Outcome GEO_D_2.1

By 2025, all people without discrimination benefit from a sustainable, inclusive and resilient economy in Georgia (UNSDCF Outcome 3)

Outcome was not achieved fully yet strong progress was made in 2022. 853 rural women increased their knowledge and skills to become economically empowered and join the formal labour sector or to start and grow their businesses and move up the value chain in Georgia. The targeted women have also actively engaged in advocacy initiatives with local governments; women from 30 target villages presented 124 proposals to local officials for consideration in the 2023 municipal budgets, 65 of which (52 per cent) were accepted for consideration in the next annual budget. A further 15 proposals (12 per cent) were provisionally accepted by the local authorities but require further discussion to identify whether they can be addressed within the municipal budget or via other sources. The advocacy efforts of women, if considered, will positively affect the safety of their communities (e.g. through street lighting, vaccination of street dogs, etc.) and WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) conditions in the villages (sewage, garbage bins, drainage channels, waste management, drinking water), as well as improved connectivity (transportation and roads) with municipal centres and, respectively, improved access to health care, markets, and educational and other opportunities. Importantly, resolving issues related to childcare (kindergartens) has the potential to considerably affect the unpaid care work burden of women in the rural communities and facilitate their economic empowerment.? The first tailor-made pilot state programme targeting rural women for setting up greenhouses was launched by the Rural Development Agency of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture with UN Women technical support. The programme targets women who are small-scale landowners and includes special advantages for the socially vulnerable in the selection process. In 2022, 38 applications were approved in the two target municipalities (Marneuli and Lagodekhi), and women have already received resources for starting up or further expanding their greenhouses. Produce collection, storage and access to market aspects are also taken into consideration in the programme design. UN Women has already started consultations with the Rural Development Agency and the Gender Equality Council of the Parliament of Georgia on the potential scale-up of the programmes. Women are ready to be entrepreneurs. 165 women improved their business skills, developed their business plans and received tailored, individual coaching support in 2022 in Georgia with the support of UN Women. Total of 162 women have completed the training courses “How to Start a Business” (69 beneficiaries) and “How to Develop a Business” (96 beneficiaries). Further, tailored training in branding and marketing and standardization has been delivered to 96 women entrepreneurs operating in the agritourism value chain, and 13 women-owned enterprises were supported to develop an online presence. Moreover, 36 women entrepreneurs had an opportunity to scale up their businesses through financial support. Eight video interviews with the women engaged in agritourism were developed and disseminated via social media channels to highlight the role that women have in this sector.t 536 women and girls acquired a new profession in the tech field and graduated from the 500 Women in Tech programme, a public-private initiative aimed at improving women’s access to technologies and markets. Of the 536 women, 55 are Ukrainian women who fled the war in Ukraine and are currently living in Georgia. The 500 Women in Tech programme was launched by UN Women together with Business and Technology University and in partnership with more than 35 ICT companies. The programme provides skills-building and career pathways by offering training (through the following six courses: UI/UX 1; UI/UX 2; Front-End Development 1; Front-End Development 2; Digital Marketing; Software Product Testing), a career bootcamp, internships and employment opportunities. The employment results of the programme will be realized in 2023. As of December 2022, more than 170 private companies (about 70,000 employees) are signatories to the Women’s Empowerment Principles: Equality Means Business (WEPs), 66 of which joined in 2022. These companies have an increased understanding of the gender dimension of corporate sustainability and implement initiatives that advance women in the workplace, marketplace and community. A growing number of businesses adapted their policies, programmes and initiatives creating diverse working environments where women and girls can succeed. In addition, the companies were introduced to grass-roots women to provide women entrepreneurs and rural women with free trainings, internships, mentorship, employment and business opportunities in order to achieve more active participation by women in the economy and more inclusive economic growth in the Georgian context. UN Women initiated a working group of international financial institutions on “Promoting Gender Equality in Decision-Making Positions in the Financial Sector of Georgia” in 2022. The working group was set up with the following initial