On March 16, Tbilisi Marriott Hotel hosted round table discussions held by the Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF) and its partner non-governmental organizations. The discussion topic was ‘Cooperation on Tbilisi Urban Heritage Protection Issues.’
The participants considered issues related to the Tbilisi urban heritage and prospects for cooperation with the City Hall.
Providing transparency in the decision making process and increasing involvement of the public in the process by the Tbilisi City Hall is one of the demands of civil society voiced by NGOs. The talks focused on communication problems between bodies making decisions on urban heritage issues and the interested public and the ways in which the problems could be resolved.
“During the meeting we would like to shape a common view of NGOs and the interested public and come up with specific proposals and recommendations for the City Hall to take account of our opinions to the possible extent,” said Tiniko Bolkvadze, a OSGF representative.
Following the meeting, NGOs will submit concrete recommendations and proposals to the City Hall.
The event brought together members of Tbilisi Assembly (Sakrebulo), NGOs supporting the move and interested in Tbilisi urban development, representatives of academic circles and experts of the respective field (urbanists, architects, art critics).
The initiative is supported by the Young Lawyers’ Association of Georgia, the Georgian National Committee of International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), Green Alternative Association, Tbilisi Hamkari, an organization, International Center for Civil Culture, Journal Liberali and experts of the respective field.
Listen to, read and watch media reports on the event.