France's Commitment to Regional Development in Georgia

Sheraz Gasri, Ambassador of France to Georgia

France devotes 0.56% of its gross national income to international development aid, with the aim of combating poverty and inequalities on any ground. In Georgia, where economic and social disparities between big cities and rural areas are significant, France is partnering with Georgian institutions and civil society organisations, EU family, UN as well as other likeminded to contribute to a more prosperous, sustainable and solidary future for all of Georgia. Georgia’s future is in the EU and France will help Georgia succeed on this path for the benefit of all Georgians.

Enhancing access to Education

France supports education programs in the regions of Georgia through provision of French classes in public schools, for example in Imereti, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, and Kakheti. With the National Centre for Teacher Professional Development, France facilitates in-service training for 32 French teachers throughout Georgia and offer technical expertise to 23 schools to help them with the recruitment of French teachers. We also supported the setting up of an after-school program in Duisi aimed at improving opportunities for young people in the Pankisi Valley to access university.

France has also formed educational partnerships with several Georgian military establishments, such as the Sachkhere high mountain training centre and the Kutaisi and Gori military high schools which give rise to regular exchanges between pupils from these schools and pupils from French schools.

Establishing people-to-people exchanges plays an essential role in deepening bilateral relations between France and Georgia. To this end, we have helped to set up around twenty cooperative ventures between French and Georgian universities based in the regions, enabling Georgian students to take part in student mobility programs in France and to immerse themselves in French culture. Every year, 25% of Georgian students in mobility programs to France come from the region. Two new partnerships are currently being studied with a view to offering a diversified portfolio of joint academic programs. The first would enable physics students to travel between the University of Paris-Saclay and the International University of Kutaisi, while the other would consist of a trilateral tourism studies program involving the University of Angers, the Shota Rustaveli University of Batumi, and the University of Gori. As well as promoting mutual understanding and cultural immersion experiences, we are also pursuing a number of capacity-building projects for regional universities, for example setting up joint digital skills workshops at the University of Cergy and Telavi State University.

Promoting human rights for all

France is focusing on access to healthcare for all and on the protection of the rights of vulnerable groups, in particular women, children, people with disabilities and both ethnic and gender minorities.

Thanks to a fruitful, respectful and historic cooperation between the regions of Kakheti and Yonne (France), Gurjaani hosts a medical center in Gurjaani providing affordable, quality care in a rural area. Annual meetings of doctors and professional have improved the center which now offers a wide range of examinations (endoscopy, mammography, bacteriology, dialysis, hepatitis C screening, etc.). The Covid-19 pandemic was an opportunity to step up our support in Kvemo Kartli and Samegrelo by supplying masks and disinfectant gel.

France supports ethnic minorities who face huge challenges when it comes to media literacy, women in Zugdidi, who face domestic violence, children with disabilities in Adjara (Shuakhevi, Batumi) and Samtskhe-Javakheti (Akhalkalaki, Ninotsminda, Aspindza). In these areas, France works hand in hand with UN Agencies, French and Georgian NGOs.

Supporting a sustainable development 

The agricultural and agro-industrial sectors play a crucial role in the development of a sustainable economy and inclusive growth in all of Georgia. Since 2019, France, via its development agency (AFD), together with EU, helps strengthen the inclusion of farmers in markets by developing their skills and facilitating their access to innovation. As part of this project, a number of training courses have been offered and young Georgian professionals have undertaken internships in France to perfect their skills. We also support peer-to-peer training in the field of agriculture, mostly in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region. Thanks to French grant, French NGO FERT, together with GBDC and Ertoba will help build a sustainable agricultural economy based on income-generating and resilient family farms.

In addition, agricultural development requires access to natural resources and their sustainable management. In order to re-establish sustainable access to water in the region, France is working hand in hand with the Georgian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture to modernize the Zemo Samogori irrigation system. A large-scale project to rehabilitate and expand the water supply and sanitation infrastructure is also underway in Khashuri and neighboring localities. Prior to the project, local communities only had access to water for a few hours a day and wastewater was discharged directly into a cross-border river, with negative consequences for the environment, local livelihoods, and health. At the end of this project, Khashuri region will have a sustainable supply of drinking water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and an efficient wastewater treatment system.

France supports Georgia's ambition for environmentally-friendly development. Our development agency is endeavoring to optimize the green Transcaucasian corridors by working with Georgian railways and to structure the Georgian electricity market in conjunction with KfW and the EU. The idea is to develop an appropriate regulatory framework for the promotion of renewable energies and energy efficiency while ensuring the impact of this reform on Georgia's vulnerable populations.