ABL communities and their challenges: What are their solutions?

From November 15 – 16, 2022, was held a two-day Conference in Gori, Georgia, which was organized by MESA 10 in cooperation with Strategic Analysis Think Tank and the Bridge of Friendship – Kartlosi.

During the Conference on ABL (administrative boundary lines) communities, the local administration and regional development self-government and local administration representatives, small businesses owners, NGOs/CSOs representatives, and representatives of the Georgian decision-making sphere, discussed the findings of the initial field research that was conducted during the first part of the project.

The project “Sharing V4 experience with Georgian self-governments: regional development and green innovations” focuses on local administrations in conflict-affected areas of Georgia adjacent to the break-away regions of Tskhinvali and Abkhazia.

The project is building on MESA10 and Kartlosi`s project supported by SlovakAid, during which the needs and challenges of these communities are mapped, and recommendations are formulated. Though the project is still ongoing, among the challenges identified stand out the socioeconomic and environmental aspects of communities, which represent the most significant issue. Building on the expertise, the project aims to create feasibility studies for the international donor and investor community to address the challenges in a ready-to-act way.