Georgia: Interim Governmental Commission discusses needs of the conflict-affected population in online meeting

Tbilisi: The Interim Governmental Commission of Georgia conducted an online meeting where they addressed and responded to the needs of the conflict-affected population in villages near the dividing line.

The meeting was opened by the Chairman of the Interim Governmental Commission, the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure, Irakli Karseladze, the Vice-Chairman, the Minister of State for Reconciliation and Civil Equality, Tea Akhvlediani, and the Head of the Regional Relations Department of Government Administration Leri Barnabishvili. 

At the meeting, within the framework of the Commission’s decisions, the projects implemented and the results achieved in the villages near the dividing line and discussed the ongoing needs, challenges and solutions of the conflict-affected population.

It was noted that the government’s special care for the people living in conflict-hit villages near dividing lines is one of the top priorities of the reconciliation and inclusion policy. In order to reflect the ongoing needs of the population, the importance of continuation of regular working visits to the dividing line villages was emphasized.

The Commission heard about higher education funding outcomes for the 2022-2023 academic year for students living in villages near the dividing line. It was noted that for the first time in the process of implementing the study financing program, the electronic portal of students registration, created specifically for this program by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, was used in order to further improve the efficiency of the process management and simplify students’ inclusion in the funding program.

The issue of the ongoing construction/rehabilitation of houses damaged as a result of the 2008 war in the village of Zardianantkar was also discussed and underlined in accordance with the initiative of the Prime Minister of Georgia and the decision of the Commission, important steps already taken in this direction.

The meeting of the Government Commission was also attended by representatives of individual agencies, state trustees and mayors of municipalities.