Over fifty representatives of the Government of Georgia, civil society and international organizations got together in Borjomi on 1-2 October to discuss Rural Development Strategy of Georgia which will be finalised and presented to the Government in the coming weeks. The event was organised with the support of the European Union (EU) under the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD). 

The Policy Forum reviewed a draft Strategy and looked into the ways of coordinating its implementation across the public, private and civil sectors of Georgia. 

The Forum participants also discussed the mechanisms of integrating rural development policies into the national, regional and local development strategies, as well as the alignment of the Rural Development Strategy of Georgia with the Association Agreement with the European Union and the European Union Policy on Rural Development.    

The Policy Forum was organized by the European Union, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia and Interagency Working Group which brings together representatives of the ministries engaged in rural development matters – Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Education, Office of the State Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, and is being led by the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia. 

The Forum was attended by representatives of international organizations that support rural development in Georgia under the EU-funded ENPARD programme. The discussion was facilitated by international consultants brought on board to assist Georgia to introduce and implement rural development policy.

The Policy Forum will be followed by a series of public consultations as well as capacity building initiatives for rural development stakeholders.