Biodiversity, as defined by the Convention of Biological Diversity (CDB), refers to “the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems” (CDB). Generally, it refers to the diversity of ecosystems and the variety of life on Earth.

On December 12, ISET Policy Institute hosted a roundtable discussion of joint research of Armenian and Georgian economists on ‘Diverging integration paths of Armenia and Georgia: consequences for export sophistication and diversification’.

This policy brief addresses risks tied to Russian business ownership in Georgia. The concentration of this ownership in critical sectors such as electricity and communications makes Georgia vulnerable to risks of political influence, corruption, economic manipulation, espionage, sabotage, and sanctions evasion. To minimize these risks, it is recommended to establish a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) screening mechanism for Russia-originating investments, acknowledge the risks in national security documents, and implement a critical infrastructure reform.

In October 2023, Georgian power plants generated 1,043 mln. kWh of electricity. This represents a 1% increase in the total generation compared to the previous year (in October 2022, the total generation was 1,034 mln. kWh). The rise in the generation on a yearly basis comes from an increase in thermal power generation by 179%, while the generation of wind and hydro power plants decreased by 11% and 30%, respectively.

In a landmark event held today, key stakeholders gathered to explore and introduce a groundbreaking