: IDP women and men, NGOs, government, and international organizations. Withsupport from INGOs and donors, the government should create commissions or work through theexisting Steering Committee to periodically update the Action Plan and revise the State Strategy, ifdeemed necessary. They should support NGOs in coordinating locals to discuss their ideas forrecommendations, and then provide a platform from which NGO representatives can directly funnelthese recommendations into national-level processes of drafting new policies. This involvement canensure that IDPs are directly engaged in the process of setting priorities among efforts to promote thevarious durable solutions.The government should also involve IDPs, through NGOs, in implementation processes to ensure thatthey are effectively addressing their needs and interests. The Office of the Public Defender shouldcontinue to monitor implementation of IDP-related policies. They should promote consultation withIDPs related to local integration and resettlement efforts, to support IDPs’s ability to choose among thedurable solutions. They should particularly focus on ensuring that the MRA is upholding itscommitments to improve communication with IDPs, as information is a key tool for them to becomemore engaged in personal and policy-level decision-making.‣ Restructure and transform Abkhazian Government-in-Exile into a more effective representativebody for IDPs (Intermediate to Long-Term)Although currently ineffective, the Abkhazian Government-in-Exile serves as a structure that has thepotential to represent IDPs. An IDP NGO activist suggested: “[The] Abkhazian Government…has tochange into a more efficient or relevant structure deciding these problems or the guys that run thisministry have to change. They have to change their priorities.” 485 The government-in-exile’s currentstructure should be analyzed and reorganized to more effectively utilize resources. At the same time,485 IDP NGO Activist, Roundtable Discussion at Women’s Political Resource Center, Tbilisi, 23 March 2012.98
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Promoting IDPs’ and Women’s Voi
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CONTENTSAcronyms and Abbreviations
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARYInternally displac
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THE WOMEN’S POLITICAL RESOURCE CE
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fair reporting on politically sensi
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people-to-people diplomacy efforts
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and the Guiding Principles, in Febr
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an effort to address these stereoty
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The identities, perceptions, and re
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even IDPs themselves. The HRBA seek
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Karaleti settlement, and Potskho-Et
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displacement differently, with men
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on an equal footing with men in for
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The Ministry for Internally Displac
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Defender’s Office) and leave no r
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prominent national level IDP NGO wo
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in the past but none have yet to be
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Grassroots Peacebuilding EffortsCiv
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esettlement and local integration h
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ability to contribute to the new Ac
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Women convened a working group to a
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were involved, in addition to “wo
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towards addressing this population
Page 48 and 49: waves. 224 A Conciliation Resources
Page 50 and 51: governing shelter requirements. 238
Page 52 and 53: esults of eviction on those who did
Page 54 and 55: FINDINGSSIPA team member Drilon Gas
Page 56 and 57: unique opportunities exist for them
Page 58 and 59: an important opportunity for women
Page 60 and 61: early morning…when I was going to
Page 62 and 63: our office to investigate these iss
Page 64 and 65: on this? It’s impossible.” 322
Page 66 and 67: high levels of unemployment and pov
Page 68 and 69: groups do not differentiate between
Page 70 and 71: funding and influence to implement
Page 72 and 73: een in operation for two years or l
Page 74 and 75: organization, and highlighted that
Page 76 and 77: The Education System’s Influence
Page 78 and 79: system has an important role to pla
Page 80 and 81: Political FactorsMany elements of t
Page 82 and 83: international organizations working
Page 84 and 85: uling party. 433 There were some si
Page 86 and 87: especially highly-influential broad
Page 88 and 89: ationale behind the government’s
Page 90 and 91: international working for a major d
Page 92 and 93: Also, according to a World Bank rep
Page 94 and 95: willing to challenge authorities th
Page 96 and 97: The lack of narrative connecting po
Page 100 and 101: the government also needs to commit
Page 102 and 103: ‣ Continue to support and expand
Page 104 and 105: ‣ Address male IDP needs (Immedia
Page 106 and 107: The campaign should have a face, su
Page 108 and 109: APPENDIX BList of IntervieweesLocal
Page 110 and 111: Kristy KellyLincoln MitchellLawrenc
Page 112 and 113: Article 10 - Non-discrimination in
Page 114 and 115: Principle 18.1 - Adequate standard
Page 116 and 117: Esaiashvili, Mariam (Official, Mini
Page 118 and 119: Lanskoy, Miriam and Giorgi Areshidz
Page 120: Transparency International Georgia.
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Promoting IDPs' and Women's Voices in Post-Conflict Georgia

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