Supporting Government of Georgia to Enhance Human Capital

Sep, 2018

We are honored to be supporting the Government of Georgia (GoG) to implement its role as an “Early Adopter,” as part of a World Bank (WB) initiative aiming to encourage investment in people to boost sustainable economic growth. The main goal of the collaboration is to assist Georgia to increase the demand for a higher quality and quantity of investments in people. Additional aims include strengthening Georgia’s human capital strategies and investments to achieve rapid improvements in outcomes, and to enhance measurement of human capital. In order to attain its objectives, PMCG is working on providing analysis to support investments in human capital formation for inclusive and sustainable economic growth, developing actionable policies and programs that enhance human capital, and ramping up innovative and results-oriented financing options for human capital investments.The WB initiative aims to develop a Human Capital Index in order to advocate for investment in the human capital of future generations. Georgia, along with other pilot countries, is building narratives and anticipating policy commitments ahead of the World Bank Group’s annual meeting in October 2018. Please kindly follow the link below for detailed information about the project: Human Capital Project in Georgia  

+ more
Assisting the Government of Tajikistan to Strengthen Strategic Planning

Aug, 2018

We are collaborating with the Government of Tajikistan to strengthen its strategic planning and policy coordination and to ensure better integration of its strategic decisions and current policies. Overall, the project aims to improve budget planning and execution, treasury, accounting and financial reporting functions across government entities by supporting the modernization of automated financial management systems.In order to achieve its objectives, on August 24, PMCG presented the concept for planning, developing and monitoring strategic documents to high-level government officials in Tajikistan and proposed measures to reform the latter’s policy planning system.More specifically, PMCG proposed: to improve Tajikistan’s legislative framework and methodology in the preparation of policy planning documents; to establish a unified policy planning methodology in which the list of documents, hierarchy and interaction shall be determined; and to ensure a coherent connection between policy planning and legislation as well as clear communication between policy planning and the budgeting process. Moreover, during the meeting PMCG recommended designing results-oriented monitoring, reporting and evaluation systems, and introduced a quality control system. The project is being implemented as part of the “Public Finance Management Modernization Project II” a component of a wider World Bank project.As a result of this collaboration, the Government of Tajikistan will improve the effectiveness and transparency of its public financial management. Please kindly follow the link below for detailed information about the project:Strengthening Strategic Planning

+ more
All Set to Become USAID Prime Contractor

Aug, 2018

On August 13-14, we hosted Mr. Gary V. Kinney, Vice President at Kinney Advisory Services and former Senior Contracts Officer at USAID, to deliver a training course for our team members entitled “Doing Business with USAID.” As part of the two-day training, Mr. Kinney shared his sound experience accumulated across four decades in commercial and U.S. government procurement, grants and contract issuance. When talking about PMCG’s professionalism and readiness for U.S. direct contracts, Mr. Kinney said: “I am talking about the experience that you have already developed over 10 years. You have built a very broad international original foundation and you have a presence in the USA. PMCG is a US small business. Part of growing a business organically is continuing to build knowledge and growing a business portfolio, and it seems that what you’ve been doing has been very successful”. He added that PMCG has built up excellent knowledge and expertise that will be useful for the company itself and for USAID programs. “This training was a unique opportunity for us to enhance our knowledge and understanding of the intricacies of working directly with USAID first-hand. We believe in professionalism and in the necessity of constant development, as these are central to our values. That’s why we do our best to support our team members in developing various skills on a daily basis,” explained Marika Gogoladze, Human Resources Manager at PMCG.

+ more
Value Chain Analyses of Broccoli, Mandarins and Raspberries in the Regions of Georgia and their Potential on the EU Market

Aug, 2018

PMC Research recently finished working on value chain analyses of three agricultural products in three specific regions, namely broccoli in Kvemo Kartli region, mandarins in Adjara region, and raspberries in Mtskheta-Mtianeti region. The main goals of these studies were to identify specific weaknesses, to discover opportunities for maximizing value and effect within the value chain, and to explore their export potential, if any, on the EU market. The research was focused on looking for ways to make production more effective, sustainable and profitable, as well as making the best possible use of the local market and entry into international markets. Moreover, the studies aimed to enhance the capacity of civil society organizations with modern research methods to study the agro-food sector, so that in future they can conduct such studies independently and make use of the free trade regime with the European Union more effectively.The studies revealed a number of common challenges regarding these products such as low productivity, lack of experience, inadequate processing facilities, as well as examples to follow for safe food production. Accordingly, the recommendations were focused on these key aspects. The research was conducted by PMC Research in collaboration with People in Need, as part of the EU project “Regional Civil Society Organizations Supporting Free Trade with Europe.” Please kindly follow the link below for detailed information about the project:Regional Civil Society Organizations as Vectors of Rural Economic Development

