User:Saldevd/sandbox/Transparency International Georgia

Transparency International Georgia ( TI Georgia) is a local non-governmental organization that has been functioning in Georgia since 2000. It is a national chapter of Transparency International (TI), the only international non-governmental organization devoted to combating corruption. TI works at the local, national, and international levels through its Secretariat located in Berlin and more than 90 independent national chapters around the world.

Role
Transparency International's national chapters work to increase accountability and transparency, monitor the performance of key institutions and advocate the necessity of anti-corruption reforms.

TI Georgia defines corruption broadly as the abuse of authority for personal gain. The organization believes that the prevention of corruption is more equally as necessary as combating existing corruption, which is why it monitors areas where corruption risks are greatest.

TI Georgia’s mission is to help reform areas where corruption still exists, to build and strengthen institutions, and to promote good governance.

In recent years, TI Georgia has become a leading advocacy and research based organization in Georgia.

In the framework of anti-corruption policy Transparency International Georgia studied the practices of successful anti-corruption agencies in various countries and prepared a package of legislative proposals based on this research. The proposal included, among other things, creation of an independent anti-corruption agency that would coordinate the anti-corruption policy and study possible cases of conflict of interest and corruption.

In 2014, TI Georgia monitored the fulfillment of recommendations given by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Anti-Corruption Network to the Georgian government.

Organization
TI Georgia’s executive director is Eka Gigauri. With the staff of nearly 50 people the organization has offices in three regions of Georgia: Kutaisi, Zugdidi and Batumi.

Activities
The main areas of TI Georgia’s activities are: media environment ; strengthening judicial independence; anti corruption policy ; budget transparency; market economy; parliamentary monitoring and legislation; election environment and monitoring of election; public sector monitoring, support and reform and free legal aid.

Media
TI Georgia’s media team actively monitors the media and telecommunications sector. The organization regularly publishes reports on broadcast media ownership, development of the advertising market, the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB), the activities of the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC) and other topics. TI Georgia participates in the development and analysis of media-related legislative initiatives. It also trains journalists in using open data resources and monitors Georgia’s transition to digital broadcasting.

Judical system
TI Georgia is actively working on reforming the judicial system, increasing its efficiency and strengthening the guarantees of its independence. Our monitoring of the High Council of Justice is aimed at identifying shortcomings in its work and developing relevant recommendations.

Administrative cases
TI Georgia has been monitoring administrative cases  in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi, Khelvachauri, Gori and Zugdidi courts. The monitoring is aimed at identifying procedural shortcomings and violations, observing the equality and impartiality of sides, and developing useful recommendations. Since 2012 the organization has also been monitoring high-profile criminal cases and make assessments of procedural decisions and positions of the sides.

National Integrity System
The National Integrity System (NIS) assessment is conducted according to methodology developed by the Transparency International Secretariat. The assessment analyzes 12 principal institutions that play an important role in preventing and combating corruption. These institutions are: the parliament, the executive branch of government, the judiciary, public administration, law enforcement agencies, the public defender, the State Audit Office, election administration, political parties, civil society, media and business.

TI Georgia published its first NIS in 2011. In 2014, the organization started working on the second report, which will allow to determine how the situation has changed in each institution over the last few years. The final document was published in the summer of 2015.

Recommendations to the government
In its reports TI Georgia wrote about the need to develop an effective state policy on competition, in order to create favorable conditions for fair competition on the Georgian market. The organization participated in the competition policy reform and developed specific recommendations on how the government should implement an effective competition policy.

The following important changes were implemented based on TI Georgia’s recommendations (the Georgian Parliament adopted the draft law on competition policy reform in March 2014):
 * An independent structure – Competition Agency – was established
 * Guarantees of independence of the Competition Agency were established
 * The scope of application of the Law on Competition was determined and etc.

Parliament
Transparency International Georgia’s parliamentary team has offices located both in Tbilisi and Kutaisi parliament buildings. The team works in several areas:
 * Analyzing legislative projects, preparing reports, attending and participating in committee meetings
 * Organizing focus groups on draft laws
 * Preparing legislative proposals
 * Informing the population about parliamentary activities (publishing of information on www.transparensy.ge, www.chemiparlamenti.ge, and our Facebook page; preparation of a weekly podcast; sending SMSs to www.chemiparlamenti.ge subscribers)
 * Training the offices of majoritarian MPs.

Election monitoring
TI Georgia has been actively monitoring the election environment and advocating for its improvements for many years. TI Georgia was also actively involved in the activities of the inter-faction group working on election issues, the Financial Monitoring Service of Political Parties and the interagency commission of the State Audit Office. It also monitors the election day throughout the country.

Legal aid
TI Georgia’s free Advocacy and Legal Aid Centers (ALAC) provides free legal consultation and court representation for people who cannot hire a lawyer. ALAC operate in all four offices of TI Georgia in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi and Zugdidi. TI Georgia’s lawyers also organize Mobile Clinics to provide assistance to citizens in villages and remote settlements. A Mobile Clinic involves the lawyers visiting places where the population is facing a large collective legal problem. Such problems are often related to property rights. Our legal assistance mostly includes protecting property rights and responding to illegal dismissals of public servants.

Anyone who believes that the state has violated their property rights or that they have been illegally dismissed from public service, can contact TI Georgia’s free Advocacy and Legal Aid Centers: Tbilisi - (995 32) 260 15 08, Kutaisi - (995 431) 29 26 54, Batumi - (995 422) 29 44 88, Zugdidi - (995 415) 22 37 20.

Corruption surveys
Transparency International Secretariat regularly produces two surveys on corruption around the world which cover Georgia: the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), and the Global Corruption Barometer (GCB).

Every year, the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI ) ranks countries/territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. It is a composite index - a combination of several polls and surveys - drawing on corruption-related data collected by a variety of reputable institutions. The CPI reflects the views of observers from around the world, including business people and experts living and working in the countries/territories evaluated.

Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) is the only worldwide public opinion survey on views and experiences of corruption. As a poll of the general public, it provides an indicator of how corruption is viewed and experienced by citizens at the national level and how efforts to curb corruption around the world are assessed by the population. It also provides a measure of people’s experience who had to pay a bribe in the past year.

Campaigns
The most successful campaigns of TI Georgia are: This affects you too and We Choose Europe.