Social Event 1

Drafter: Ekaterine Lomidze – Social Events Manager
Type of event: Dr. Warner´s Public Lecture “The Role of Small States in International Relations” and Reception
Date, Location, Length: 16/03/10, GFSIS office, Chitadze str.# 3a, 2 Hours
Description of event: The AC-GE in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Centre for International Governance of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva-Switzerland, in cooperation with the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies organized Dr. Warner’s Public lecture. It was followed by a reception. Before the lecture the President of the Georgian Foundation For Strategic and International Studies Dr. Alexander Rondeli introduced Dr. Warner to the audience and once again welcomed him at GFSIS. Dr. Warner delivered a very interesting lecture about the Geopolitical role of small states. He spoke about transnational issues from 1989 until 2001 such as: climate changes, pandemic, terrorism, health, etc. The most interesting part of the lecture was about Switzerland, portrayed as an example of very successful small state in the international arena. The country is surrounded by three large countries: France, Germany and Italy and has no natural resources. Dr. Warner described three options for small countries to succeed: 1. If the country borders large countries, the small country should declare neutrality; 2. To cooperate with large neighboring state; 3. To form alliances with neighboring states. To this end, the following questions were raised: what the small state can offer to the world community and to the larger states? How Georgia can be attractive for the neighbors and how to make those interested to protect Georgia and ensure its security? Dr. Warner mentioned that small states like Georgia might develop physical, material, moral position or intellectual, entrepreneurial, philosophical/religious capacities to enjoy a strong positions and establish authority within the wider region. Dr Warner mentioned that hard work, desire to have a respectable place in the world arena made the Confederation the country we know nowadays. He also mentioned that Georgia should find its niche within its larger neighbors to make them vitally interested to cooperate and work jointly, and thus avoid problems in the future.
Purpose: The lecture as always was very interesting and the participants could listen to the expert’s views about small states’ opportunities and challenges in the International Realm. Usually these kinds of lectures are very beneficial for people working on international issues. Dr. Warner’s provided lecture was interactive and interesting. The participants had a great opportunity to listen to the skilled professional. Additionally, the reception provided a good possibility to continue the discussion and exchange views among participants.
Total number of participants: 35
CABIR Alumni: 25
International Organizations: 3
Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies: 2
Experts:1
Students: 4

Social Event 2

Drafter: Ekaterine Lomidze – Social Events Manager
Type of event: Reception for CABIR 18 course
Date, Location, Length : 06/05/2010, Restaurant “ MARCO POLO ”, # 44 Rustaveli Ave., 2.5 hours
Description of event: CABIR Alumni Council (AC) Georgia organized a Reception for the new Alumni of CABIR 18 . CABIR 18 was held in Tbilisi. It focused on “International Trade Policy and the World Trade Organization”. It lasted from 25 April to 7 May 2010. 10 Azeri and 8 Georgian Public Servants participated to the above mentioned training.
AC Georgia had the great honor to invite CABIR 18 participants and former CABIR Alumni to a reception. Dr. Warner, Director of the Center for International Governance (CIG) of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (GIIDS) welcomed the new Alumni and congratulate them for joining the Alumni Network. Dr. Warner also passed the floor to Ekaterine Lomidze, Social Events Manager, who expressed her gratitude to all participants for attending the event and welcomed the new alumni into CABIR family.
The Reception was a good opportunity to meet and to talk about Alumni’s experience and to exchange information. The reception was also attended by Mr. Shovgi Mehdizade, Deputy Ambassador –Embassy of Azerbaijan in Georgia (former AC Azerbaijan Director) and by CABIR National Regional Coordinator Ms. Keti Dolidze. Alumni shared their views about the useful and interesting CABIR training they attended. AC members informed the new Alumni about AC activities and future CABIR plans and programs including Leadership Award and Train the Trainers modules . Most of them expressed their willingness for future active participation in every project and event.
Purpose: This event was organized especially for CABIR 18 participants with a view to meet the CABIR Alumni. It was a good opportunity for the new Alumni to meet with current and former CABIR Alumni It is a tradition for the AC to organize the reception for the new Alumni. This helps to strengthen interpersonal relations and to stimulate their interest in participating in future AC events. Also it should be mentioned that Dr. Warner's visit in Tbilisi is always a very memorable event for the Alumni. He pays great attention for each Alumni carrier and appreciates their successes. CABIR Network is a good forum to exchange new ideas and increase business and personal relationships between new participants and Alumni.
Total number of participants: 47
AC Members : 4
CABIR Alumni: 39
CIG/GIIDS: 2
National Regional Coordinator : 1
Diplomatic Missions: 1