+ more
“The Georgian Example” – USAID Video about how Membership of Open Government Partnership Facilitated Significant Development

Aug, 2018

On July 17-19, as a lead co-chair of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), Georgia hosted the 5th OGP Global Summit in Tbilisi.The event gathered high-level representatives of the public sector, civil society, private sector, parliament, academia, researchers, and journalists from OGP countries to discuss their achievements and current challenges hindering their countries’ further development. Aiming to inspire OGP reformers to raise the level of ambition and to facilitate an open government agenda to address new challenges and improve the lives of citizens around the world, the focus of the Summit was placed on civic engagement, ways of fighting corruption, and ways to improve service delivery.Georgia’s successful reforms and the ways in which it significantly improved its good governance and transparency practices were under the spotlight in the various panel discussions and the Summit as a whole. The story of the country and the recent challenges Georgia has been facing was told in a recently published video prepared by US-based international development company Democracy International, courtesy of USAID funding. The video aimed to emphasize how Georgia’s membership in the OGP has helped to foster transparency and accountability in the country since joining in 2012. Contributors to the reforms, such as former representatives of the Government of Georgia, civil society organizations, and other parties recalled the situation before Georgia decided to make these significant steps. “2004 was the first entry point in these reforms. After the reforms it was not just fighting against corruption, but mainly the approach of the government was to simplify processes, to get rid of this so-called Soviet legacy that we had in the economy, that we had in everyday life”, recalled Aleksi Aleksishvili, Chairman and CEO at PMCG and former Minister of Finance and Minister of Economy of Georgia. “The Government of Georgia (GoG) has already improved its budget transparency, however this has not been matched with an increase in meaningful citizen participation in the budget process. We are confident that we, non-state actors, should work together with the GoG to open participation mechanisms that involve the public in the formulation of the executive budget,” explained Mikheil Kukava, Senior Consultant at PMCG.

+ more
Analyzing the Impact of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the South Caucasus

Aug, 2018

At the beginning of August, PMC Research started working on a Country Note on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the South Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan) in order to study its impact on Central Asia and the South Caucasus (CASC). The main goal of the project is to ascertain how best to maximize the BRI’s benefits for countries both individually and through regional cooperative efforts, and to manage its potential risks. During the project, which is being carried out under the Emerging Markets Forum project, PMC Research will analyze the main areas of BRI engagement and their potential impact on the CASC region in trade, employment and migration, urban/rural and intra-country regional (im) balances, macroeconomic balances and debts, and other areas. More specifically, the study will examine: the integration of BRI investments with national plans of governments and regional plans of organizations; regional organizations’ involvement in planning, implementing and monitoring BRI programs; how international organizations will ensure maximum benefits with minimum cost/risk from the BRI.Ultimately, PMC Research will present recommendations for China, for the CASC countries’ governments, private sector and CSOs, and the international community to help the CASC countries get the most out of the BRI. Please kindly follow the link below for detailed information about the project: Country Note on Belt and Road Initiative in South Caucasus  

+ more
The Role of Civil Society Organizations in the Implementation of the DCFTA

