Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University hosted the presentation of the USAID program “Promotion of Rule of Law” at National and Local Levels. The event was opened by USAID Mission Director Peter Wiebler, Vice President of the East-West Management Institute Mark Dietrich, BSU Rector, Professor Merab Khalvashi, representatives of courts, local and international organizations. The program aims to strengthen the rule of law by promoting the independence and efficiency of the justice, ensuring better access to justice for all segments of society, and strengthening citizen and institutional supervision of the above institutions.
The main goal of all US assistance to Georgia, including the rule of law, is to make Georgia a strong, stable, and prosperous partner in democracy. The new Rule of Law program is based on the fruitful work we have done together over many years. The program aims to strengthen democracy in Georgia by improving the independence, accountability and efficiency of the justice” - Said Peter Wibler, USAID Mission Director in Georgia.
Mark Dietrich, Vice President of the East-West Management Institute, said in the speech: “Our goal is to shift the focus of justice reform (focused on institutional support) to the people, and to strengthen access community to legal institutions and justice.We attach great importance to meeting the justice needs of individuals, minorities and vulnerable groups, as well as working with individual judges and courts to bring about change that will benefit all people in Georgia."
It is very important for Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University to host this event. BSU expresses full readiness to be actively involved in the implementation of an important, five-year project. Our region has different opportunities. Civil society is more active here as well as the civil sector; there are many functioning non-governmental organizations and governmental structures here, including the Constitutional Court. These and many other circumstances allow for more collaboration, which contributes to the development of our law education program, which is constantly evolving and improving. The program underwent program accreditation a year ago for a period of seven years, which includes many changes. The program includes a component of constitutional justice, basic human rights training courses, a clinical training and a practical training component.
One of the centers will be opened in Batumi within the framework of the USAID program “Rule of Law” which will further promote a culture of cooperation between the court and other institutions. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the organizations implementing the program, and we have a long, fruitful and successful cooperation with them. The best example of this is the BSU Legal Clinic, which has been operating for 12 years. During this time, students, along with professors, provided free legal service to more than 1,000 vulnerable citizens. I can not but express my gratitude to the legal aid service in our region, with which we have active cooperation. Said the BSU Rector, Professor Merab Khalvashi in his welcome speech.
The event was attended by more than 100 representatives of courts, local and international organizations, universities and the media. The participants were greeted by: Giorgi Chkheidze, USAID Rule of Law Program Manager, Merab Turava, Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Georgia, Madona Basiladze, Head of the Western Georgia Division of the Public Defender's Office; Guram Imnadze, Program Director of the Center for Social Justice / Coalition for Independent and Transparent Justice, Davit Asatiani, Chairman of the Georgian Lawyers’ Association, Irakli Kandashvili, Chairman of the Georgian Mediators Association, and Rajden Kuprashvili, Director of the Legal Aid Service.
The program will foster a culture of cooperation / involvement between Georgian courts and the relevant public, as well as partnerships with regional courts, judges, and legal professionals working at the regional level. Court support will be provided through judge exchange programs, including temporary placement of American judges in Georgian courts and, conversely, visits of Georgian judges to US courts, where they will learn in depth about US best practices.
Within the framework of the project, the Regional Rule of Law Center will be opened in Batumi. The Center will facilitate the establishment of links between courts, courts and branches of the Georgian Bar Association, Legal Aid Offices, Public Defender's offices, law schools, public organizations, law enforcement officials and the private sector.
The program is funded by the USAID East-West Management Institute (EWMI).
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