News

Azerbaijan: International Conference of Energy Trade Unions of the Caspian Region

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) organized an international Trade Union Conference from 22 to the 23 of February in Baku. Main topics were labour relations and working conditions in the energy sector. Participants of the conference where ICEM-affiliated Trade Unions from the Caspian Region.

Georgia: Round Table on of Occupational Health and Safety

05.03.10

The Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC), with the support of FES, arranged a Round Table regarding the topic of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) in Tbilisi. There the results of a FES-supported survey on occupational safety in Georgian companies were presented. As it was pointed out, there is constant harming of basic standards in the sector of Occupational Health and Safety, due to the lack of monitoring bodies and an incomplete legislation.

Georgia: Moving closer to Europe?

15.02.10

“Moving closer to Europe? Economic and Social Policies in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan” is the title of a new project which the Centre for Economic Problems Research Tbilisi (CEPR) and FES have started in February. The project will examine the Economic and Social Policies of in the Southern Caucasus in selected policy areas and assess if recent reforms have brought the region closer to European standards. It is envisaged to hold a conference in Tbilisi on the findings of the project in the second half of 2010.

Georgia: Roundtable with Political Parties

22.01.10

In January 2010 the NGO-Network ASA+ organizes the series of roundtable meetings with representatives of the local political parties in the West-Georgian city of Kutaisi. The FES-supported meetings have the purpose of critically assessing the municipal policy agenda in Kutaisi and identifying the major challenges for 2010. The meetings are part of the project  „Civil Participation in the Municipal Self-government in Kutaisi“ which has been running with the support of FES Georgia for the last two years.

Georgia: Series of Trainings for Georgian Journalists

22.12.09

With the aim of establishing a Trade Union for Journalists in the long run, FES and the Georgian Trade Union Confederation (GTUC) have finalized a series of Trainings for Georgian Journalists. As part of the training Journalists got to know the principals of Trade Unionism in Georgia and critically analyzed the employment situation and labour standards for Journalists in Georgia. The trainings took place in November 2009 in Bazaleti and December 2009 in Signagi with the participation of 45 journalists.

Azerbaijan: Conference " Azerbaijan and the Eastern Partnership "

15.12.09

On December 12th 2009 the Azerbaijan National Committee for European Integration (ANCEI) in cooperation with FES organized a conference entitled «Azerbaijan and the Eastern Partnership». The major goal of the conference was to discuss the challenges of Azerbaijan as a member of the EU`s Eastern Partnership Initiative. While participants expressed hope that the new initiative will encourage reforms in the countries, many civil society representatives also pointed at the lack of progress in areas like democratization and good governance in spite of Azerbaijan’s involvement in EU cooperation programs.

Azerbaijan: Conference "Azerbaijan 2020: dialogue on reform"

24.11.09

The Public Forum For Azerbaijan and FES launched the project "Azerbaijan 2020: dialogue on reform" with a conference in Baku on October 17-18, 2009. The project brings together reform-oriented opinion-makers from Government, Civil Society and Intellectuals in order to create a common understanding of the reform needs that the country faces. Due to its unique composition of participants the conference received a strong echo on the press and public and the participants agreed to create a permanent forum for consultation and dialogue among the involved stakeholders.

Armenia: Eastern Partnership Conference

02.11.09

On October 29-30- the International Centre for Human Development (ICHD) in cooperation with FES organized a high-level conference on the problems and challenges of the Eastern Partnership. The conference “Eastern Partnership: The next stage of European Integration?” was attended by more than 100 participants from Government, Parliament, International Organizations and Civil Society Organisations. Among the speakers were the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Mr. Edward Nalbandian, and the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Mr. Peter Semneby.

Armenia: Prospects of Armenia-Turkish Rapprochement

02.11.09

The NGO “European Integration” and FES currently conduct a series of discussions and round-tables on the prospects of the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement. On September 3, representatives of civil society organization met to discuss the latest developments in the bilateral relations of both countries. On October 9, students from different universities in Armenia discussed the preliminarily-signed protocols which will be presented to the Turkish and Armenian Parliaments for ratification. FES has been supporting the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations through various civil society initiatives throughout the year 2009.

Georgia: International conference “The Birth of Modern Georgia: The First Georgian Republic and its Successor States 1918-2009"

12.10.09

An international conference entitled   "The Birth of Modern Georgia: The First Georgian Republic and its Successor States 1918-2009" was held 10-12 October 2009 in Tbilisi. The conference provided a comparative approach of the similarities and differences between the First Republic of 1918-21 and contemporary Georgia. The conference has been organized by a group of national and international academics and scholars and has been supported  by Ilia Chavchavadze State University, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, The Rustaveli Foundation and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.