Aug, 2018

On July 25, Ms. Mariam Saghareishvili, Researcher at PMCG, participated in a working meeting about the DCFTA and the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in its implementation. The working meeting aimed to inform CSOs about the possibilities and requirements of the DCFTA and to introduce to them the challenges that value chain participants face when exporting in Europe. Moreover, the main goal of the meeting was to encourage CSOs to communicate with government representatives at local and national level. During the meeting, which was organized by the Civil Development Agency (CiDA), several projects were introduced that are associated with the implementation of the DCFTA and the role of CSOs therein. One of the discussed projects was “Regional Civil Society Organizations Supporting Free Trade with European Union”, which is being implemented by PMC Research in collaboration with People in Need as part of the EU project.Ms. Saghareishvili’s presentation under the topic “Elaboration of research and evidence-based policy in the DCFTA implementation” was focused on introduction of tangerine value chain analysis (VCA) outcomes in the context of the DCFTA, a brief preliminary assessment of the outcomes of the state program “Plant the Future” in the context of the DCFTA, and an overview of the role of CSOs in this process based on research outcomes. “It is important that CSOs study the specifics of their regions, elaborate proper recommendations and disseminate these nationwide so that as many farmers as possible can benefit from the “Plant the Future” program,” said Ms. Mariam Saghareishvili.Ultimately, the meeting served to create a working group and CSOs will now become the main sources of information regarding the DCFTA and its implementation in their respective regions. Please kindly follow the link below for detailed information about the project:Regional Civil Society Organizations as Vectors of Rural Economic Development

+ more
PMC Research Awarded Again for its Transparency

Jul, 2018

PMCG is excited and proud to announce that PMC Research was recently given a 5-star rating for transparency by international organization Transparify.  Such an award is the highest possible rating issued by Transparify, and reflects exemplary transparency in PMC Research public disclosure of sources of funding on its website.Specifically, PMC Research has been awarded for the easy access to information and data it provides regarding details of how they are funded, including the names of donors and the exact amounts of funds donated. “We are glad that we have met this high standard of transparency for the second time. This means that we are on the right path. We believe that transparency and accountability should be an inseparable part of every organization as we know that this is one of the key components of progress and development,” explained Giorgi Khishtovani, Director at PMC Research. Along with PMC Research, other organizations to receive a five-star rating included Freedom House (USA), the Clingendael Institute (The Netherlands) and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) (UK).

+ more
New Simplified Financial Reporting Standard for MSMEs

Jul, 2018

On June 26, the newly simplified Financial Reporting Standard for Category IV-Entities was adopted with the goal to improve the quality and transparency of corporate financial statements, according to the decree of the Head of Service for Accounting, Reporting and Auditing Supervision (SARAS).The Standard aims to lower the administrative burden by reducing compliance obligations, improving the financial reporting process, enabling micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to focus on business growth, and increasing access to finance for about 80,000 micro entities. This has been developed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in partnership with PMCG under the Good Governance Fund (GGF) Managed Fund (MF). The project team conducted a needs assessment of Category IV-Entities, surveying approximately 17,000 such entities, holding in-depth interviews with professional accountants dealing with such entities as well as organizing workshops with consultative groups of key stakeholders. The Standard was developed based on the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) for MSMEs, the relevant EU Directives and the best practices of Estonia, the UK, Ireland, Singapore and Poland.Ultimately, with increased access to finance, MSMEs can expand and develop production, improve their infrastructure, comply with various international and national standards, attract potential investors, and increase working capital. Moreover, greater access to finance will improve their competitiveness in the long term.Please kindly follow the link below for detailed information about the project: Good Governance Fund

+ more
Discussing How to Fight Corruption in Armenia

Jul, 2018

On June 29, Mr. David Lezhava, Public Policy Sector Director at PMCG, participated in a conference entitled “The anti-corruption policies and measures”, which was co-hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria and the EU Delegation to Armenia. Mr. Lezhava’s presentation under the panel “Anti-corruption measures in Georgia – successes and challenges” was focused on sharing the experience of Georgia in effectively fighting corruption and facilitating a business-enabling environment. He shared Georgia’s positive experience of facilitating economic growth by improving good governance and its regulatory framework. He showed how the policies followed led to improved macroeconomic indicators and an improved standing in the Word Bank’s Doing Business ranking. Mr. Lezhava also paid special attention to tax and customs reform, the introduction of e-services and the single window principle for various services. “Key to economic progress is a complex approach that covers various fields, such as tax, customs and trade policy, licenses and permits, and regulatory reforms, each of which has a role in bringing about a corruption-free environment”, explained Mr. Lezhava. "The EU fully supports Armenia in its efforts to combat corruption. The Georgian experience is of particular relevance in this context," said Ekaterina Dorodnova, Head of the Political Section at the Delegation.

+ more
Subscribe
NEWS
PUBLICATIONS