USAID continues to partner with Georgia to promote citizen-centered governance based on the principles of transparency, accountability, and effectiveness. This July, we took another step forward in that partnership when the Open Governance Parliamentary Council, a body within the Parliament of Georgia, adopted its 2021-2022 Action Plan. The plan was developed through an inclusive process that included the Open Parliament Council, a number of civil society organizations, and international donors including USAID.
The plan builds on past USAID support for the Open Parliament Council, a body established to promote Georgia’s participation in the Open Government Partnership, a global initiative to promote greater transparency and accountability in governance and public services. The plan’s specific objectives include: strengthening Parliament’s ability to conduct oversight; increasing the transparency of parliamentary work; and promoting greater citizen engagement in legislative processes. Since the plan was adopted in July, the USAID Good Governance Initiative (GGI) has been working closely with the Open Parliament Council to support its implementation.
Notably, we are supporting the Open Parliament Council to roll out new citizen engagement tools, building on our recent support for a makeover of the parliament’s website, parliament.ge. The new website allows citizens to request and receive information in real time as well as submit petitions and legislative initiatives through user-friendly electronic forms. USAID is also supporting efforts to raise public awareness about the new website, encouraging Georgia’s citizens to actively request information and participate in the public discourse about legislative processes.
The need for robust parliamentary and citizen oversight of public spending and other aspects of governance have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we partner with Georgia to overcome the health, economic, and governance impacts of the pandemic, USAID will continue to support efforts to empower the Georgian people by promoting transparent, accountable, and effective governance.
