The European Union and UNDP support Georgia's civil society to promote peaceful conflict transformation. Efforts focus on building confidence among divided communities, assisting internally displaced people, and fostering social and economic progress in conflict-affected regions. Over the past four years, the EU4Dialogue project has catalysed more than 40 civil society initiatives improving local livelihoods and encouraging community engagement in sustainable and equitable development.

On 27 June, UNDP representatives visited Georgia’s Samegrelo region to review the progress of several civil society initiatives promoting local growth and community engagement.

In Zugdidi, they attended the official opening of newly restored mosaic murals relocated from the village of Rukhi, adding a new tourist landmark to the region. The restored murals, ‘Lady in Red,’ ‘Summer in Samegrelo,’ and ‘Musicians,’ are exemplary pieces of 20th-century public art heritage shared by communities across the conflict divide. Their restoration involved Georgian and French experts from the ‘Mosaica Studio’ Crafts Development Centre and the Ribirabo Foundation, supported by the EU4Dialogue project. Local youth from the conflict-affected regions actively participated in the restoration, assisting the experts and learning the craft.

The visit continued at the consultation centre established by the Charity Humanitarian Centre ‘Abkhazeti’ (CHCA), offering psychological support and counselling on various social services to people living on both sides of the conflict divide. In its first six months of operation, from January through May 2024, the centre provided over 120 face-to-face consultations and received more than 360 calls on the hotline.