As the novel coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread around the world and has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, the next global economic recession is no longer an “if” or even a “when” event. Unfortunately, it is already upon us. In just the past few days.

This nationwide cluster mapping was conducted under EU Innovative Action for Private Sector Competitiveness in Georgia (EU IPSC), implemented by UNDP, FAO, UNIDO and IOM, and funded by EU. UNIDO’s component of the UNJP aims at strengthening the capacities of policy-makers and other stakeholders to identify and develop clusters.

Georgia experienced a significant rise in Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB1) after its independence from the Soviet Union. Currently, it is among twelve countries worldwide where sex imbalances at birth have been observed. The other countries are Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Hong Kong (SAR of China), India, the Republic of Korea, Montenegro, Taiwan (Province of China), Tunisia, and Vietnam.

Since the Uruguay Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which introduced agriculture to the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) negotiation table, there has been increasing policy interest and academic debate on food safety regulations and their effect on the agri-food trade. During the Uruguay Round, WTO members negotiated the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPSs) in the “SPS Agreement” and the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) agreements, which share common principles and rules with all member countries (Mayeda, 2004).

The livestock sector plays a significant role in Georgian agriculture, accounting for more than half of total output. Although livestock farming is spread throughout the country, agriculture is dominated by livestock in the mountains, which cover over 50% of Georgian territory. The livestock sector contributed to around 4% of the country’s overall GDP in 2018, and dairy production remains one of the most traditional Georgian agricultural sub-sectors.

Gender-biased sex selection (GBSS) in favor of boys is an indicator of gender discrimination and highlights the inequality towards girls throughout many countries. Patriarchal structures reinforce a preference for sons and perpetuate a societal climate of violence and discrimination against women and girls. GBSS is moreover a symptom of the pervasive social, political, cultural, and economic injustices against women and girls.