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Founded in 1988 as an independent, not-for-profit organization, the East-West Management Institute, Inc. (EWMI), promotes the rule of law, civil society and free market systems globally. EWMI provides training, technical expertise and grants to foster sustainable reforms in government, business and civil society. Working in partnership with grass roots groups, local governments and international organizations, EWMI combines legal, civic and economic initiatives to build just, prosperous and democratic societies. Click here to learn more about EWMI.

Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia - PROLoG Activity

On April 2, 2015, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a five-year Cooperative Agreement to a New York based not-for-profit organization, the East-West Management Institute (EWMI), to implement a new human rights and justice support program entitled Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia (PROLoG) Activity. The purpose of PROLoG is to strengthen the justice system to ensure due process, judicial independence, and the protection of human rights. The activity is designed to address key challenges in the rule of law sector and capitalize on opportunities for accelerated rule of law and justice sector reforms where there is political will and/or interest from civil society. PROLoG will strengthen the legal environment for the application of due process rights and improve their implementation.

PROLoG is structured around four sub-purposes:

Strengthen the legal framework relating to human rights and due process protections. Working with counterparts in the NGO community and at Parliament and the Ministry of Justice, as well as at other key governmental institutions, EWMI will help develop the legal and policy framework that will provide for a more independent judiciary and improved due process protections, further implement Georgia’s international and domestic human rights obligations, and improve access to justice for women and minorities.
Further improve the management of essential justice system institutions, such as the High Council of Justice (HCOJ), the High School of Justice (HSOJ), the courts, the Georgian Bar Association (GBA), and Legal Aid Services (LAS).
Enhance the capacity of Georgian legal professionals by further strengthening legal education at the university level by providing more practical skills training, and providing more opportunities for continuing legal education (CLE) for current judges and lawyers.
Improve access to justice for marginalized citizens, in particular women and ethnic and sexual minorities. This component will expend significant effort on regions beyond Tbilisi.

PROLoG will build on the successes of USAID’s prior rule of law program, the Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP), also implemented by EWMI, in particular by continuing cooperation with the government counterparts at the HCOJ, the HSOJ, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), and the LAS, as well as with a variety of non-governmental organizations, including all members of the Coalition for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary.

EWMI will work with the following sub-recipients to implement PROLoG: Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), Transparency International – Georgia (TI); the Caucasus Research and Resource Center (CRRC); the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC); LexisNexis; the Northwestern School of Law; and the Washburn University School of Law. EWMI will deliver grants to support additional actors working to protect human rights and promote the rule of law in Georgia.