Under the project "Develop Advocacy Capacity of CSOs and PSAs," which is funded by the USAID Economic Governance Program, ISET Policy Institute continues its mentorship activities. The aim of this project is to enhance the capabilities of CSOs and PSAs in various areas such as policy-making, advocacy, research, and outreach so that they can actively participate in the policy decision-making process and contribute to local community development, policy design, and implementation.

In the framework of mentorship, on May 18th, ISET Policy Institute met with the Georgian Cold Storage and Logistics Association (GCSLA) to discuss the challenges in the cold storage supply chain in Georgia and explore potential solutions to address these issues.

The "Local Economic Development (LED) in Georgia" project, implemented by a consortium led by HELVETAS and commissioned by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), aims to strengthen Georgian actors’ involvement in LED. Moreover, it incorporates an overarching objective “to contribute to increasing employment and income of rural women and men in their localities by enhancing effective collaboration among local and national actors (public, private, civil society) for the creation of new economic opportunities.”

The study examines challenges to Georgia’s economic and democratic development that accompany growing presence of Russian business ownership in the country; and seeks to heighten awareness among key stakeholders (i.e. government, civil society organizations, development partners) and the Georgian public regarding the associated risks and threats.

In November, ISET Policy Institute conducted a training series for civil society organizations (CSO) and private sector associations (PSA). This course was one part of the “Develop the advocacy capacity of civil society organizations and private sector associations” project, supported by the USAID Economic Governance Program.