USAID SURVEY REVEALS POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARD NATIONAL

UNCLAS TBILISI 002074 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM GG SUBJECT: USAID SURVEY REVEALS POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARD NATIONAL INTEGRATION IN GEORGIA ¶1. Summary: On July 19, the USAID-funded National Integration and Tolerance in Georgia (NITG) program implemented by the UN Association of Georgia (UNAG) (http://www.una.ge/eng/) presented the results of a survey of national minorities in Georgia. The survey revealed that the overwhelming majority of ethnic Azeri and Armenian minorities consider Georgia their homeland sharing a strong sense of identification with Georgia among ethnic minorities. However, a lack of Georgian language skills among ethnic minorities was identified as an ongoing challenge to integration. End summary. ¶2. The survey was based on interviews with 2,400 people throughout the country, monthly media monitoring, desk research, and focus group meetings. The purpose of the survey was to inform the Government of Georgia (GoG) as it prepares to draft a strategy and action plan for national integration and tolerance in Georgia. The research will also constitute a baseline for measuring the impact of the NITG program and the government's integration policies. The research results highlighted attitudes on ethnic diversity and integration issues among minority groups in Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli, as well across the Georgian population nationwide. Freedom House - Europe assisted UNAG to develop the research methodology and contributed to the survey report. ¶3. National Minorities View Georgia as Homeland: The NITG survey results revealed that the overwhelming majority of national or ethnic minorities in southern Georgia consider the country to be their homeland. In the predominantly ethnic Azeri region of Kvemo Kartli, 98% of non-ethnic Georgian respondents considered Georgia to be their homeland. In the predominantly ethnic Armenian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti, 80% of non-ethnic Georgian respondents considered Georgia to be their homeland. Given the long history of political, economic, and social isolation of these regions from the rest of Georgia, the results show a reassuringly strong sense of identification with Georgia among ethnic minorities. ¶4. The survey also explored voter participation in the October 2006 Local Government Elections and revealed that ethnic minority respondents registered high levels of voter participation in the elections. In Kvemo Kartli, 76% of respondents said they voted in the elections. In Samtskhe-Javakheti, 81% of respondents said they �00A;voted in the elections. These figures imply a high level of confidence in democratic processes in these regions. Attitudes toward ethnic minorities among Georgian citizens in general were also shown to be positive. When asked whether minority rights should be protected in Georgia, 91% of respondents nationwide responded positively. ¶5. Considerable Challenges Remain: While clarifying positive attitudes, the survey data also revealed numerous ongoing challenges facing ethnic minorities in Georgia, including geographic isolation, low levels of Georgian language proficiency, limited language accessible media availability, and poor levels of political representation by minorities. The USG and GOG are actively working to eliminate the physical isolation of ethnic Azeri and Armenian communities. The Millennium Challenge Corporation program in Georgia includes a project to construct a road from Tbilisi to a major city in the minority ethnic Armenian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti, and the GOG is investing considerable sums in road infrastructure improvement projects in both the ethnically Azeri Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti regions. ¶6. The low levels of Georgian language skills among ethnic minorities were highlighted in the survey results. Among non-Georgian residents in Kvemo Kartli, 83% of respondents did not speak Georgian. Among non-Georgian residents in Samtskhe-Javakheti, 75% of respondents did not speak Georgian. As Georgian is the official language, the low level of proficiency in Georgian among ethnic minorities is a clear challenge to integration into Georgian society which acts as a disincentive to travel and commerce. ¶7. The survey also revealed numerous other challenges, including access to local media, with over 40% of respondents in both Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti viewing Azeri and Armenian TV; unemployment; and low levels of political representation of minorities' communities in Tbilisi. (Note: Recently passed legislation requires politicians to be able to speak Georgian to hold office. End note.) ¶8. Conclusion: The NITG survey shows that Georgia is making progress toward greater integration of its ethnic minorities. Ethnic Azeris and Armenians, two of Georgia's traditionally most isolated ethnic minority groups, overwhelmingly identify with Georgia as their homeland. Furthermore, the USG and GOG are taking dramatic steps to advance the physical integration of these regions through large scale road infrastructure projects. That said, the survey results also show that challenges remain, including low levels of Georgian language skills, poor access to local media, unemployment, and under-representation in the government. PERRY