Addressing Solid Waste Management Challenges in Georgia

Nov, 2014

On November 18, PMC Research Center (PMC RC), under the umbrella of Policy and Management Consulting Group (PMCG), with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, held a presentation and public discussion of research findings and recommendations regarding “Solid Waste Management in Georgia”. The presentation focused on construction waste, polyethylene bags, municipal dumps, as well as the separation of solid waste collection systems and the involvement of the private sector in this process. The study showed that the separated system of waste collection is vitally important to modernize. The research put forward a concrete, optimal model for the process of waste separation adhering to best international practices. Based on the research outcomes and the suggested model, PMC RC issued a number of recommendations covering the importance of public awareness about hazardous residues, introduction of a system for waste separation, arrangement of the proper landfills and the importance of reducing their size. “Proper management of solid waste is extremely important. If it is not managed, it might damage the environment as well as human health. Georgia has long-term goals addressing this issue, but the achievable goals in the short-term period have hardly been identified and implemented. Therefore, solid waste management remains one of the crucial issues for Georgia”, said Tamar Jugheli, research director at PMC RC who added that the process should start at the organizational level. The event brought together representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia, Cleaning Municipal Department, international organizations and from non-governmental organizations like Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN), Coop Georgia, The Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus (REC Georgia), ISET Policy Institute and Economic Policy Research Center. The research was conducted within the framework of the project “Policy Research for Sustainable Economic Growth” by PMC RC, with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

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Letter of Condolence

Nov, 2014

The Policy and Management Consulting Group (PMCG) team is deeply saddened by the death of Kakha Bendukidze, the outstanding Georgian public figure, teacher and patriot. Kakha Bendukidze carried out a series of reforms which have had a significant impact on the country’s economic development and growth. With his direct participation, Georgia implemented a system reform of the finance sector, economic deregulation, public sector and tax system liberalization. He invested very heavily in Georgia’s education sector, focusing on the development of scientific research and gave an opportunity to many students to obtain quality higher education. His loss will be felt deeply across Georgia and PMCG wishes to convey its sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Kakha Bendukidze at this sad time.

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Supporting Albania’s EU Integration by Sharing Experience of Successful Institutional Reforms in Georgia

Nov, 2014

On November 6-7, Policy and Management Consulting Group (PMCG) hosted an official delegation from Albania. High-ranking officials from Albania on the visit included: Arben Malaj, President of the Institute of Public Policies and Good Governance and former Minister of Finance and Economy of Albania; Koli Sinjari, Vice President and Director of International Relations and Projects of Biznes Albania; Enis Hoxha, Vice Chief Registrar at the Albanian Immovable Property Registration Office (Ministry of Justice); Valbona Sako, Director of the Regional Taxation Directorate of Durres city; Elida Fara, Head of Sector, General Directorate of Revenues and Fiscal Public Policies in the Ministry of Finance and Anduena Dedja  Chief of promotion competitiveness sector in the Department of support entrepreneurship, in the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Entrepreneurship.The event aimed to share Georgia’s experience in implementing a number of structural reforms and strengthening institutional capacities in the following areas: Regulatory Framework/Business Enabling Regulations; Tax Regulations; Customs; Public Finance Management (PFM), Transparency, E-governance; Public Service Management – Registration of Business, Issuing Licenses etc. In order to ensure in-depth understanding of reforms, PMCG organized meetings with the officials of relevant institutions directly involved in the development and implementation of the reforms. This granted the visitors an opportunity to see the reform results on the ground, visiting the following: Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Rustavi; Customs Clearance Zone (GEZI-Customs); Service and Monitoring Center of the Ministry of Finance; Procurement Agency; Public Service Hall and Service Center of Revenue (Tax) Service. The study tour was organized as part of the project “Sharing experience of Visegrad countries’ EU economic integration for Albania”, financed by the International Visegrad Fund and implemented by PMCG and IPPM, in collaboration with a consulting group forTED (Kosovo) and with the leading organizations from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary (EUROPEUM, M.E.S.A10 and Hungarian Europe Society).Please follow the link below for additional information:Albania the Focus of Discussion on Challenges of EU Integration Process

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Strengthening Government of Georgia in Policy Development and Implementation

