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7/29/2019 G-PAC News 1 ENG
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G-PAC News
East-West ManagementInstitute (EWMI) launchedits four-year USAID-funded
Policy, Advocacy and CivilSociety Development inGeorgia (G-PAC) projecton Dec. 2, 2010. More than100 representatives ofGeorgian civil society, aca-demia, political parties andgovernment attended.
G-PAC aims to strength-en civil societys role in ad-vocating for and influencingthe development and effec-
tive implementation of pub-lic policy reforms in Geor-gia. Toward achieving thisgoal, G-PAC involves twocomponents: (1) assistingNGOs with strengtheningtheir institutional and hu-man capacities on a de-mand-driven basis, and (2)
cooperating with highereducation institutions tohelp improve their public
policy courses.In his opening speech at
the G-PAC launching, HEMr. John Bass, Ambassadorof the United States ofAmerica, stressed the im-portance of civil society ineffecting change. He ex-pressed optimism thatUSAIDs premier civil so-ciety initiative G-PACwould contribute to the
maturation and deepeningof dialogue between civilsociety and government.
The G-PAC team thenpresented its goal to deliverover $7 million in grants toGeorgian think tanks, advo-cacy NGOs and universities.G-PAC will work closely
with Georgian civil societygroups to strengthen theirability to conduct effective
research, realize successfuladvocacy initiatives and bet-ter represent and engagecitizens. To this end, G-PAC will offer a combina-tion of grants, training andmentoring specifically tai-lored to the needs of Geor-gian civil society. It will alsohelp establish a world-classmasters program in PublicAdministration (MPA) at
Ilia State University withsupport from ColumbiaUniversity in New York. Inaddition, G-PAC will pro-vide technical and financialassistance to other universi-ties.
G-PAC Embarks on 4-Year Project
Volume 1, Issue 1 Sep. 2010 - Jan. 2011
This newsletter is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents do not necessarily reflect the views of
USAID or the United States Government.
G-PAC Grants 2
Designing tailored assistance 2
Assessing NGOs
Advocacy Capacity 2
NGO, University Grants 3
Upcoming events 3
eeking Public Involvement 3
G-PAC and the Peace Corps 4
nside this issue
Announcements
Universities can still apply
for Assistance Grants!
Georgian and Georgia-based
foreign specialists, university
lecturers, NGOs, media,
businesses and experts can
still express their interestin
consulting for Georgian ad-
vocacy NGOs.
Graduate students seeking
practical public policy experi-
ence: apply now to internwith leading Georgian
NGOs and think tanks.
Coming soon: Partnership
for Change and Think Tank
Grants
G-PAC training and mentor-
ing to advocacy NGOs and
think tanks will begin soon.
http://www.ewmi-gpac.org/en/grants/121-university-assistance-grantshttp://www.ewmi-gpac.org/en/grants/121-university-assistance-grantshttp://static.ewmi-gpac.org/en/news/138-part-time-consultants-for-georgian-ngoshttp://static.ewmi-gpac.org/en/news/138-part-time-consultants-for-georgian-ngoshttp://static.ewmi-gpac.org/en/news/138-part-time-consultants-for-georgian-ngoshttp://www.ewmi-gpac.org/en/grants/121-university-assistance-grants -
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Assessments Identify Needs for Tailored Assistance
G-PAC, AYEG Assess Advocacy Capacity of NGOs
From Oct. to Dec. 2010, G-
PAC consulted with primary
stakeholders and potential
beneficiaries to disseminateinformation about its goals
and exchange opinions
about practical approaches
to realizing these goals. In
addition to these introduc-
tory meetings, G-PAC con-
ducted two assessments to
design more specific action
plans for its two program-
matic areas: university sup-
port and think tank support.
A third assessment is exam-
ining the advocacy capacity
of NGOs (see the next arti-
cle). Through these assess-
ments and ongoing, proac-
tive consultations, G-PAC
seeks to offer tailored,
needs-based support.
