Page 17 - GEORptFeb20

World Bank awards Georgia $152mn for energy infrastructure and education
Ivane Machavariani, Georgia’s finance minister, and regional director of the World Bank (WB) in the South Caucasus, Mercy Tembon, on June 18 signed two loan agreements worth more than $150mn.
Under the first agreement, the WB’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will extend a $62mn loan for the Energy Supply Reliability and Financial Recovery Project. The WB’s board of executive directors approved this loan for Georgia on May 24, 2019.
The project aims to help increase electricity supply reliability in the western part of Georgia, ensure the financial viability of the Georgia State Electrosystem (GSE), and help GSE access long-term commercial financing. This will be achieved through three components of the project: strengthening the power transmission network, supporting the financial recovery of the GSE and undertaking preparatory work on accessing capital markets, and supporting the GSE in raising long-term commercial financing.
“The project will increase electricity supply and prevent outages across Georgia’s regions, furthermore, it will assist the GSE in tapping into even greater domestic and international financing resources,” said Tembon.
Under the second agreement, the WB will extend a $90mn loan for the Innovation, Inclusion and Quality Project, which will support the development of human capital through greater access to preschool education, higher quality education, and improved learning environments.
The project has five overall goals: (1) Expanding access to and improving the quality of early childhood education and care; (2) Fostering quality teaching and learning in general education; (3) Strengthening financing options and promoting internationalisation in higher education; (4) System strengthening and stakeholder communication; and (5) Supporting project management, monitoring, and evaluation.
“These reforms will constitute a significant change in Georgia’s approach to education, and will help prepare the country for the labor market and economy of the 21st century,” said Soren Nellemann, World Bank senior economist and the task team leader for the project. “The focus on inclusion, quality and innovation in pedagogy and learning from pre-school to higher education will benefit all citizens.”
4.4 ​Labour and income
4.4.1​ Unemployment, income dynamics
Impunity for law enforcement officials and lax labour regulation in Georgia raised by HRW Report 2020
Impunity for law enforcement officials accused of abuse remains a persistent problem in Georgia, according to the Human Rights Watch Report 2020. ​Lax regulations and resultant labour practices that undermine workers’ safety is another issue in the country outlined by the report.
The situation with law enforcement officials was illustrated by the June 20-21 events in Tbilisi last year in which police brutally cracked down on protests outside the parliament building, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said. One-sided investigations subsequently mainly focused on the deeds of protesters, according to the report authors. A strike at manganese mines in Georgia,
17​ GEORGIA Country Report​ February 2020 ​ ​www.intellinews.com