Democracy and Governance

Public debt can be vital for development. Governments use it to finance expenditures, protect and invest in their people and pave the way to a better future. However, when public debt grows excessively or its costs outweigh its benefits, it becomes a heavy burden. This is precisely what is happening across the developing world today.

The 2024 war on Lebanon inflicted severe damage and left deep, long-lasting consequences. This report presents a comprehensive analysis of its immediate impacts, and is intended to outline a clear path for immediate recovery and guide medium- and long-term reform efforts. It examines the war’s direct impacts on infrastructure and economic systems, and exposes the heavy human and social toll it has taken. The report also assesses the macroeconomic implications, highlighting the worsening structural challenges and the resulting economic and social risks. It concludes with a set of public policy recommendations that serve as a solid foundation for comprehensive recovery and future-oriented reconstruction.

This comprehensive report is prepared by the Parliament of Georgia to examine laws and policies adopted in 2017-2021 to promote women’s political and economic participation, eliminate gender-based discrimination and violence, and ensure the protection of women’s rights in the labour market and the healthcare and civil sectors. Its analytical insights and recommendations serve to inform gender-sensitive policy and law-making. The research draws on a similar study conducted in 2018 to capture legislative and policy gaps across a range of fields. The research is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the frameworks of the UN Joint Programme for Gender Equality funded by the Government of Sweden, the Government of the United Kingdom, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the East-West Management Institute (EWMI).

The analytical desk research examines the outcomes of public opinion polls undertaken after Georgia introduced mandatory gender quotas in 2020, looks into policies adopted in the same period and examines whether electoral quotas indeed supported women in entering political careers. It also provides a set of recommendations for political parties and lawmakers aimed at enhancing electoral gender quotas and giving women better access to the resources and services they need to win in politics. The research was commissioned by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support from the UK and Sweden.

This non-paper outlines the critical context and insights within which constitutionalism operates in the Sahel. It then briefly covers the importance of establishing a legitimate constitutional and political settlement, and what such a settlement entails. The fourth section discusses the nature and manifestations of the absence of constitutionalism. The final section concludes and provides tentative recommendations to enable and contribute to the advancement of democratic governance through constitutionalism in the Sahel.

A set of studies analyses legal and procedural gaps preventing people with disabilities and representatives of ethnic minorities from getting jobs and building careers in the public sector. Key findings: One of the main barriers for Armenian- and Azerbaijani-speaking people in seeking public employment is insufficient knowledge of the Georgian language. In municipalities with a high concentration of ethnic minorities, the representation of women in the civil service is lower than the national average and does not exceed 33 percent. 1+4 internship program is an important mechanism for increasing the engagement of young people from ethnic minority groups in civil service. In the municipalities densely populated by ethnic minorities, there are certain practices for collecting data on civil servants’ ethnicity. However, this data is not consolidated at the national level in the Civil Service Bureau. The methodology used by individual municipalities is inconsistent and, in many cases, does not meet the principles of self-identification and anonymity stipulated in international standards. The employment of people with disabilities in public service is largely hindered by reasons generally considered the main barriers to employment of people with disabilities: competition in the job market and limited resources for people with disabilities, unadapted infrastructure, and stereotypes. Public service is even less accessible to people with disabilities due to high demands - in most cases, higher education is required, which is relatively rare amongpeople with disabilities. Two specific studies examine staffing and recruitment policies in the civil service. One of these researches focuses on women, people with disabilities and representatives of ethnic minorities, while the other analyses the inclusiveness and accessibility of HR.GOV.GE, the main recruitment resource of the civil service. The researches were carried out by the Civil Service Bureau in partnership with local experts and civil society organizations – the PMC Research and the Disability Research Centre (DRC) of Tbilisi State University with assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UK aid from the UK Government.

The research examines widespread practices related to the personal data protection of LGBTQI+ people and provides recommendations for public agencies and the civil and private sectors to raise existing standards and fill in the gaps. Commissioned by the European Union and UNDP, the research was carried out by the non-governmental organization “Rule of Law Centre” with contributions from civil society organizations “Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group” (WISG), “Equality Movement” and “Identoba Youth”. Key findings: The healthcare sector often collects the personal data of LGBTQI+ community members in an insulting manner and without a legal basis. Excessive data collection and intentional or accidental disclosure of confidential information are common practices. Most healthcare institutions lack the organizational and technical capacities needed to gather, process and protect personal data. Similar problems are registered with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Report – “Afghanistan Since August 2021: A Socio-Economic Snapshot” – provides an overview of the changes observed during the past year. Severe disruptions, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and drought in many parts of the country had affected economic activity and livelihoods even before 15 August 2021. The GDP, already on a declining trend since 2009, contracted by 20 percent between 2020 and 2021 with an estimated loss of about US$5 billion in one year alone. The political shock in August 2021 precipitated a sharp contraction in the licit economy that was already in decline. Within a single year, a decade’s worth of hard-won economic gains was wiped out. This staggering economic shock has resulted in near-universal poverty. Economic activities declined significantly as a result of the collapse of the financial and banking sectors, the layoff of government employees and the shrinking of private economic activities. The freeze on the foreign assets and the international sanctions have led to a severe liquidity crisis. Restrictions on deposit withdrawals and other transactions have forced business to use cash for domestic and hawala for international payments. Numerous restrictions confine women to the home and prohibit them from entering De facto Authority buildings, and their presence in public spaces is broadly contested. Limitations on women’s economic participation will have a long-term impact on household well-being and the economy. This review is produced by UNDP Afghanistan, drawing from a range of data sources. Reflecting the limited availability of public data, it draws on third-party data sources and coverage.

The set of publications studies the ex­perience of local authorities in Georgia during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (the first half of 2020). It identifies changes in the management processes of municipalities and measures the impact of the pan­demic on budget revenues and expenditures. The documents include an economic assessment of regions and municipalities highlighting the achievements and challenges that are compared with international experiences. The publications were prepared with assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC), the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), and the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia.

This publication includes a detailed analysis of the legal and institutional systems for public-private partnerships (PPP) in Georgia, a centralized approach to decision-making on PPP projects, the assessment of the results of the local PPP structures and operations as well as the strengths and weaknesses of public-private partnerships in the country and international experience. The publication was prepared with assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC), the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), and the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia.