The ongoing war in Ukraine and its implications for Georgia have called attention to the need for strengthening Georgia’s civic and political resilience. In March 2022, the East European Center for Multiparty Democracy (EECMD) issued an open call for broad civic and political coordination, inviting all interested parties to join the European Forum Georgia. The European Forum is a growing platform that unites activists, politicians, journalists, academicians, and the private sector to foster informal dialogue to develop a broadly accepted national action plan for democracy. This action plan will be an overarching civic framework that outlines major steps and actions for countering anti-democratic forces, analyzing and preventing possible adverse scenarios that might unfold in the country, and outlining key steps to strengthen Georgian democracy and resilience.
In April, 2022 the USAID Civil Society Engagement Program approved a five month grant for EECMD to promote and strengthen the forum through the organization of a series of dialogue sessions with an array of stakeholders in both Tbilisi and the regions. The discussion will elaborate on various strategies and mechanisms for ensuring the democratic development of the country. In parallel, EECMD will also facilitate a formal process to develop three possible scenarios of socio-economic development for the country and propose relevant strategies and solutions, which will be agreed upon within the forum. This will inform and guide the coordinated actions of participants to help them carry out more targeted and meaningful policy advocacy independently or within the framework of the forum.
