Tbilisi: Zurab Utiashvili has been appointed as the director of the Agency for Refugees, Ecomigrants and Livelihood Provision. Zurab Utiashvili has been working in various positions in Georgian Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Protection for years. He was the mayor of Gurjaani municipality from October 2021 to June 2023.
Zurab Utiashvili was awarded the Order of Honor for organizing medical evacuation during the 2008 Russia-Georgian war. He is also a veteran of 2008 Russia-Georgian war.
Notably, after being appointed as the director of the Refugee agency, Zurab Utiashvili inspected the construction works of a housing complex for forcefully displaced families in Rustavi.
The State trustee Giorgi Dokhturishvili, Mayor of Rustavi city Nino Latsabidze and representatives of construction company also accompanied the agency director to inspect the site.
In Rustavi, 800 apartments are being built to settle displaced families. The budget of the project is more than 80 million GEL. The construction works started this year and will be completed by 2025.
According to Zurab Utiashvili, after the construction is completed, the displaced families will be given fully renovated apartments in accordance with modern standards.
In order to create decent living conditions for displaced families, on the initiative of the Prime Minister, large-scale construction works are underway in 5 cities of Georgia – Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Rustavi, Zugdidi and Borjomi, housing complexes are being built for displaced families.
It is noteworthy that under the project, more than 7000 families will be given new apartments, while 6000 families under the “Rural House” program will be settled. In total, by the end of 2025, new housing will be given to 13,000 internally displaced families. The budget of the project is more than 900 million GEL.
