Strengthening Effectiveness and Transparency of the Parliament and Government of Georgia

The new government that emerged after the peaceful Rose Revolution holds a vision to re-build Georgia, by reforming and restructuring its democratic institutions during this critical period of transition. Chief among these tasks is to strengthen the Georgian Parliament, so that it function as an effective body, capable of representing citizen interests and accommodating diverse political perspectives.  Absent a strong and meaningful Parliament, the new Georgian state will be left without a law-based, institutional mechanism to channel public sentiments and competing political agendas – leaving the state once again weak and susceptible to chronic instability.  Strengthening the Parliament represents one of the most important components of the new leadership’s overall effort to institutionalize democratic practices and traditions in post-Revolutionary Georgia. 

 

The leadership of the Parliament recognizes that the initiatives contained in this project cannot be accomplished without the assistance of international organizations and institutions, willing to contribute to the process.  Likewise, the Georgian Parliament recognizes that new partnerships and approaches will also be necessary, in order to ensure donor coordination, regular monitoring and evaluation, and effective implementation.

 

The objective of this project is to strengthen the Georgian Parliament’s ability to carry out its mandate of serving the public interest in an accountable, transparent and professional manner.  In support of that objective, the Parliament’s overall effectiveness as an institution must be strengthened.  This includes altering relevant rules and legislation, reviewing functions and structures of the Parliament, enhancing transparency and responsiveness, improving the law-making and debate process, upgrading equipment including modern hardware and software, and conducting continuous training for staff and MP’s.

 

 

Strengthening the Law Making and Debate Process

  • Preparation and implementation of recommendations to improve legislative procedures, to increase the efficiency of public servants employed by the Parliament and to improve legislative drafting and adoption processes.
  • Preparation, passage and enforcement of new Parliamentary Regulations.
  • Establishment of a system that exposes legislative drafts to appropriate review by social-economic, political, national security and other sectoral experts.
  • Enhancing collaboration and discussion of legislative drafts between legislative and executive powers.
  • Further harmonization of Georgian legislation with EU legislation.

 

 

Strengthening Public Management Skills and Capabilities

  • Preparation and implementation of recommendations to upgrade and  modernize administrative management at the Parliament.
  • Strengthening the efficiency and capabilities of the Staff of the Parliament through comprehensive training, international exchanges and education.
  • Supporting the development and broadening of the capabilities of the Research Department of the Parliament. 
  • Organizational support to increase the efficiency of the Parliament’s agenda setting body – the Bureau of the Parliament.
  • Organizational support to increase the efficiency of the Parliament’s Committees
  • Improvement of the system of circulation of documents within Parliament as well as between the Parliament and the executive branch.
  • Implementation of the new Management Information System (MIS) in the Parliament.

 

 

Strengthening Oversight Capabilities and Functions

  • Transformation of parliamentary oversight into one of the most important functions of the Parliament.
  • Increasing the effectiveness of the Committee hearings.
  • Establishment of a strong and effective Chamber of Control.
  • Strengthening the effectiveness of the Parliament’s Budget Office and its integration into oversight processes.
  • Involvement of the Research Department of the Parliament into the process of oversight.
  • Improvement of relations between executive bodies, regional and local authorities including regional bureaus/representations of the Parliament.

 

 

Enhancement of Transparency and Responsiveness

  • Strengthening internal procedures and practices in an effort to promote the transparency of legislative processes including active outreach and cooperation with civil society.
    • Creation of new and functional public reception facilities.
    • Improving physical access to the Parliament.
    • Improving the mechanisms and forms of public relations.
    • More regular publication of laws, legal drafts, and public education documents.

 

 

Development of Human Resources

  • Improvement of procedures regulating the hiring of staff and staff evaluation.
  • Implementation of trainings for Members of the Parliament and public servants.
  • Increasing the professionalism, level of responsibility, work culture and efficiency of Parliamentary Members.
  • Creating and equipping a modern Training Center at the Parliament of Georgia with organizational, methodological, and intellectual resources to support education development and trainings.

 

 

Upgrading Technical Resources

  • Application of modern ICTs to assist with the modernization of legislative activity.
  • Strengthening the capabilities and resources of the National Library, housed within the Parliament.
  • Providing the Parliament with a high capacity Internet connection, and upgrading the Parliament’s Local Area Network (LAN) and linking it to the State Inter-institutional Metropolitan Area Network (MAN).
  • Training of staff and MP’s to facilitate usage of new information technologies.
  • Modernization of existing voting system.
  • Modernization for various Parliament departments and technical services.