Tolerance and Diversity Institute

Tolerance and Diversity Institute

FINALIZED PROJECTS

 

 

 

  • Enhancing access to justice for religious, ethnic minorities and migrants in Georgia, East-West Management Institute - USAID - Rule of Law Program

    Budget: USD 85 521 

  • TDI’s Institutional Support

    Donor: European Endowment for Democracy 

    Budget: EUR 38.364

  • Educating About Freedom of Religion or Belief for All in Georgia - implemented in partnership with the Norwegian Center for Human Rights, University of Oslo

Budget: NOK 220,000 

 

 

  • Enhancing inclusive and pluralistic coverage of national minorities in national media 

Donor: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)/HCNM 

Budget: Euro 44, 648 

 

  • Combatting discrimination on religious, ethnic, and racial grounds and awareness-raising about cultural diversity and tolerance in Georgia

The project aims to combat discrimination on religious, ethnic, and racial grounds through strategic litigation and advocacy and raise awareness about cultural diversity and tolerance in Georgia. 

Donor: European Endowment for Democracy (EED)

Budget: 77,025 EUR 

 

  • Images of Diversity: Promoting Tolerance and Non-Discrimination in Georgia

The Project Objectives: The project aims to raise public awareness about discrimination problems faced by religious and ethnic minorities, as well as foreign nationals residing in Georgia, and to empower representatives of minority groups through the online platform Images of Diversity. For public awareness purposes, TDI develops multimedia products, such as graphic videos, articles and other educational materials demonstrating the ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity of Georgia. Products are used for awareness-raising purposes at the presentations and events that the organization conducts in Tbilisi and regions.

Donor: USAID / PROLoG 

Project Budget: $23,517

 

  • Enhancing the Capacity and Knowledge of media on Migration 

The project aims to build media capacity and sensitize Georgian students of journalism about the issues related to the acceptance of foreign nationals, their social and political rights, provide background information about migrants and asylum seekers, and in general, culture and migration as a phenomenon.

Donor: International Organization for Migration (IOM) 

Project Budget: $24,828 

 

  • Combating Discrimination on Religious, Ethnic and Racial Grounds through Strategic Litigation

The project aims to combat discrimination on religious, ethnic, and racial grounds. TDI advocates freedom of religion and belief for all, protects the rights of discriminated religious organizations/individuals, ethnic minorities, and foreign nationals/migrants. The strategic advocacy and litigation include litigations at common courts, Constitutional Court, and ECtHR, advocacy with various government institutions, and the Parliament of Georgia. In the frame of the project, TDI prepares the Study of Racial Profiling in Georgia to identify the discriminatory police practices towards ethnic minorities and migrants. 

Donor: USAID / PROLoG 

Project budget: 62,727 USD

 

  • The Counternarratives of the Populist Groups in Georgia

The Project Objectives: The project aimed to produce the counter-narratives of the populist, xenophobic groups in Georgia and show the convergence between the modern human rights discourse and Georgian cultural traditions.

Donor: Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF)

Project Budget: $ 24,404

 

  • Awareness Raising of and about Migrants Rights in Georgia during COVID-19 

Donor: International Organization for Migration (IOM) 

Budget: $9,335

 

  • Promoting Interreligious Dialogue in Georgia

 TDI implemented the project Promoting Interreligious Dialogue in Georgia. 

Donor: United Nations Association of Georgia  

Project Budget: 31, 040 GEL 

 

  • Empowering Religious Minorities and Raising Awareness of State Representatives of Non-Discrimination, Freedom of Religion and Equality 

During August 2017 - June 2018 TDI implemented the project Empowering Religious Minorities and Raising Awareness of State Representatives of Non-Discrimination, Freedom of Religion and Equality. 

Donor: Embassy of the Netherlands in Tbilisi 

Project Budget: 41, 031 EUR

 

  • Study of Discrimination Issues and Promoting Culture of Tolerance at Universities

The study Student Attitudes Towards Minorities and the Role of Media was published within the project, public lectures on the tolerance topic were held in the universities of the six cities of Georgia (Telavi, Gori, Kutaisi, Batumi, Zugdidi, Akhaltsikhe)

Donor: Open Society Georgia Foundation

Project Budget:  29,481 USD

 

  • Combatting Religious, Ethnic, and Racial Discrimination in Georgia

TDI implemented the fourteen-month-long project Combatting Religious, Ethnic and Racial Discrimination in Georgia in the framework of East-West Management Institute’s (EWMI) project  Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia (PROLoG) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

TDI's partner organizations within the project: Georgian Muslims Union, Association Beteli under the auspices of Evangelical-Baptist Church, and the organization, Religions for Peace.

Objectives: The project aimed at protecting freedom of religion and belief, increasing access to justice for persons who experience religious, ethnic, and racial discrimination, eliminating the violation of their rights with discriminative grounds, and providing full legal aid (civil, administrative, and criminal) free of charge. The project ensured strategic litigation by using national (Constitutional Court) and International mechanisms (European Court of Human Rights).

