Georgian Environment Minister meets UNDP Regional Director in Yerevan

Georgia’s Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Davit Songhulashvili, met with Ivana Živković, UNDP Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, in Yerevan on the sidelines of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17).

The meeting focused on cooperation priorities between Georgia and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), ongoing programs on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and the regional geoparks initiative.

“UNDP is an important partner for Georgia in implementing environmental protection and sustainable development priorities. Particular attention during the meeting was paid to the regional geoparks initiative, which creates new opportunities for cooperation among Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. We are ready to continue working with our partners on shared priorities and contribute to achieving our common goals,” Songhulashvili said.

The participants also discussed a program on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, supported by UNDP and the Green Climate Fund and implemented with the involvement of the governments of Switzerland and Georgia.

The program covers 100 high-risk communities across 11 river basins. It aims to strengthen climate resilience, improve disaster risk management, and develop early warning and climate information systems.

The meeting was attended by Georgia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia, Giorgi Sharvashidze; Davit Chitaishvili, Head of the Department of International Relations and European Integration; and Liana Giorgadze, Head of the Biodiversity Policy Department.