Social Event 3

Ekaterine Lomidze – Social Events Manager
Type of event: Reunion of CABIR 18 participants
Date, Location, Length; 30/05/10, Café Paris, Kostava St. 44, Tbilisi, 3 Hours
Description of event: The Alumni Council (AC) Georgia sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and in collaboration with the Centre for International Governance of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva-Switzerland, organized a Reunion for the new CABIR 18 alumni. This course, CABIR 18, on “International Trade Policy and the World Trade Organization” was held in Tbilisi, Georgia from 25 April to 7 May. In total eighteen government officials attended the course, of which eight Georgian and ten Azeri It is the praxis that following a course the ACs organizes a welcome event for the new Alumni. This time was not exception. It’s always a good opportunity for the Alumni to meet the AC members and share experiences. The AC Director introduced the AC and its managers’ work, its structure, general activities, future plans; and CABIR’s main goals . They were also briefed by Keti Dolidze, CABIR National Regional Coordinator on the various components of CABIR, including : Train the Trainers and the Swiss Leadership Award,. During the meeting Ms. Lomidze, proposed to organize the visit to the disabled children house in Kakheti Region-Gremi. The event was jointly agreed and scheduled on 13 June. The new alumni expressed their willingness not only to participate but also to privately contribute in kind. . It should be mentioned that during the Alumni meeting at the “Dinamo” stadium was ongoing the football match between Switzerland and Georgia young football teams. This was a symbolic coincidence! The meeting was very interactive. The new Alumni expressed their interest in the AC activities and underlined their willingness to actively participate to the events. The AC members shared their experiences about CABIR project and highly recommended the new Alumni to apply for the up coming programs.
Purpose: This event was organized especially for CABIR 18 participants with a view to meet the AC members. It was a good opportunity for the new Alumni to meet with each other and with the AC members as well as with CABIR National Regional Coordinator. and to learn more about CABIR’s project and discuss future AC events and plans. Such kind of events is always very beneficial for the AC and the new Alumni to strengthen interpersonal relations and to stimulate their interest in participating in future AC events.
Number of Participants: 8 Participants
New Alumni: 5
Members of Alumni Council: 2
Cabir Regional Coordinator : 1

Social Event 4

Drafter: Ekaterine Lomidze – Social Event Manager
Type of event: Visiting Temi Special Needs Home, Gremi, Kakheti
Date, Location, Length: 20/06/10, Temi Special Needs Home, Gremi, Kakheti , 2 Hours
Description of event: The Alumni Council Georgia in cooperation with the Temi Special Needs Home in Gremi, Kakheti organized the charity event for disabled children. “Temi” in Georgian language means community. The above mentioned community was founded by a very kind person Mr. Nika Kvashali, who is a qualified architect and currently the President of Temi Charitable Union. As we were informed Mr. Nika Kvashali (Children call him Nika Papa- Papa means grand father in Georgian language) sold all his property in Tbilisi to buy a house in Gremi, Kakheti, and dedicated the rest of his life to those vulnerable people who are now living in Temi. This is really very unique community for Georgian reality. A sustainable community of people, including the socially vulnerable people, who have an opportunity to realize themselves as individuals and as a group, living together safely with dignity and respect for themselves, other human beings and living creatures, and the environment. Some of them who have a possibility to work physically, together with volunteers, are involved in different kind of work such as: Temi construction, Organic farming (vineyard digging, weeding, sowing, planting, harvesting), taking care of the cows, chickens and the bees, wood workshop, helping in kitchen, laundry, etc. The Alumni Council Georgia with the financial support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and in collaboration with the Centre for International Governance of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva-Switzerland which sponsored such a meaningful event took this opportunity to visit the above mentioned Temi Community. Children expressed their happiness from the very beginning of the Alumni arrival in Temi. The host was also Mrs. Nato Mosiashvili, who leaves with her family in Temi and is a member of the management board of Temi and takes care of organizational issues of the Community. She invited us to see old and new buildings, the new were built with financial contributions of the United States, the European Community and, Humanitarian Assistance Program an. The new building is really nice with a very comfortable environment. We visited the classes, bedrooms, bathrooms, dining rooms and it can be stated that children enjoy very good leaving conditions , studing and working and have a great opportunity for their future development. Temi encourages learning for all residents and tries to incorporate education into all facets of daily life. This often takes the form of learning practical skills, such as cooking, agriculture and carpentry. However, teaching the basic school curriculum is also available , as well as music, arts and foreign languages teaching. Disabled children enjoy special care, which is financed by the Georgian Government. In particular, babysitters, take special care of them. Alumni also visited the vineyard and the kitchen garden of Temi. After the brief excursion , the Alumni and children were invited into the classroom were Ms. Lomidze, Social Events Manager expressed her gratitude to all the participants for their participation and support, and thanked Temi children for their warm hospitality . She briefly introduced CABIR project and the AC activities. Finally, on behalf of the Alumni, she promised to continue cooperation and friendship with Temi team and children. After that Mrs. Nato invited the audience to watch a documentary about Temi. The film was very interesting and informative. At the end of the film there was a storm of applause. Alumni were invited for stand up meal, were they tasted Temi produced red wine, hot bread, which was cooked especially for gests and also very delicious Georgian cheese. The visit was very emotional and very productive. Alumni had a great chance to see how Temi children are leaving, what kind of problems they have.. According to their requirements Alumni brought them food supply (spaghetti, sugar, butter, oil, mushroom conserves, beef conserves, frozen chicken), hygienic items (shampoos, soaps, wet handkerchiefs, pampers) and clothes (socks for girls and boys, t-shirts , underwear, shorts, trousers, jackets and etc). It should be mentioned that most of those presents were donated by Alumni , who showed their great affection to those vulnerable people.
Purpose: This event was organized especially for those vulnerable people who need our care and attention. As we already mentioned, for this charity event each Alumni brought their own contributions, in addition to CABIR financial contribution, it was a very meaningful gesture from the Alumni. All participants, especially the children, were very happy to be acquainted with new friends. The charity event “Visiting Temi Special Needs Home in Gremi” was very successfully implemented by the AC Georgia and it was a continuation of the traditional charity events organized on 1 June –International Children’s Day. Those who are interested to get more information about Temi Community can visit their website: www.temi-community.org
Total number of participants: 52
Alumni: 15
Alumni Council Members: 2
Temi representatives: 35

