Duration: January 2021 – December 2022

Donor: Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC)

Target Area: 4 communities of Georgia: Zugdidi and Tsalenjikha municipalities (Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region); Gori municipality (Shida Kartli region) and Bolnisi municipality (Kvemo Kartli region)

Target Group: Female and male youth (age 14-29) from IDP compact settlements, communities along the ABL, ethnic minority groups, as well as local government representatives and other local leaders.

 

Youth Voices for Peace is a 2-years project funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) with funds of Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) and is being implemented by CARE Caucasus and its local partner IDP Women Association Consent in close collaboration with CARE Austria.

 

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to more peaceful, inclusive, cohesive, and equal society in Georgia by strengthening the participation of female and male youth (age 14-29) in local decision-making and peacebuilding processes. In particular, it seeks to achieve that female and male youth have the capacities to become active members of their communities and stakeholders in decision-making, and to contribute to making local-level decision-making processes more inclusive and responsive to the needs and human security concerns of marginalized female and male youth. The project applies CARE’s gender transformative approach, which addresses women and youth empowerment at the agency, relations, and structural levels.

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The project anticipates to directly engage in capacity building, participatory processes and community initiatives at least 450 female and male youth (age 14-29) from the four communities and indirectly benefit 5,500 female and male members of their communities through public dialogue and awareness-raising activities.

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To achieve the defined goal, CARE and Consent apply the following intervention strategy:

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1. Increase the capacities of over 450 female and male youth to identify and articulate their human security concerns with their communities and decision-makers at the local level;

2. Promote the awareness among the target community members and wider community about the potential and role of female and male youth as change agents in building a peaceful and equal society;

3. Engage local and national decision-makers as champions for more participatory and inclusive decision-making processes that consider the needs and concerns of female and male youth.

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The project is closely coordinating its response with central, regional, and local authorities, different programs and governmental and non-governmental actors, inter-agency bodies, and private sector representatives to ensure that the action is fully in line with wider national or regional strategies.

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The project supports the objectives of the European Union Gender Action Plan (GAP) II, in particular, objectives 17, 18, 19, and 20 on women and girls’ increased participation in decision-making processes. The project will specifically contribute to SDG 5 on gender equality and SDG 16 related to peaceful and inclusive societies.