Georgia: Minister Otar Shamugia congratulated the speakers on a professional day and thanked them for their contribution to the development of the forest sector. The event also featured successful speakers of the year who received awards and symbolic gifts for their particularly difficult and risky work.
Otar Shaugia said, “Georgia is a country rich in forests. Tradition, culture and knowledge help us to care for and preserve our forests. Many forest sector changes have occurred over the last decade.”
With the help of our international partners and supporters, step by step, we are tackling the problems that have been accumulated for a long time. We can say today, we really have the results that will benefit the country and its people even more in the future,” said Environment and Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia.
Deputy Minister of Environment and Agriculture Kakha Kakabadze addressed the participants of the meeting and said that the progress that the plant has made in recent years is the result of great work by the Ministry and the National Forestry Agency.
“Legislation regulated, administrative process improved, forest inventory and management plan preparation systematized, forest care and recovery measures increased, forest infrastructure developed in the form of business yards and forest roads; organized wood-forestry work helps to develop the market and create jobs on the spot In all this, the role of scholars is the most important,” Kakha Kakabadze said.
Head of National Forestry Agency Kakha Tsertsvadze congratulated foresters on professional day.
“Georgian forests have a huge potential, in addition to its main ecological purpose, to make a significant contribution to the country’s economic development.
However, these benefits will only be possible in the long term with a proper institutional system, proper planning of activities, protection, maintenance and restoration of forests. The National Forest Agency, for the effective implementation of forestry-agricultural measures, has completely renovated the special-purpose car park. Also, the agency’s top priority is social guarantees and working conditions.
“With the recently implemented legislative changes, we will provide life and health insurance for students, using a form of incentives for the task of particular difficulty, which we believe will significantly increase employee motivation,” Kakha Tsertsvadze said.
The head of the agency, for their hard work to protect the country’s unique resource, thanked both the spokesperson and NGO representatives for their many years of support. Over the years, the National Forest Agency has implemented several projects with the support of GIZ, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Fund for Nature Protection (WWF), CENN and other partners.
At the event, well-known people, athletes, actors, singers and media representatives were awarded for their constant involvement in the National Forest Agency information campaigns.
Representatives of the legislative body, academic circle, environmental NGOs and partner international organizations attended the event.
