What is the Social Policy Unit and what are its goals?
The Social Policy Unit (SPU) came into action with the Georgian Community Mobilization Initiative funded by USAID for four years, beginning in 2000. The SPU mission statement has led its activities over the last two years: “Informed citizenry taking initiative to promote social development in a collaborative and strategic way with government, NGOs and other civil society groups”. A Social Policy Advisor selected by Management Systems International (USA) works with the policy unit, consolidating the efforts of GCMI to initiate both community and national-level social policy, in collaboration with Mercy Corps International and CARE International. The Horizonti Foundation offices in Tbilisi are home to the Social Policy Unit. Four staff members hired by Horizonti collaborate in Tbilisi and others live and work in several regions of Georgia, including Kakheti,, Shida Kartli, Samskhe-Javakheti, Imereti, Samegrelo and Guria.
The SPU works closely with GCMI partners and with a wide range of other local and national NGOs, community groups and Government agencies. Three factors that we believe will significantly contribute to integration of efforts to initiate adapted and coherent social policies in Georgia include 1) promoting credibility by building on previous achievements within the country, 2) introducing new tools to promote good social policy with Georgian and other appropriate policy-makers, and 3) increase visibility and public participation.
The program:
The first 2 years of the GCMI program (2000-2002) saw a gradual and significant identification of key target issues in social policy in Georgia. Since the Horizonti Foundation and the Social Policy Unit are responsible across the country to initiate social policy, they began a series of workshops on advocacy, which target policy changes in Education, Social welfare and Health. These are the object of efforts in reform at the Governmental level, in collaboration with the World Bank Reform Program.
Main social policy issues underway in 2003:
Establishment of a comprehensive Social Work Education program with Government, NGOs working in the field. Establishment of Resource Center in Soros Foundation premises, working group on Code of Ethics for Social Work in Georgia; publication of Social Work objectives by Ministry of Education; holds regular working group meetings for cross-organizational exchange.
Increased training and support for NGOs working with the Elderly.
Board of Trustees program for schools to increase transparency and accountability within local community schools. Building on former initiatives in the field, the SPU approach is local, with community input and participation. SPU works closely with the Ministry of Education and other organizations in the field, such as Open Society Georgia Foundation, Eurasia Foundation and IFES in Georgia.
Monitoring the World Bank/Georgia Education Decentralization Reforms through local community monitoring and information. We hold NGO coordination meetings to assess progress.
Inclusive education working group, regular meetings for exchange and an expert’s group concept paper presented to the Parliamentary subgroup on education, to initiate legislation on the rights of disabled children to education and other issues. A publication on the Rights of the Child will be published with UNICEF input.
Social Policy Working Groups established and developed in seven regions of Georgia, made up of mobilized citizen’s organizations from previous training and GCMI projects. See description below. These SPWGs will hold a nation-wide conference to compare best practices and plan a forward-looking advocacy strategy and their integration into Georgia’s local community political and social institutions.
Primary Health Reform information campaign and development of advocacy tools for local community health rights, within the World Bank Health Reform program, just issued in 2003. The SPU participates in the Ministry of Health’s coordination committee.
The quarterly journal, Social Policy in Georgia (www.horizonti.org under ‘publications’), is published in English, Georgian and Russian languages, in both hard copy and internet format. It is aimed at local, community-level, foreign and government readership for those working for the initiation of new social policy.
Who are members of the SPU?
Nino Zhvania, Social Welfare Programs Advisor; Manana Dumbadze, Editor SPG.
