On February 9, 2024, the Mediators Association of Georgia (MAG), with the support of the USAID Rule of Law Program (Program), organized a meeting in Sagarejo and provided information about mediation and its advantages to the local population. The Network of Centers for Civic Engagement (NCCE)’s Sagarejo office partnered with MAG to organize this event. 

Tamar Imnaishvili, the Executive Director of MAG, and Irakli Gelovani, ADR Advisor for the Program, led the meeting. They gave an overview of mediation and its main principles, explained the types of cases suitable for mediation, the stages of mediation, duration of the mediation process, how to select a mediator and the difference between court-annexed and private mediation.

Thirty local teachers, lawyers, social workers, psychologists, representatives of NGOs, and local government attended the meeting and asked questions.  They asked such questions as, how can one become a mediator, how many mediators are there in Georgia, who pays for mediation services, are there special mediators who are licensed to work on issues related to children, what is the role of a lawyer in a mediation process, and how actively is mediation used in Georgia and for what category of cases.

At the end of the meeting, some of the participants expressed interest in becoming mediators. Overall, the meeting increased awareness among the local population of Sagarejo about the concept and benefits of mediation.