EU-funded project develops innovative communication strategy for civil society in Georgia

The Conference "Campaigning for CSOs – How to Break Up Stereotypes" aimed to support the development of a Communication Strategy and Action Plan for breaking-up stereotypes about civil society organizations in Georgia. The conference concluded a series of regional workshops that were held all over Georgia in order to elaborate causes of lack of trust towards civil society organisations (CSO) in cooperation with various stakeholders. Key findings of these workshops were presented and discussed at the conference.

At the opening of the conference Yvonne Gogoll, Attaché at the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia, stated, "Civil society organizations constitute an important part of a healthy, democratic society. It is important for CSOs, as a vital link between decision-makers and citizens, to communicate about their work effectively so that citizens understand the role and potential benefits of an active civil society. The European Union remains committed to supporting civil society in Georgia as well as globally."

„The project contributes to the empowerment of civil society, by enhancing its role and importance in supporting democratic processes in the country. It is achievable only through proactive and direct communication with society. Proper communication strategy is a gateway for gaining high credibility and public trust”- David Aprasidze, CSSIGE Project Manager.

“CSI has been working on improving CSOs' enabling environment in Georgia for more than 20 years. Despite the fact that the state recognizes us as equal partner, we still have to work to enhance public trust and become more legitimate to represent political, economic, social and cultural rights of the society” - Vazha Salamadze, Director of CSI

During the conference preliminary findings of a recent nationwide public opinion survey on attitudes towards Civil Society Organisations and Socially Responsible Business Conduct in Georgia were presented. The attitudes of the population of Georgia towards civil society organizations are quite inconsistent. Rather moderate trust toward CSOs is reported, but CSOs are not particularly distrusted either. Quite often, people believe CSOs in Georgia serve foreign interests and do not care much about Georgian traditions. In general, though, people in Georgia are not well informed about CSOs, and the exiting knowledge is rather unevenly spread in different groups of the population. Particularly low level of knowledge is observed in ethnic minority settlements. CSOs are not perceived as independent actors, and are believed to be much weaker compared to the government bodies.

Furthermore, the project "Civil Society Sustainability Initiative" presented key findings of regional workshops where representatives of civil society, media, politicians, teachers, and youth, discussed the existing public attitudes and stereotypes, detected potential influencers and target groups, and verified communication channels for the campaign. It has been revealed that stereotypes in the society towards CSOs are developed as due to the subjective also objective causes: on the one hand it can be the lack of the information about CSOs and their work, on the other - the intensive anti-western propaganda and myths supporting the dissemination and rooting of these stereotypes in the society.

Participants of the conference then proceeded towards shaping strategic solutions for an innovative Communication Strategy and Action Plan for CSOs in Georgia, that will be finalized by Elliott Webber company by the end of October. The strategy document will be shared via various communication channels of the project. 

About "Civil Society Sustainability Initiative"

The conference was organised by Civil Society Institute (CSI) under the project “Civil Society Sustainability Initiative”, which is funded by the European Union and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany. The project is implemented by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in cooperation with Civil Society Institute (CSI), Center for Training and Consultancy (CTC), Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG) and Education Development and Employment Center (EDEC). The initiative aims at improving the operational environment for civil society in Georgia, empowering CSOs, increasing their accountability towards constituencies and amplifying their linkages to other actors.

For further information please contact:

• Tamar Bochorishvili, Civil Society Institute
  032 2 36 36 00, 598 74 35 12
  tamar@civilin.org