members: Asian Development Bank (ADB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB), International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB). The objective of the working group is to ensure a coordinated approach to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the financial system of Georgia, specifically around achieving gender balance on the supervisory and management boards of the commercial banks. In July 2022, the National Bank of Georgia amended the Corporate Governance Code for Commercial Banks by changing the 20 per cent quota rule for supervisory boards to require that women comprise no less than 33 per cent of the supervisory board level no later than 1 June 2023, and no less than 40 per cent no later than 1 June 2025. tIn addition, for the first time, a recommendation note was added to the Code regarding the composition of the Board of Directors of banks (with women comprising no less than 33 per cent of the Board of Directors). The working group will advocate for more ambitious targets for women’s representation in the boards of the financial sector of Georgia and push for further institutional changes within commercial banks in terms of board diversity and inclusion by launching impactful initiatives. The above-listed results became possible through UN Women’s work within the frameworks of two cost-share projects: “Good Governance for Gender Equality in Georgia” (GG4GEG), funded by the Government of Norway, and “Women’s Economic Empowerment in the South Caucasus” (WEESC), funded by the Governments of Austria and Switzerland. Based on the progress made to date, the original strategy and theory of change for this outcome is largely still applicable. If, as expected, this strategy is successful, then the work at the level of policies and legislation, institutions and grassroots’ aimed at economic empowerment of women would within a few years start having a real impact on the lives of women and girls in Georgia by making entrepreneurship and employment policies as well as employers more gender sensitive and women better aware of their economic rights and opportunities.

By 2025, all people without discrimination benefit from a sustainable, inclusive and resilient economy in Georgia (UNSDCF Outcome 3)

The outcome was not achieved as all people without discrimination do not benefit from a sustainable, inclusive and resilient economy in Georgia. However, significant progress has been made in terms of mobilization of private sector for the cause of gender equality; in 2021, the number of private companies who have joined UN Women and UN Global Compact’s Women’s Empowerment Principles: Equality Means Business (WEPs) reached 102 in Georgia. This vibrant community of partners has been offered diverse capacity development opportunities throughout the year to stimulate in-depth understanding of what are the Women’s Empowerment Principles and how can they, as the employers, advance women’s rights and foster the business environment at the same time. Dedicated discussions addressed also the roles of employers in tackling workplace sexual harassment as well as domestic violence, including to tips and techniques on how to identify an employee who may be facing such a problem and what type of support to provide. The companies that are signatories to the WEPs are setting interesting examples in combatting domestic violence in Georgia. The Adjara Group successfully employs women who have overcome the problem of domestic violence and facilitates their rehabilitation according to the signed memorandum of understanding with the Agency for State Care and Assistance for the Victims of Human Trafficking, while MBC, in addition to awareness-raising trainings within the organization, buys the products it needs from women victims of domestic violence and provides them with legal, psychological and economic assistance, thereby empowering them. As for the TV channel Mtavari Arkhi, another WEPs signatory, it regularly informs the public about the services that victims of domestic violence need and takes care of raising awareness and delivering information. The WEPs signatory companies have rejoined the 16-day campaign against gender-based violence, continuing the initiative that was launched in November 2020. In 2021 the companies have focused on the elimination of sexual harassment in the workplace. The state agency “Enterprise Georgia” has approved its internal Gender Equality Strategy and a three-year action plan developed with UN Women technical support and as an outcome of Participatory Gender Audit conducted in the entity by UN Women in 2020. The Strategy upholds the Agency’s commitment to develop, implement and monitor the agency’s policy on the basis of gender mainstreaming. The three-year strategy and action plan place a special focus on the prevention and elimination of discrimination and sexual harassment. As a part of these commitments, 22 staff members from “Enterprise Georgia” attended the training organized by UN Women on non-discriminatory policies and procedures at the workplace. Based on the progress made to date, the original strategy and theory of change for this outcome is largely still applicable. If, as expected, this strategy is successful, then the work at the level of policies and legislation, institutions and grassroots’ aimed at economic empowerment of women would within a few years start having a real impact on the lives of women and girls in Georgia by making entrepreneurship and employment policies as well as employers more gender sensitive and women better aware of their economic rights and opportunities. Evidence Documents depicting the CO’s work with private sector Gender Equality Strategy and Action Plan of Enterprise Georgia

