Eng
Eng
Client: Japanese Tobacco International
Funded by: Japanese Tobacco International
Start: August 2019
End: October 2019
Country: Georgia
Tobacco taxes are recognized as an effective policy tool to reduce tobacco consumption and improve health outcomes; however, in many cases the attainment of the budgetary and regulatory goals of tobacco excise tax regulation is not straightforward and the expected benefits thereof often do not materialize. The project on tobacco sector indicators in response to the new tobacco excise tax regulation in Georgia covered this issue in detail and observed the tobacco market development dynamics in the country in response to the tighter excise taxation policy introduced in 2019.
Observing the development trends, the ACT team shed light on the complexity of the tobacco excise tax regulation, particularly the increase of the illicit tobacco market. The non-existence of a precise plan as well as inconsistent and unequal taxation has further escalated the problem. The analytical document prepared by ACT focused on the following four main parts: tobacco control policies and EU-Georgia Association Agreement requirements, as well as tobacco excise tax developments in the country; EU and regional experience in implementing tobacco control laws; the dynamics of the tobacco sector indicators in Georgia; and the stakeholder and citizen interviews gleaning their attitudes toward the new regulations.
The key takeaways and recommendations were drawn by ACT for the relevant policymakers. Recommendations included the need for a more enhanced set of complementary policies to encourage consumers to quit tobacco products, and to target comprehensive interventions to fulfill the main goals of the regulation.
Client: ECORYS
Funded by: The European Union
Start: January 2016
End: September 2020
Countries: Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova
The ‘EU NEIGHBOURS east’ project aims to increase the understanding within Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries about EU support, through improved communication. The overall objective of the project is to improve public perceptions of the EU, as well as to ensure a better comprehension of European policies and their impacts, particularly with respect to the regional and bilateral EU support and cooperation programs in the EaP countries.
The ACT team assists the ‘EU NEIGHBOURS east’ project by gathering opinions and gauging the level of information that citizens of EaP countries have obtained about the EU in general and about EU-funded cooperation and development programs/projects specifically. Since 2016, we have been working in the six EaP countries to trace program intervention outcomes in each country year-on-year.
The project has developed information and communication materials, has entailed the carrying out awareness-raising and information campaigns, and has assessed the perceptions of the EU and the support it provides through opinion polling and media monitoring.
Client: MCA-Georgia
Funded by: MCA-Georgia
Start: December 2017
End: November 2018
Country: Georgia
On 26 July 2013, the Government of Georgia (GOG) and the United States of America, acting through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), signed a Compact Agreement for a US$140 million grant to alleviate poverty and boost economic growth, employing the MCC’s assistance to strengthen good governance, economic freedom, and investments in Georgia. The five-year Compact entered into force on 1 July 2014. The objective of the Georgia II Compact is to support strategic investments in the Program, which consists of three Projects: (1) Improving General Education Quality (IGEQ); (2) Industry-led Skills and Workforce Development (ISWD); and (3) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). These projects respond to constraints affecting economic growth and aim to improve the poor quality of human capital in Georgia.
The Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (M&E Unit), established within the MCA-Georgia, is implementing a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (M&E Plan) developed by the MCA-Georgia in collaboration with the MCC to conduct program performance monitoring and evaluations. Accordingly, the MCA-Georgia regularly updates the M&E Plan in which data quality reviews represent a critical component.
The ACT team verified the consistency and quality of data among the Program’s implementing agencies and other reporting institutions. The data reviewed included administrative data collected and reported by government entities and consulting firms contracted by the MCA-Georgia.
ACT conducted a quality review of the data generated by the MCA-Georgia, the GoG, and the MCA-Georgia’s consultants against data quality standards and criteria set out in the M&E Plan. The review covered two main aspects: indicators and baseline data used to develop program logic which are included in the MCA-Georgia’s indicator-tracking tables (monitoring indicators only); and verification of the data on school conditions and cost assessment.
Client: The United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
Funded by: European Neighborhood Program for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD)
Start: November 2016
End: October 2018
Country: Georgia
As part of its Rural Community Capacity Building Program, the UNDP supports rural citizens, and particularly AMAGs, to diversify their activities and switch from engaging in purely agriculture-focused activities to embrace some other activities that boost the rural economy in general.
The overall objective of the Project was to build community capacity and to enable individuals, groups and community activists in rural areas of Adjara to develop the confidence, understanding, and skills required to influence rural policy dialogue, and decision-making through established AMAGs. This was to include: enabling communities to provide and manage local actions to meet rural needs; and enabling communities to have a real influence in the planning, delivery, and quality of mainstream municipal services related to rural development, as well as specific initiatives such as those aimed at achieving six priority goals for the integrated rural development of Adjara.
The ACT team elaborated and delivered an interactive training program for members of AMAGs across Adjara, and, based on an open competition, then developed business plans regarding the initiation of local economic activities.
189 representatives of AMAGs were trained in:
The ACT team comprising business developers assisted individuals or groups of individuals representing AMAGs to devise business plans. Some of the initiatives were funded by the UNDP, and the AMAGs are still being supported in an effort to ensure sustainable rural development.