Social Event 5

Drafter: Ekaterine Lomidze – Social Event Manager
Type of event: Dr. Warner´s Public Lecture “The Concept of Human Security: Global context and regional implications”, and Alumni Reunion
Date, Location, Length: 08/09/10; GFSIS office, Chitadze str.# 3a, 2 Hours
Description of event: The AC-GE in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Centre for International Governance of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva-Switzerland, in cooperation with the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies organized Dr. Warner’s Public lecture “The Concept of Human Security: Global context and regional implications”. It was followed by the CABIR Alumni Reunion. Before the lecture Dr. Warner introduced to the audience and welcomed the new Swiss Ambassador to Georgia, H.E. Mr. Günther Baechler.
Dr. Warner delivered a very interesting lecture about the concept of Human Security in the global context and its regional implications. He explained the notion of State Security and Human Security. Dr. Warner emphasized how states have rights and obligations, what is the role of the International Community, and the importance of a functional government in order to protect the state and individual rights. He mentioned the lack of human security in failed states or even cities and districts, He mentioned that lately international governmental organizations and international security organizations are involved to protect individual rights. Good governance is not simple and to become independent is not easy, States should not rely only on international humanitarian organizations. As it was mentioned the lecture was followed by CABIR Alumni Reunion. It gave to Alumni a great opportunity to meet with the new Ambassador of Switzerland in Georgia.
Purpose: Dr. Warner’s public lecture as always was very interesting and interactive. Alumni Council Georgia continue to organize such kind of events which are beneficial for CABIR alumni and for the public at large . As always participants had a great opportunity to listen to the skilled professional. Additionally the reception provided a good forum to continue the discussion and exchange views among the participants.
Total number of participants: 53
/CABIR Alumni: 35
International Organizations: 3
Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies: 2
NGOs: 5
Experts:2
Students: 6

Social Event 6

Ekaterine Lomidze – Social Events Manager

Type of event: Reunion of CABIR 19 participants
Date, Location, Length; 26/10/10, People's Cafe & Restaurant, 10 Galaktion Tabidze St.Tbilisi, 2 Hours
Description of event: The Alumni Council (AC) Georgia sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and in collaboration with the Centre for International Governance of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva-Switzerland organized a Reunion for the new alumni of CABIR 19. This year the course CABIR 19 on “International Human Rights Law and Environmental Law ” was held in Yerevan, Armenia from 26 September to 8 October. In total eighteen participants attended the course, of which five were Georgian public servants and thirteen Armenian. This was the second course for the year held within CABIR project. Traditionally the ACs following each course organizes a welcome event for the new Alumni and this time was not exception. It’s always a good opportunity for the new Alumni to meet the AC members and to share with them experiences. The Social Events Manager Ms. Lomidze welcomed the new Alumni into the CABIR family and expressed her gratitude for their interest and attendance. AC Director introduced the AC and its managers’ work, its structure, general activities and future plans. The new Alumni also received information about the main goals of CABIR, as well as, about the Train the Trainer initiative and the Swiss Leadership Award by Ms.Lomidze. The Municipality events Manager Ms. Labadze also introduced her working experience with CABIR and invited all of them to the next municipality event. During the meeting t with the new Alumni many interesting future potential initiatives were mentioned such as: Alumni cultural events . The new Alumni also expressed their willingness to actively participate in the next AC charity event scheduled during Christmas time. The new Alumni expressed their interest in the AC activities and underlined their willingness to actively participate in the events organized by the AC. The AC members shared their experiences about CABIR project and warmly invited the new Alumni to be involved in any of the CABIR related initiatives .
Purpose: Theevent was organized with a view to welcome CABIR 19 participants into the AC. . As always, it was a good opportunity for the new Alumni to meet with each other and with the AC members and to receive more information about the new Alumni’s expectations, and to discuss future AC events and plans. The reunion was a good chance to establish new relations and to strengthen interpersonal relations. The event was a good example of CABIR networking capacity.
Number of Participants: 8 Participants
New Alumni: 5
Members of Alumni Council: 3