Georgian Parliament Speaker: new grant system will make donors seek approval, not NGOs
Politics
Shalva Papuashvili
Photo: Parliament of Georgia
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday said that proposed amendments to Georgia’s law on grants would introduce a new system requiring donors - not NGOs - to seek Government approval before issuing a grant.
In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that the change was aimed at enhancing transparency and ensuring that foreign funding aligned with the interests of the Georgian people.
He further claimed that many donors were acting irresponsibly.
“Unfortunately, there are many irresponsible donors with whom we’ve been speaking for months and even years, urging them to act responsibly. Yet we see them disburse funds, which are then used to promote Molotov cocktails, carry out fascist campaigns, and commit acts of violence. When we question the donors about this, they wash their hands of it, as though it’s not their responsibility. This cannot and must not continue”, the Speaker said.
“They are spending the money of their own citizens and must act responsibly. They harm the interests of our society when they fund things like the promotion of Molotov cocktails and similar activities”, he continued.
Papuashvili emphasised that the new system would ensure transparency and public oversight.
“There will be a system in place where it is the donor - not the NGO - which must obtain consent. This consent will not be for receiving a grant, but for issuing it”, the Speaker added.
Papuashvili believes this change will ensure that the process is fully transparent for citizens, allowing everyone to know what funds are circulating and what projects are being financed.
“Furthermore, it will be ensured that this happens in the interests of the Georgian people and not in the interests of the Estonian government, or any other country's interests. We are citizens of Georgia, and everything should be in our interests, and not in the interests of other peoples and their political agendas, which, unfortunately, is the case in some instances”, he concluded.
