Association 'Woman and Development' was founded in 2004 in Georgia by local activists to defend the rights of women and girls.
The organisation’s primary activities include developing social enterprises for socially and economically disadvantaged women, camps that promote healthy lifestyles, participation in sports, and reduction of domestic violence and early marriage in young girls. The organisation is active in awareness campaigns to educate the public on a wide variety of issues facing women and girls in Georgia. They also work with local government to increase transparency and equal gender representation.
Women, peace and security is one of the organisation’s major work components.
Through its work, association 'Woman and Development' aims at promoting peace, justice and nonviolent values, forming an environment necessary for peaceful coexistence, developing women-led peace policies, leading peace dialogues, involving women actively in peace-building processes, expanding peacebuilding capacities in local communities and forming new strategies of reconciliation and tolerance in Shida Kartli, Georgia.
To achieve these strategies the organisation implements the following initiatives:
- It has initiated a rally of women peacebuilders, which is aimed at the speeding up of peace processes and supporting the mechanisms of international human rights protection and reconciliation, defined in resolutions of UNHCR, CEDAW and in UN SC Resolution 1325;
- The organisation carries out training and workshops for women peacemakers in Shida Kartli, in order to improve skills necessary for their active involvement in peacebuilding processes and networks;
- It organises discussions of peacebuilding organisations, members of parliament, journalists, military experts, lawyers and women activists to share experiences and develop strategies for sustainable peace in Shida Kartli, Georgia.