Project Budget: 77,996 USD

 

  • International Tolerance Day Event in Tbilisi

Donor: The Embassy of the Netherlands in Tbilisi

Project Budget: 3,030 USD

 

  • Pre-election round-tables of religious minority organizations with political parties participating in the 2016 parliamentary elections 

Donor: USAID’s "Promoting Integration, Tolerance and Awareness Program [PITA], implemented by UNAG

Project Budget: 3,020 USD

 

  • Advancing Tolerance, Religious Freedom and Human Rights in Georgia

The Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI) started a joint project Advancing Tolerance, Religious Freedom and Human Rights in Georgia, together with the Georgian Democratic Initiative (GDI) and  Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC).  The project is funded by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Georgia and will be implemented within two years.

Project Budget (TDI component): 90,000 EUR

 

  • The Assessment of the Needs of Religious Minorities in Georgia

The study Assessment of the Needs of Religious Minorities in Georgia was conducted within the framework of the ‘Advancing National Integration in Georgia’ (ANI) project’s Small Grants Mechanism, implemented by the United Nations Association of Georgia (UNAG) and the Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF) with the financial support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

Project Budget: USD 10,000

Objectives: The objective of the project was to deliver comprehensive analyses of the needs of religious minorities in Georgia. The scope of work envisaged conducting a qualitative research in the field and providing key stakeholders with relevant recommendations.

Results: Up to 70 representatives of 33 religious organizations were interviewed and their needs were identified; specific recommendations were elaborated to the state institutions; the study was published and covered in media.

 

  • Study of Constitutional Secularism and Religious Discrimination in Georgia  

The project was implemented by the Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI) in the framework of The East-West Management Institute’s (EWMI) Policy, Advocacy, and Civil Society Development in Georgia (G-PAC) Program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 

Project Budget: USD 14,965

Objectives: Support the protection of rights of religious minorities and combat discrimination on religious grounds; spark public dialogue about necessity of entrenching religious neutrality and supporting the formation of the secular state; facilitate relevant policy changes.
For the above-mentioned purposes, the study provided:  1) a review of religiously motivated offenses; 2) an analysis of the existing legislative framework and state practice regarding freedom of religion in Georgia; 3) an assessment of politicians' rhetoric in the perspective of observing secular principles.

Results:

1. Comprehensive study of state policy and legislation regarding freedom of religion in Georgia published.
2. Relevant State authorities, and local and international organizations informed about the findings of the research. 
3. Specific recommendations elaborated for respective state and public institutions in the field of freedom of religion. Meetings and discussions organized with the representatives of the Main Prosecutor’s Office, the Civil and Supreme Court of Georgia, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

 

  • The Practice of the Funding of the Religious Organizations by the Central and Local government  ​

The purpose of the joint research by the Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI) and Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) was to show the practice of funding of religious organizations by the State. The research presents the scope and aim of financial resources and other tangible benefits transferred from the state to religious associations, also from the state budget, the President’s and government’s reserve funds as well as the budget of the municipality in the period of 2013-2014.  

The study was conducted with own resources of the organizations.

 

  • Images of Diversity: Promoting Tolerance and Non-Discrimination in Georgia

The project Objectives: The project aims to raise public awareness about discrimination problems faced by religious and ethnic minorities, as well as foreign nationals residing in Georgia, and to empower representatives of minority groups through the online platform Images of Diversity. For public awareness purposes, TDI develops multimedia products, such as graphic videos, articles, and other educational materials demonstrating the ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity of Georgia. Products are used for awareness-raising purposes at the presentations and events that the organization conducts in Tbilisi and regions.

Donor: USAID / PROLoG 

Project Budget: $67,118

 

  • Combating Discrimination on Religious, Ethnic and Racial grounds

Since May 2017, TDI has been implementing the eighteen-month project Combatting Religious, Ethnic and Racial Discrimination in Georgia in the framework of East-West Management Institute's (EWMI) project Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia (PROLoG) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). 

Objectives: The project aimed at protecting freedom of religion and belief, increasing access to justice for persons who experience religious, ethnic, and racial discrimination, eliminating the violation of their rights with discriminative grounds, and providing full legal aid (civil, administrative, and criminal) free of charge. The project ensured strategic litigation by using national (Constitutional Court) and International mechanisms (European Court of Human Rights).

Project Budget: 132,388 USD 

 

  • Images of Diversity: Promoting Tolerance and Non-Discrimination in Georgia

The project Objectives: The project aims to raise public awareness about discrimination problems faced by religious and ethnic minorities, as well as foreign nationals residing in Georgia, and to empower representatives of minority groups through the online platform Images of Diversity. For the public awareness purposes, TDI develops multimedia products, such as graphic videos, articles and other educational materials demonstrating the ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity of Georgia. Products are used for awareness-raising purposes at the presentations and events that the organization conducts in Tbilisi and regions.

Donor: USAID / PROLoG 

Project Budget: $29,236

 

  • A small grant supported by "I Choose Equality"  that is part of the Council of Europe project "Fighting Discrimination, Hate Crime and Hate Speech in Georgia".

Donor: Council of Europe

Project budget: 8, 285 Euros

 

  • Fostering Religious Tolerance and Cultural Diversity in Public Schools of Georgia

​The project aimed to foster religious tolerance and cultural diversity in public schools of Georgia. The main activities of the project included training 150 public school teachers/directors/administration, revision of public school textbooks (grades: 7, 8, 9), and developing recommendations for the authors and publishers. Within the framework of the project, various guidelines and teaching materials have been prepared for teachers, scholars, authors, publishers, and media. 

Donor: Embassy of the Netherlands in Tbilisi 

Project Budget: 456,110 GEL