Nov, 2014

On November 5-6, Policy and Management Consulting Group (PMCG) held a training for Policy Analysis, Strategic Planning and Coordination Department (PASPCD), a newly established governmental body at the Government of Georgia (GoG). The training was conducted as part of PMCG’s support for the Government of Georgia (GoG) to effectively lead policy development and implementation and its collaboration with international donor organizations. In the framework of the meeting, Aleksi Aleksishvili, Chairman of PMCG, shared best practices with the participants and discussed the full cycle of the process, covering the following topics: Objectives of international aid; Bilateral and multilateral agreements; External debt of the GoG and National Bank of Georgia; Loan conditions of international financial institutions: types, period, interest rate, payments; Donor assistance and its linkage with the state budget of Georgia; Measurement of effectiveness of donor assistance: tools and key performance indicators; Mapping of donor assistance; Reporting about donor assistance. First of all, the collaboration will facilitate effective coordination with international donor organizations and efficient allocation of donor funds in the key priority areas of the country’s development. As a result of significant reorganization, the PASPCD of GoG became a body to develop the country’s policy planning and implementation process and ensure efficient coordination with the international donor organizations. USAID’s Good Governance in Georgia (G3) Program contracted PMCG, an organization with sound experience in policy development. PMCG is working with the newly established body to strengthen its capacity in the areas of leadership, negotiation, strategic planning, assessment, forecasting and monitoring of donor funds and projects, financial analysis and execution of policies. For detailed information, please follow the link below: Organizational Development and Training for Policy Analysis, Strategic Planning and Coordination Department at the Government of Georgia

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Albania the Focus of Discussion on Challenges of EU Integration Process

Nov, 2014

On November 6, Policy and Management Consulting Group (PMCG) held a public lecture and discussion about the coming challenges on the path to EU integration. Arben Malaj, President at the Institute of Public Policies and Good Governance (IPPM) and former Minister of Finance and Economy of Albania (1997-2005), delivered a lecture, together with Aleksi Aleksishvili, Chairman of PMCG, and Temur Beridze, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business at Tbilisi State University (TSU). Malaj gave a presentation and shared the experiences of both himself and his country on EU integration and emphasized that the road to EU is difficult but important. An active audience consisted of students and professors of the faculty of economy who had many interesting questions for the Albanian speaker. They discussed topics such as the impact of regulatory reforms for business, the importance of regional collaboration for the country’s economy and in the context of EU integration, growth and fiscal stability and other issues. “Avoid delays in implementation of the AA with the EU, because it will cause more polarization of the internal political environment of Georgia. That's what happened in Albania when it signed AA in 2003 but was fulfilled only in 2014. The Government should be very consistent and punctual in meeting all needs reflected in the AA. This is not for the benefit of EU, this is for the benefit of Georgia”, advised Malaj to the future policy makers. By the end of the meeting, Malaj and Beridze noted that they will discuss the possible options for an exchange program for Georgian students. The event was held under the project “Sharing experience of Visegrad countries’ EU economic integration for Albania”, financed by the Visegrad Fund and implemented by PMCG in collaboration with IPPM.

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International Investment Forum Organized by PMCG is Underway

Oct, 2014

On October 29, “Georgia - Regional Hub and Asia’s Gateway to Europe”, the first International Investment forum held by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) together with the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and organized by Policy and Management Consulting Group (PMCG) got underway.Irakli Gharibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia and Wencai Zhand, Vice President (Operations 1) of the ADB officially opened the forum, with an introductory panel discussion entitled “Why Georgia Matters”. Later, the world’s economic trends and perspectives for the upcoming years were discussed by Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Vice Prime Minister of Georgia, Kurt Tonf, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of US Department of State (Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs), Makram Azar, Vice Chairman of Investment Bank and Chairman of Barclays Bank PLC and Simeon Djankov, Rector of the New Economic School in Moscow under the moderation of John Defterios, CNN’s Emerging Markets Editor and anchor of Global Exchange. The role of Georgia as a regional hub for Asia and as a gateway to Europe was analyzed in the context of the following panels: transport, logistics and manufacturing; energy; and tourism and retail panels. The forum, which aims to introduce Georgia as a country favorable for investment, with an attractive business enabling environment, streamlined regulations and advantageous location, brought together about 300 guests from Japan, India, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, South Korea and other locations. Delegations consisted of senior government officials and representatives of private sector businesses, investment groups, chambers of commerce and the international development community.For detailed information follow the link below:International Investment Forum 

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PMCG at International Development Consultants’ Career Fair in Washington D.C.

