The USAID Rule of Law Program joins hands with the Mediators Association of Georgia (MAG) to introduce mediation and its benefits to a wider public in Georgia.

On February 17, 2023, MAG kicked off an awareness-raising campaign in Rustavi. The event, held at the Network of Centers for Civic Engagement Rustavi office, included teachers, lawyers, representatives of local CSOs, and academia.

The discussion was led by MAG Chairman Irakli Kandashvili USAID Rule of Law Program ADR Advisor Sophie Tkemaladze, and Rustavi-based mediator Liana Charkviani. Thirty local influencers and potential users of mediation heard an overview of mediation, its benefits, the types of disputes for which mediation is appropriate, the costs associated with mediation, and how can people seek the engagement of a mediator. They shared specific examples of cases that have been mediated, as well as the caseload and settlement statistics of court-annexed centers.

The audience expressed their appreciation of this method of dispute resolution and were particularly interested in the extent to which mediators are available locally in different parts of Georgia, who those mediators are, and how can one become a mediator. Representatives of local CSOs expressed their interest in holding such meetings with their beneficiaries. The next such meeting will be held in Kutaisi in March 2023.