University Assessment,
Nov. 2010
The university assessment
was carried out by a Colum-
bia University assessment
team, represented by the
Picker Center, School of
International and Public
Affairs (SIPA) and the Har-
riman Institute. Towards
selecting a location for es-tablishing the MPA pro-
gram, the assessment team
met with rectors, deans,
faculty and graduate stu-
dents from three Georgian
universities: the Georgian
Institute of Public Affairs,
Ilia State University and
Tbilisi State University. The
team reviewed the universi-
ties academic backgrounds,
curricula, syllabi and facul-
tys CVs. Following this
assessment, G-PAC decided
to establish the MPA pro-
gram at Ilia State University.
Additional financial and
technical assistance will be
offered to other universities
and students through Uni-
versity Assistance Grantsand student internships.
Think Tank Assessment,Dec. 2010In order to develop an ef-
fective action plan for
strengthening Georgian
think tanks role in the pub-
lic policy process in Geor-
gia, G-PAC, in cooperationwith the Open Society Insti-
tute Think Tank Fund,
based in Budapest, orga-
nized a think tank assess-
ment mission. G-PAC met
with over 50 representatives
of Georgian think tanks,
advocacy NGOs, media
outlets, political parties, uni-
versities, donor organiza-
tions and the government.
Policy papers and reports
produced by think tanks
were also reviewed. Consid-
ering the assessment results,
G-PAC will support Geor-
gian think tanks not just in
terms of funding, but also
through mentoring and
partnerships with their Cen-
tral and Eastern Europeancounterparts. The think tank
support program will be
launched in Mar. 2011. In-
formation will be dissemi-
nated to all interested
groups.
NGOs organizational ca-
pacity to conduct successfuland effective advocacy initi-
atives. In-depth interviews
with NGOs will be accom-
panied by focus groups held
with di vers e citiz ens
throughout Georgia. The
latter will examine citizens
perceptions and awareness
of NGOs, as well as what
In Jan., researchers from the
Associat ion of YoungEconomists of Georgia
(AYEG) began interviewing
the first of 100 respondents
in a nation-wide NGO Ad-
vocacy Capacity Assess-
ment. Contracted and sup-
ported by G-PAC, AYEG is
using the USAID Advocacy
Index to assess Georgian
encourages or discourages
citizens from participatingin NGOs advocacy efforts.
The assessment findings will
provide the basis for devel-
oping G-PACs demand-
driven and tailored advocacy
capacity development pro-
gram. The assessment will
be completed in Mar. 2011.
MPP Grant: Establishe
MPP program to provid
a new generation of well
trained policy professionand to develop centers o
excellence that can prov
research and analysis.
University Assistance
Grants: Support the
institutional developmen
public policy, public
administration and politi
science courses of Geor
universities.
Internship Grants: Sup
graduate students intern
with leading Georgian C
and think tanks in order
provide hands on
experience in public poli
Think Tank Support
Grants: Support think t
to target sectors regardetop priorities by the
Georgian public, provid
depth and comprehensiv
analysis of the problems
these sectors and offer
concrete recommendatio
Citizens Advocacy Gra
Support issue-based
advocacy initiatives prim
at the local, municipal anregional levels to encour
citizen engagement for
improved local governm
programs.
Partnership for ChGrants: Support long-advocacy initiatives thatadvocacy NGOs and tanks.
Page 2G-PAC News Volume 1, Issue 1 Sep. 2010 - Jan. 2011
G-PAC Grant
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NGOs, Universities Apply for G-PAC Grants
G-PAC Seeks Public Involvement, Input
In Nov. 2010 G-PAC an-nounced two grant competi-tions: 1) Citizens Advocacy
Grants sought to supportregional NGOs advocacyinitiatives; and 2) University
Assistance Grants aimed toassist higher education insti-tutions with enhancing theirinstitutional and academiccapacities.
