Georgia is a small country endowed with valuable natural assets, magnificent landscapes, abundant water resources, rich habitats, and pristine ecosystems that are of regional and global importance. Many areas need attention and actions that should go beyond traditional environmental mainstreaming.

As for Georgia’s environmental legal framework is well developed and covers key aspects of environmental protection legislation. In conjunction with the provisions of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement, Georgia has started to harmonize the legal basis concerning environmental management and, most important, to integrate environmental concerns into other policy areas

A new Forest Law is being developed, translating the policy approach provided in the recently adopted National Forestry Program. The Law on Water Resources Management, also currently in development, is expected to provide the basis for sustainable watershed management. The Waste Code, which has been in effect since January 2015, defines the responsibilities of various institutions and entities for waste management.

Given the amount of environmental problems in Georgia, budget resources fall short of what is needed to combat environmental degradation. Current strategies and policies need a greater focus on the estimation of benefits (such as health benefits, productivity benefits, and amenity benefits). This would increase the possibility of targeted use of budget resources to neutralize the negative consequences on human health, especially when public resources are in high demand by various sectors.

During the past decade, Georgia’s pursuit of economic reforms led to impressive economic growth, capital inflow, and investments. It helped improve the business environment and infrastructure, strengthened public finances, and liberalized trade. Georgia achieved most of the human development targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This progress did not result, however, in improved environmental governance or better management of natural resources. Nowadays, environmental policies are receiving increasing attention from Georgian policy and decision makers, recognizing that sustainable development is about a profound change of policies that drive systemic transformation of production, consumption, and behavioral patterns. The list of the country’s environmental challenges is long. Current policies and instruments lack the rigor to effectively reduce pressures on natural assets and protect public health from poor environmental quality. Georgia does not have a comprehensive assessment of the cost of inaction to environmental degradation linking it to economic growth, poverty, and shared prosperity. This is a central issue on which the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) is focused. The main objective of the CEA is to assist the government, civil society, and development partners of Georgia in identifying and analyzing critical environmental constraints to sustainable growth and shared prosperity. Georgia’s Country Partnership Strategy for 2014-2017 points to lagging public policies on protecting the environment and natural resources, against impressive economic growth. It further highlights several areas needing attention, such as air and water quality, waste management, land and landscape management, and nature resource use and protection.

Author:  Kulishvili Tinatini

10.08.2016 Georgia/Tbilisi