By 2025, all people without discrimination benefit from a sustainable, inclusive and resilient economy in Georgia (UNSDCF Outcome 3)

UN Women is on track to achieve this outcome, having made strong progress in 2023. Women, particularly poor and socially excluded, used new skills, economic opportunities, and relevant information to gain employment and/or start/develop their businesses. Representatives of government, public institutions and private companies increased their capacities to develop and deliver legislation, policies, services and programs for women’s economic empowerment. Rural women who benefit from UN Women’s social mobilization gained business literacy and soft skills and accessed personalized career advice, technical assistance, and entrepreneurial opportunities so they can improve their livelihoods and entrepreneurial prospects. Cumulatively, in 2023 there are functioning 106 self-help groups (SHGs) of rural women with 1,052 members (77 SHGs with 723 members in Eastern, and 29 SHG with 329 members – in Western Georgia). This work has covered 23 municipalities (out of total 64 municipalities in Georgia) and 100 villages (48 different villages in 11 municipalities in Western Georgia and 52 villages in 12 municipalities in Eastern Georgia). The total number of women engaged in social mobilization in the end of 2023 has reached 1,117, with 1,052 being the SHG members. This result is achieved through tireless work of UN Women and its CSO partners that work on social mobilization of rural women daily. Rural women strengthened and exercised their voice and agency with UN Women and its CSO partners’ support. The local government promised to address and include in the next year’s budget 75 of 130 community needs (58%) brought forward by women who took part in eight Round Table meetings and two General Assemblies covering 30 villages. Women who have been socially mobilized by UN Women gathered these issues to bring forward through needs assessments of their communities, in which they interviewed 8105 persons, including 4624 women and 3481 men in 2023. So far, 58 new women took part in Round Table meetings. In total, 96 women entrepreneurs and 106 aspiring women entrepreneurs improved their business skills and develop business plans by graduating UN Women tailored training programmes “How to Develop a Business” and “How to Start a Business”. Women entrepreneurs gained skills related to product/service development, marketing and sales, taxation, finance, and other areas. Along with the training, participants developed business plans and benefited from individual advice. Twenty (20) agritourism enterprises got support from UN Women in creating full photo portfolios and profiles, which have been uploaded to Agrogate online portal, allowing them to have an online presence and traction. Additionally, 50 women entrepreneurs joined the E-commerce Association of Georgia, and 80 women became the part of Georgia Farmers’ Association community. Please access the list of these entrepreneurs at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hHTqO3g2pheDq5BJbsIY_UUdvX3FroL6NxbByYtwUnM/edit#gid=0 Women entrepreneurs advertised their goods and services through a new culinary travel guide A Culinary Journey with Women Entrepreneurs which allows readers to discover new agritourism facilities and promote the activities of women entrepreneurs. The guide developed combines new tourist routes with the stories of rural women employed in agritourism and the recipes of dishes they prepare. This collection describes the stories of 10 women and their wonderful agritourism facilities. UN Women and Tera Bank, one of the WEPs signatory companies, has prepared the guide. The link to the new culinary guide: https://georgia.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2023/03/culinary-tour-with-women-entrepreneurs As a direct result of an unprecedented private-public partnership, “500 Women in Tech”, 994 young women and girls increased their digital skills to access internships and/or employment opportunities in the ICT sector and more than 150 women have been employed with the skills acquired as part of this project (according to project monitoring). The relevance of this important initiative for the existing gender imbalance in technology has already been acknowledged at the high-level event “Joint Efforts to Empower Women in Technology”, which took place online on 7 March 2023 within the framework of the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. It is noteworthy that the initiative, which ended in May 2023, has been awarded the Future-Proof Education Initiative of the Year at the Emerging Europe Awards. WEPs signatories can access a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) manual and relevant certification programme for human resources management on how to apply DEI in the private sector for