Oct, 2014

On October 8, Policy and Management Consulting Group (PMCG) participated at an international career fair organized in Washington D.C. by the Society for International Development (www.sidw.org). PMCG was pleased to participate as a sponsor of the forum that was organized for international development organizations to recruit talented individuals and to enhance the team’s ability to contribute in the process of delivering progress in developing countries.Representatives of PMCG introduced participants to the opportunities the company provides for professionals operating in the fields of policy advising, the social economic sector, doing business and business enabling reforms, public finance management, capacity building and institutional development.“Human resources is the major asset in the industry we operate in and having access to the most talented individuals with relevant experience is crucial to delivering progress in developing countries. We are delighted to join and support such an event and would welcome talented individuals in our team”, says Aleksi Aleksishvili, General Director at PMCG.

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Supporting Regional Decentralization Reform via Capacity Building Facilitation

Oct, 2014

From July to September 2014, Policy and Management Consulting Group (PMCG) was actively engaged in a project funded by USAID Georgia, Good Governance in Georgia (G3) Program aiming to support local self-government reform in Georgia.PMCG’s team of consultants, with its invaluable experience, actively worked to facilitate the process of decentralization by assisting 14 newly-created municipalities to enhance the skills and capacities and to meet challenges that will arise after the launch of reforms.Within the framework of the project, PMCG designed and created efficient manuals covering the information session for newly-elected Mayors and Gamgebelis, focused on the key issues of the newly adopted Code on Local Self-governments of Georgia; recruiting/selecting municipality staff; municipal budgeting and state procurement. PMCG’s team also issued recommendations, organizational structures and sample templates to introduce effective tools of human resource management (HRM), state procurement and budgeting systems.To ensure the effective implementation of the suggested guidelines and manuals, our trainers conducted several trainings and introduced the effective tools in the above listed fields to about 200 officials from the newly-created governments.Please visit the links below for detailed information: USAID Georgia, G3 Program - Training Courses for Senior Civil Servants in 14 Newly-Created Municipalities Enhancing Municipal Budgeting and Procurement System HRM Tools for Officials of Newly-Created Municipalities

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PMC Research Center and KAS Continue Presentations and Public Discussions of Policy Researches for Sustainable Economic Development

Oct, 2014

On October 3, PMC Research Center (PMC RC) together with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation organized the presentation and public discussion on two research findings and corresponding recommendations on the following issues: Effects of Clean Investment; Possible Challenges of Harmonization of Georgian Legislation with the Acquis Communautaire of the European Union in the Energy Sector. The researches were conducted in the framework of the project Policy Research for Sustainable Economic Development, which is developed by PMC Research Center, with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.The study of Effects of Clean Investment analyzes the effects of anticipated investments in renewable energy sources. More specifically, it examines the possible impacts of the development of clean energy sources on the country’s energy dependence, natural gases and employment level. The topic was presented by Ivane Pirveli, the Founder of the Association of Young Professionals in Energy of Georgia. The presentation covered the issues of the current situation in Georgia in terms of regulations and assimilation of clean energy, international practices to encourage investments in clean energy, the trade facilitation mechanisms of renewable energy, as well as the prospects of introducing these mechanisms in Georgia.Another topic - the Possible Challenges of Harmonization of Georgian Legislation with the Acquis Communautaire of the European Union in Energy Sector - was presented by Nikoloz Sumbadze, Vice President at Association of Young Professionals in Energy of Georgia. The research provided a comparative analysis of EU and Georgian energy legislation and the related challenges in electricity, natural gas, energy efficiency and renewable energy fields.Current trends in the Georgian energy sector, as well as the possible effects of harmonization of Georgian legislation with the EU energy legislation, were discussed during the event.

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Costs and Benefits of Labor Mobility Between European Union and Georgia

Oct, 2014

On September 30, PMC Research Center (PMC RC) together with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation hosted a presentation of the research findings and held a public discussion on the Costs and Benefits of Labor Mobility between European Union and Georgia. The research was conducted within the framework of the project “Policy research for sustainable economic growth”.In particular, the research observed the advantages and challenges that may be faced by the country’s economy, after visa liberalization. The discussion was also focused on the main trends and characteristics of labor migration from Georgia. Specific attention was given to the possible influence of the Association Agreement between the EU and Georgia and visa liberalization on labor migration to the EU.Representatives of the Government of Georgia, non-governmental and international organizations, as well as academic circles and the media attended the event.

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