Georgia, Tbilisi, Jan. 9 / Trend, N. Kirtskhalia /
A grant worth one million lari ($1=1.66 lari) contributed by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili towards the implementation of the 'Project on promotion of civil society and free media' was divided between the two organisations participating in the competition.
By a decision of the competition commission, the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development will receive 800,000 lari, and the Journalism Development Fund named after Zaza Daraseli - 200 000 lari. Both organisations should use the funds for development of media and civil society.
Board members of the Caucasian Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development are Eka Kvesitadze Olesya Vartanyan, Marat Baratashvili, Zaza Tevzadze, Charles Herron Fairbanks and Giga Zedania.
Established in 1998, the fund is chaired by political scientist and former Georgian Education Minister, Ghia Nodia.
The board members of Journalism Development Fund named after Zaza Daraseliya are Rusudan Kervalishvili and Nikoloz Beridze, Nino Daraselia is the fund's chairman. The organisation was registered in 2001.
Chairman of the competition commission Nino Kalandadze is a presidential adviser and former Deputy Foreign Minister. The commission also includes presidential advisers former economy minister Vera Kobalia, Van Bayburt, Mubariz Karayev and Natalia Kancheli.
Two organisations the Georgian Non-governmental Organisations' Society and the Akhalgori newspaper took part in the competition along with the winners.
The project on the promotion of civil society and free media was established by presidential decree on December 17, 2012. The president's reserve fund allocated one million lari to the development of civil society and increasing the role of free media. This amount is to be distributed between the non-entrepreneurial (non-profit) entities found in the competition.