the first time in Georgia and more broadly in the ECA region. In the reporting period, UN Women finalized and published the manual on the WEPs web-page: https://www.weps.org/resource/deep-dive-diversity-equality-and-inclusion In the reporting period 24 new companies joined the WEPs from banking, consultancy, education and tech sectors, the total number of WEPS signatories reached 193 in December 2023. In 2023, more than 100 participants attended the annual WEPs conference (held for the sixth time) and discussed the spotlight topic of Gender Lens Investing. Representatives of international financial institutions, angel investors network, venture funds, and the private sector led thought-provoking discussions . Signatory companies of the Women's Empowerment Principles, including EY, GEC Consulting, Gazzele Finance, Soplidan.ge, Crystal MFO, showcased innovative projects fostering access to finance for women entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses. Women farmers have new access to greenhouses through the Rural Development Agency’s (RDA) expanded support to women farmers in Chkhorotsku, Vani, and Chokhatauri municipalities. Cumulatively, inclusive of the first standalone Greenhouse Pilot Programme in Marneuli and Lagodekhi municipalities, women have access to 16 newly constructed greenhouses. All program beneficiaries participated in theoretical training on the agricultural aspects of the greenhouse. To achieve this, UN Women launched a pilot programme for women to establish greenhouses in 2022 in partnership with the Rural Development Agency. (please refer to the link https://www.rda.gov.ge/programs/women-pilot-program/27cb55d4-2788-4db5-8bde-92c03b842aef ). This new phase of the program implemented in the three new municipalities is fully funded by state resources. Under the first pilot programme in Marneuli and Lagodekhi municipalities, 37 applications were approved, and women received resources for starting up or further expanding their greenhouses. UN Women maintains ongoing consultations with the Rural Development Agency to advocate for potential changes in existing RDA programs, aiming to enhance their gender sensitivity and increase women’s participation rates. During the reporting period, 91 (70 women and 21 men) public servants from different line ministries and state agencies participated in trainings on gender equality and women’s rights with UN Women’s support in Georgia. UN Women's communication campaign "Women Who Don't Exist" has achieved incredible success, winning 2 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze award at AD Black Sea 2023. The campaign reached more than 700,000 people in social media. The campaign was broadcasted in more than 50 media sources. More information is available at: https://adblacksea.com/ Based on the progress made to date, the original strategy and theory of change for this outcome is largely still applicable. If, as expected, this strategy is successful, then the capacity development interventions and strategic partnerships put in place would, within a few years, start having a real impact on the lives of women and girls in Georgia by creating wealth of opportunities and enabling environment for women’s economic empowerment.

By 2025, all people without discrimination benefit from a sustainable, inclusive and resilient economy in Georgia (UNSDCF Outcome 3)

UN Women is on track to achieve this outcome, having made strong progress in 2024. Women, particularly poor and socially excluded, used new skills, economic opportunities, and relevant information to gain employment and/or start/develop their businesses. Representatives of government, public institutions and private companies increased their capacities to develop and deliver legislation, policies, services and programs for women’s economic empowerment. In 2024, Rural women have gained business literacy and soft skills and accessed personalized career advice, technical assistance, and entrepreneurial opportunities and can improve their livelihoods and entrepreneurial prospects. Cumulatively, 1,296 women were socially mobilized in 93 Self-Help Groups (SHGs). As a result of this work, 864 women (not unique) attended 32 awareness raising events, trainings, workshops, screenings and discussions on gender equality on gender equality. Additionally, 97 mobilized women completed business training in to enhance entrepreneurship skills or participated in training activities supporting existing businesses, additional 17 women became wage-employed. 124 SHG group members attended 24 village meetings in target municipalities and one roundtable meeting. The Nannies and Domestic Workers Association provided legal consultations to 223 domestic workers via its hotline, with 58 consultations conducted through the Association's Facebook Messenger chat. In Tbilisi, 101 domestic workers, and in Batumi, seven, enhanced their understanding of labor rights. The Association introduced a new "Employment Service," which helps domestic workers improve work agreements. As part of the Women in AI program, 100 young women completed training in Linear Algebra and Python for AI teams, and HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for Web Development teams and 66 women completed AI and web development modules, with 38 finishing Frontend Development, 16 completing Backend projects, and 28 submitting all AI assignments, showcasing growing expertise in tech. Over 500 girls and women attended tech conferences or enhanced their skills in technologies. 