The Government of Georgia has teamed up with the World Bank and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, to launch a series of discussions on key policy issues with a broad spectrum of stakeholders.
The first round-table focused on investment climate issues building on the findings of Doing Business 2010: Reforming though Difficult Times. The Ministry of Finance and the World Bank Group aim to spur an open discussion on the areas for improvement in the future.
“The aim of such public discussion is not only to raise awareness of our society and international partners on implemented economic reforms and achievements of Georgian Government, but also to conduct a joint dialogue in a framework of open discussion in order to analyze the necessity of creation of guarantees for economic liberty and ongoing reforms in our country, “– said Kakha Baindurashvili, Minister of Finance of Georgia.
“Georgia has pursued an impressive public policy reform approach, and we welcome this initiative of the Government in discussing future changes to ensure broader dialogue with society, that will foster investments and economic growth in this country and improve people’s living standards,” said Asad Alam, World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus.
“IFC will continue to combine investments and advisory services to support private sector development,“said Thomas Lubeck, Regional Head, Caucasus, IFC. “These discussions will serve as an important step towards leveraging public-private dialogue enabling us to achieve better results in fostering economic growth.”
The World Bank's Country Partnership Strategy for Georgia (2010-2013) acknowledges a need for the Government to continue deepening its communication on the impressive and speedy public policy reform approach and involve society into these discussions. The Bank will scale up communications strategy on its own work, and assist the Government in doing so more broadly. Social awareness and involvement through communications and outreach can build support that will ultimately enhance the sustainability of reforms.
Tapping the Full Potential of Georgian Agriculture
On 5 March, a high level workshop devoted to the new vision of Agriculture in Georgia was hosted by the World Bank Tbilisi Country Office. The workshop provided an opportunity for ministers, senior government advisors and World Bank experts, to think afresh about how best to tap into the full potential of the sector, which has failed to achieve the impressive growth seen in other sectors of the economy. Welcoming remarks were made by Asad Alam, the World Bank Regional Director for South the Caucasus and Bakur Kvezereli, Minister of Agriculture.
World Bank Hosts a Workshop on Tertiary Education in Georgia
On December 14, 2009, the World Bank Georgia Office hosted a workshop to discuss the recent trends in tertiary education worldwide and their applicability to Georgia in the view of ongoing reforms in this sector.
The array of issues covered during the event included innovations, quality assurance, financing, cost of quality higher education and related affordability concerns, existing regulatory framework and its impact on creating enabling environment for further development and growth of strong tertiary education system.
Georgia's Health System Performance: Significant Steps Taken but Challenges Remain
At a time when Georgia faces not only the effects of the global economic crisis but also significant health challenges, it is crucial for the Georgian government to continue to consolidate and further advance its ambitious health system reform agenda to protect the poor and the most vulnerable, says a new report prepared by the Georgian Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Assistance with the support of World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank experts.
The report Georgia Health System Performance Assessment, issued on 17 November shows that the overall health status of the population has improved since 2000. In some areas, specifically health insurance coverage and primary health care, the country is in the midst of implementing significant reforms to achieve national objectives.
For full version of the press release and more information about the World Bank's work in Georgia, visit: http://www.worldbank.org/ge.
World Bank Supports Georgian Government’s Efforts in Road Safety
The Ministry for Regional Development and Infrastructure and the World Bank Georgia Office hosted a road safety workshop on 28 September. The aim of the workshop was to share international experience and ideas for the draft road safety action plan currently being prepared by the Government. The plan will identify the actions needed by the Government to make Georgia’s roads safe for all.
This initiative responds to the worsening road safety situation in the country, where 819 people died on the roads in 2008, 43% more than five years ago.. Relative to the vehicle fleet, this is ten times worse than the best countries for road safety in the world (Netherlands, Sweden & UK) and Road safety is a development issue: worldwide road crashes kill more people each year than malaria and typically cost countries between one and two percent of their GDP.
For full version of the press release and more information about the World Bank's work in Georgia, visit: http://www.worldbank.org/ge.
The Ministry of Finance and the World Bank Group Launch Discussions on Key Policy Issues in Georgia
The first round-table held on September 18, 2009, focused on investment climate issues building on the findings of Doing Business 2010: Reforming though Difficult Times, the seventh in a series of annual reports published by IFC and the World Bank. The primary author of the report Svetlana Bagaudinova focused on the methodology, criteria for measuring reforms and explained what does this ranking mean for businesses.
The Ministry of Finance and the World Bank Group aim to spur an open discussion on the areas for improvement in the future. For full version of the press release and more information about the World Bank's work in Georgia, visit: http://www.worldbank.org/ge.
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