Citizens Advocacy GrantsThe CAG program aimedto support innovative,
meaningful and realistic ad-vocacy initiatives at local,municipal and regional lev-els. Its primary emphasiswas on helping regionalNGOs to better mobilizetheir communities to engagewith local decision-makers.NGOs could request$10,000 to $15,000 for initi-atives lasting up to one year.G-PAC received 104 appli-
cations. Successful appli-cants will be selected by aGrants Review Committee
in Mar. 2011. Before issuinggrants to the selectedNGOs, G-PAC will holdpress conferences in Tbilisiand the respective regionsto present new grantees andtheir initiatives to local me-dia and the general public
University AssistanceThe UAG program is de-signed to support Georgian
universities creative grantproposals for carrying outsmall-scale activities aimedat improving their capacitiesin public policy, public ad-ministration and politicalscience. Potential activitiescould include: supportingspecialized trainings for fac-ulty and administrators, vis-iting professors, faculty re-treats, publications, transla-
tion and summer schools.Grants range from $5,000 to$10,000 and can last up to
six months. Interested uni-versities can apply on a roll-ing basis, year-round.
Beyond Grant-makingG-PACs approach to grant-making is not based on tak-ing simple yes and nodecisions on the submittedapplications. Instead, we arecommitted to workingclosely with Georgian
NGOs and universities tohelp them develop success-ful advocacy and capacitybuilding initiatives. In addi-tion to supporting NGOs indeveloping proposals foradvocacy initiatives, G-PACwill also assist granteesthroughout project imple-mentation through continu-ous mentoring and training.
WebsiteG-PAC launched its websitein Nov. 2010. Since then ithas become a platform forsharing and gathering infor-mation about G-PACs pro-grams and activities. Thewebsite provides infor-mation about G-PACs mis-sion, team, main programs
and grants, as well as past,ongoing and planned activi-ties. Interested parties can
subscribe to EW-MI G-PACs news-letter and newsupdates; register toleave commentsand suggestions;and complete grantapplications online.The website is bi-
EWMI G-PAC is commit-ted to transparency and pro-active public outreach.Therefore, we invite inter-ested parties to become in-volved actively in planningand evaluating projects. Tothis end, G-PAC haslaunched its interactive web-site: www.ewmi-gpac.org.
Beyond disseminating infor-mation, the website servesas a discussion forum.
lingual (in Georgian andEnglish). Visit regularly forinformation about G-PACgrants, upcoming events andto share your views andconcerns.
Public OutreachPublic outreach is an over-arching priority for the G-
PAC program. From Oct. toDec. 2010, the G-PAC teammet with more than 100NGOs throughout Georgiato inform them about G-PACs goals and grant pro-grams. G-PAC will continueinteracting actively with itspartners, grantees and otherstakeholders to ensure thatits work is widely publicizedand externally evaluated.
Page 3G-PAC News Volume 1, Issue 1 Sep. 2010 - Jan. 2011
Feb. 8: Ilia State
University will host th
signing of a MoU
between Ilia State
University, Columbia
University of New Yo
City and EWMI.
Together, they will cre
a Masters Degree
program in Public
Administration (MPA)
Georgia, sponsored by
USAID. The MOU w
set out the terms of
cooperation between t
respective universities
EWMIs G-PAC
program.
Feb. 9: Dr. Arvid
Lukauskas will lecture
Ilia State University on
Currency Wars and
how they affect theeconomies of develop
and developed
economies. The lectur
will be held in Room
at 32 Chavchavadze A
Feb. 10: Dr. William B
Eimicke, professor at
Columbia University, w
present on Public
Private Partnerships
including how they can
fund and deliver vital
infrastructure
projects. This invitatio
only event will be held
the National Library.
Page 3
Upcoming Even
http://www.ewmi-gpac.org/http://www.ewmi-gpac.org/http://www.ewmi-gpac.org/ -
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