76 Ukraininan refugee women got engaged in mental health, education, professional development, and employment opportunities support. 17 former prisoner and probationer women got engaged in mental health, skill development, employment, entrepreneurship opportunities support. In 2024, LEPL Enterprise Georgia (EG) launched a micro-entrepreneurship program offering loans (20,000–50,000 GEL) with benefits for women, including a five-year interest rate subsidy and loan guarantees up to 80%. Sixty-four women received loans, and 153 accessed leasing. Women were prioritized in EG’s Export Managers Certificate Course and consultancy services provided by Regional Growth Hubs, with 141 women - representing 59% of all participants completed training under the Regional Growth Hubs. Additionally, 20 women signed consultancy agreements, accounting for 25% of all agreements signed during this period. The Georgian Innovations and Technology Agency (GITA) began developing a 2025–2027 Women’s Empowerment Action Plan, held a workshop for 32 staff members. EG and GITA implemented a sex-disaggregated data system. EG and GITA reached 153 women via info-sessions. Policies on workplace sexual harassment were adopted by GITA and the Georgian National Tourism Administration. In 2024, 92 companies joined the WEPs in Georgia, with 10 completing Gap Analysis Tools and gender action plans. HR training programs reached over 70 professionals, covering human capital reporting, workplace safety, and inclusive recruitment. ISO 30414 standards were embraced by 11 HR professionals, while 52 private-sector representatives enhanced gender-sensitive HR metrics. The training in partnership with USAID, enabled 31 women and 1 man from male-dominated industries to conduct gender analysis and reporting. UN Women Georgia certified 28 company representatives in sexual harassment prevention and response. In addition, 58 women and 24 men received sexual harassment prevention training. Research on workplace harassment, Gender Lens Investing Assessment tool tailored for Georgia and Harvard-led leadership program for mid-level women managers are in progress. Partnerships expanded into creative industries. Events like "Ring the Bell for Gender Equality" and unconscious bias workshops engaged diverse stakeholders. The Women’s Entrepreneurship EXPO 2024 showcased 140 entrepreneurs, including refugees from Ukraine and other countries. In addition, up to 25 entrepreneurs accessed e-commerce and market opportunities. 164 women entrepreneurs across Georgia from agribusiness, agritourism and other sectors completed diagnostics, training, and mentoring in business plan development, cost planning, marketing, digital marketing, branding, social media management, e-commerce, grants, procurement, and finance. 25 ToT mentors provided tailored consultations and training. For entrepreneurs from agribusiness and agritourism, visibility materials were created for 17 women entrepreneurs, social media accounts launched for 15, and 20 profiles added to Agrogate.world’s e-commerce platform. UN Women advocacy efforts have included reports and methodological documents / guidelines - Invisible Hands: Formalization of Domestic Work in Georgia (for MoIDPOTLHSA); methodological document on the principle of equal pay in labour relations and the guidelines addressing harmful and hazardous work conditions for pregnant women, post-partum and nursing mothers (for LIO), technical guideline on gender statistics and gender indicators and stand-alone program for women entrepreneurs (for RDA). Maternity, paternity and parental leave research has progressed, incorporating actuarial studies and cost analysis. A total of 54 public servants participated in the trainings, including 14 participants from Labor Inspectors Office on the gender pay gap and its prevention mechanisms, 25 participants from Ministry for Environment Protection and Agriculture (MEPA) on data-driven and gender-sensitive sectoral policies, and 15 participants from Rural Development Agency and MEPA on gender statistics. Additionally, 28 participants from 17 companies enhanced their awareness of the gender pay gap. UN Women also institutionalized the Gender and Economics Training Manual at ISET-PI, where 103 students successfully completed the course. Furthermore, an e-course on occupational safety and health (OSH) standards for women was developed for LIO, contributing to broader knowledge dissemination and impact. 148 care workers became officially certified to work as personal assistants or homecare providers across 15 municipalities and PGA recommendations have been incorporated into the 2-year action plan of SESA. Based on the progress made to date, the original strategy and theory of change for this outcome is largely still applicable. If, as expected, this strategy is successful, then the capacity development interventions and strategic partnerships put in place would, within a few years, start having a real impact on the lives of women and girls in Georgia by creating wealth of opportunities and enabling environment for women’s economic empowerment.