ISET Policy Institute collaborated with Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) to start a training course about integrating ecosystem services into local development planning.

Integrating Ecosystem Services into Local Development Planning is a piloting program that will be held for two local self-governing bodies – Akhmeta municipality and Dedoplistskaro municipality. The training consists of two modules: an introductory (3 full-day training) and advanced (4 full-day training) modules. The training program aims to improve the capacity of local authorities to identify and deal successfully with the trade-offs between social, economic, and environmental aspects arising from the implementation of local development strategies.

This Training Program aims to fill existing gaps at the local level, building relevant capacity and equipping decision-makers and public officials with the skills and knowledge necessary to incorporate the Ecosystems Services Approach into existing decision-making processes and thus strengthen their capacity to design better development strategies. Incorporating environmental considerations into the policy-making process will allow local authorities to identify and promote genuinely welfare-enhancing policies, which will be sustainable over time.