Interview with Ketevan Vashakidze, President of Europe Foundation - Diplomat magazine with the NYT

You represent a foundation that has been working for decades to strengthen Georgia’s civil society. What are the challenges confronting civil societies globally, and are these challenges different in Georgia?

The civil sector shares many similar challenges in different regions of the world but in countries where democratic institutions are weak, poverty rates are high, and citizens are unable to play an active part in the country’s political, economic, and social life, the challenges are more acute. These challenges include restrictive legislations or inadequate implementation of laws that enable the work civil society organizations (CSOs); various barriers to accessing and sustaining financial resources for CSOs; environment that hinders citizens’ access to decision-making. Recently, we have also observed government-backed negative discourse towards CSOs, aimed at stigmatizing or instilling distrust towards them. Increasingly common became attacks on human rights defenders and CSO representatives. All of these limits space for civil society, further diminishing the CSO’s access to media, policyformation process, and public space to protest injustice and human rights violations. During the pandemic, these challenges have become particularly dire, fueling further crises.

Today, liberal democracy faces multiple challenges. Several Eastern European countries, which until recently have been the role-models of democratization, have introduced regulations that limit opportunities for CSOs. However, despite the fact that the anti-liberal sentiments and movements are emerging around the world, in the countries where democratic institutions are strong, the civil society sector is effective in maintaining its space and fulfilling its mission. Whereas, in countries like Georgia, where institutions are weak, the government is more authoritarian, many are extremely poor, vulnerable and marginalized, and access to quality education, health care, jobs and decent living conditions is inadequate, the civil sector has more difficulties in mobilizing citizens to positively influence the state and society to build inclusive, democratic state. Consequently, CSOs need much more support and resources to bring about positive changes.

What do you think is the solution in such challenging situations, and what should the civil sector do to address these challenges?

Europe Foundation is an infrastructural organization that supports strengthening of CSOs in Georgia. The mission of Europe Foundation is to empower people to effect change for social justice and economic prosperity through hands-on programs, helping them to improve their communities and their own lives. The Foundation engages citizens in social, economic, and

political developments, in order to effect substantive and sustainable positive socio-economic change at the local, regional, and national level through both operational programs and grantmaking. The Europe Foundation’s programs enable various interest groups to voice their opinions and take active role in designing public policies and legislation. The Foundation advocate for and support groups that put on the political agenda the needs and interests of the most vulnerable. We bring evidence to policymaking and mobilize local and international support to advance the idea of inclusive society. We also believe that civic education, especially among youth, is essential for strengthening civil society in Georgia. Hence, the Foundation’s Youth Integration Program provides opportunities for young people to volunteer, acquire new skills in leadership and community mobilization, and equips them with resources to select, fund, and oversee small youth-led initiatives that address salient for local communities issues.

Has the pandemic changed the goals, objectives, and approaches of the Foundation?

Although the pandemic is one of the major global crises, which among other challenges, has disrupted the way CSOs operate, it has not changed the focus of our work or the Foundation’s mission. As the pandemic has upended people’s lives and exacerbated challenges faced by local communities in Georgia, we have remained focused on our mission to support civil society in its pursuit to provide citizens with opportunities to engage for the benefit of their communities.

In 2020, we accepted the level of flexibility for our organizational resilience which was necessary for reducing the negative effects of the pandemic on one hand and for succeeding in accomplishing our long-term objectives on the other. Flexible but strategic approach allowed us to provide much needed support to our partner CSOs to address the ongoing and new challenges posed by the pandemic. We could observe that CSOs that are strong institutionally and have close affiliation with the communities they serve have managed to better navigate the volatile environment of the pandemic and have continued to successfully advocate for their rights and interests. As the pandemic affected vulnerable groups the most, to reduce the negative effect of the pandemic on persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, the Foundation has put extra effort in supporting disabled persons’ organizations (DPOs). In 2020 Europe Foundation has issued 36 grants in total to the CSOs and young people initiative supporting projects for mobilizing communities to protect environment, better integrating persons with disabilities, allowing them to access public services, learn social and emotional skills, advocate for minority rights, activate engagement mechanisms in public decisions on local level, etc. There were other positive developments in the sector. With the encouragement from Europe Foundation, the Ministry of Finance of Georgia joined Europe Foundation in becoming a steward of the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency (GIFT). GIFT membership will facilitate increased CSO participation in fiscal policy making in Georgia. For more accountable and transparent public policy making in Georgia, the Foundation also launched a new initiative, Watchdog Reporting for Change, which aims at empowering journalists, media outlets, and civil society actors to expose instances of poor governance in Georgia through fact-finding, reporting and advocacy. To further advance the participatory policy-making process, Europe Foundation continued to push forward the coordinated work for the gender sensitive 2021-2025 SME Strategy.

The mission of Europe Foundation is to empower people to effect change for social justice and economic prosperity through handson programs, helping them to improve their communities and their own lives.