Georgia: A training seminar was held on the topic: Raising awareness about disinformation to support civil integration processes which was organized by the Office of the Minister of State and with the support of the European Union (EU), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the South Caucasus (OHCHR).
The State Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality Tea Akhvlediani opened the training seminar; the participants of the event were also addressed by the senior adviser of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the South Caucasus, Vladimir Shkolnikov, and the Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Georgia, Anna Chernyshova.
The training was held for two days, and representatives of local media outlets working in regions densely populated with representatives of ethnic minorities participated in it.
The regional journalists of Kvemo Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kakheti, learned about the negative consequences of the influence of disinformation on the process of civil integration and discussed strategies to prevent their spread.
Tea Akhvlediani introduced the participants to both strategic directions of the State Minister’s office – the policy of reconciliation and engagement, as well as civil equality and integration, and the priority issues within the department’s competence.
The Minister of State reviewed in detail the challenges of disinformation in the process of civil equality and integration and emphasized the importance of dealing with it and the special role of the media in the said process.
Tea Akhvlediani also spoke about the mechanisms of combating disinformation and noted the importance of properly informing the public in current directions, raising awareness and media literacy, which is served by the cycle of training seminars organized by the Office of the State Minister.
“Especially in relation to our non-Georgian speaking population, the discussion of the extremely negative impact of disinformation on the process of public integration, as well as its prevention mechanisms, was the main goal of the training seminar organized by the initiative of the Office of the State Minister. Within the framework of this event, with the support of our international partners and the participation of invited experts in the relevant field, we discussed with regional journalists the most important role of the media, both in the formation of public opinion and in the process of dealing with disinformation,” said State Minister Tea Akhvlediani.
