Annex 4. Stakeholder Engagement Plan

Stakeholder Engagement Plan

© CENN -2017

Project Stakeholder Engagement Plan

Optimising the Potential of Local Assets for Rural Development of Keda Municipality

7/20/2017

This document is a Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) describing the planned stakeholder engagement process to be implemented within the framework of the project Optimising the Potential of Local Assets for Rural Development of Keda Municipality.

Stakeholder Engagement Plan

© CENN -2017

Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3

Brief information about the project .............................................................................................................. 3

Who are stakeholders? ................................................................................................................................. 4

Commitment to stakeholder engagement .................................................................................................... 5

Engagement principles .................................................................................................................................. 5

Project stakeholders ...................................................................................................................................... 5

State authorities linked to rural development .............................................................................................. 6

Regional Level Authorities ......................................................................................................................... 8

Local Level Authorities .............................................................................................................................. 8

Identifying, categorizing, and prioritizing stakeholders .............................................................................. 10

Stakeholder engagement mechanisms ....................................................................................................... 10

Stakeholder Engagement Plan

© CENN -2017

Introduction

Active participation of all interested parties in rural development is an important process that can make a significant contribution to effective implementation of the strategy’s objectives and achieving sustainable outcomes. Special emphasis will be given to raising awareness and inclusion of the local population, as well as the private sector and civil society, to allow them to express their interest and raise topics that are important to them. This process allows for a ‘bottom up’ approach, and ensures the deepening of social education, trust, and mutual understanding. Accordingly, mechanisms for stakeholder engagement will be established.

This stakeholder engagement plan outlines the project’s approach to communicating and working with stakeholders and:

Identifies a range of organizations/groups that might be regarded as project stakeholders;

Identifies strategies for engaging with each type of stakeholder, including both providing information about the project and opportunities for stakeholders to express their views.

Engagement is an integral part of the project.

Brief information about the project

Project objectives:

The overall objective of the action is to reduce poverty in Georgia via addressing the economic, social and environmental concerns of rural areas, making use of local potential for sustainable and inclusive growth, and promoting rural development at a national level.

The specific objective of the action is to diversify local economic activities, fostering investment and empowering competitive agricultural and environmental practices in Keda Municipality via bottom-up strategic planning of rural development.

The project aims to catalyse existing preconditions for growth and optimize the potential of local assets to diversify the rural economy in Keda Municipality.

Target and beneficiary groups:

Community institutions of Keda Municipality, local communities, local authorities, regional authorities, farmers, enterprises, tourist service providers, educational institutions and youth, tourists and visitors, media organizations at local and regional levels.

The project will be implemented by CENN in partnership with three co-applicants:

• The Austrian Institute for Spatial Planning (ÖIR) • The Centre for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG) • The Institute of Democracy (IoD), which is based in Adjara • The Georgian Farmers Association (GFA) will be an associate member of the project.

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Project activities:

Activity 1: Establishment and capacity building of the Keda Local Action Group (LAG) (involving AMAGs) and community based institutions, raising awareness on the EU’s rural development approaches, institutional building of the Keda LAG, linking and networking with other LAGs nationwide.

Activity 2: Participatory Development of Gender and Youth Sensitive Keda Rural Development Strategy (RDS), development of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tools for implementation of the Keda RDS, approval of the Keda RDS by the relevant state authorities of Adjara.

Activity 3: Implementation of innovative projects (through sub-grants under the strategy) to foster economic and investment opportunities and inclusive rural growth, and improve the well-being of rural communities: identification of sustainable projects generating new employment opportunities, financing and implementation of innovative projects, participatory development of Keda Marketing and Communication Strategy, Invest in KEDA - active media outreach and marketing campaign, organization of the Keda business forum, Keda Rural Festivals, exchange and site visits to promote projects and attract investments, capacity building and promoting opportunities for rural youth: organization of youth camps, support of youth initiatives/projects.

Expected results:

Outcome 1: Keda Local Action Group (LAG) is strengthened and enlarged with equal gender participation. The LAG is capable of actively engaging in rural planning and development processes following the LEADER principles. Links are established and networking is active among LAGs in Adjara as well as nationwide and with LAGs in Austria. Women, youth and vulnerable groups have opportunities to participate in planning and implementation of rural development

Outcome 2: Gender and Youth Sensitive Keda Rural Development Strategy is developed in a participatory way and is approved by the relevant State authorities of Adjara.

Outcome 3: Rural economic diversification and inclusive growth opportunities are demonstrated and offered via implementation of innovative (smart, sustainable, resilient) projects financed under the Keda rural development strategy. Rural quality of life is improved through increased income from new diversified rural economic activities, competitive climate resilient agricultural practices, sustainable use of natural resources, reduced natural disaster risks and a healthier natural environment. Youth, women and vulnerable groups have incentives and preferential access to employment and business opportunities.

Who are stakeholders?

Project stakeholders are individuals, groups, or organizations who may affect, be affected by, or perceive themselves to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project. They are comprised of people and organizations such as customers, sponsors, the performing organization, and the public who are actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be positively or negatively affected by the execution or completion of the project. They may also exert influence over the project and its deliverables. Stakeholders may be at different levels within the organization and may possess different levels of authority, or may be external to the performing organization for the project.

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Commitment to stakeholder engagement

The project team is committed to an active process of engagement with stakeholders.

The project recognizes that consultation is a two‐way process, which includes informing stakeholders about progress, listening to stakeholders’ views, and responding to their concerns.

The aim of the Stakeholder Engagement Plan is to ensure that project stakeholders have structured opportunities to be involved in the project’s implementation.

Engagement principles

The project will work with a wide range of external stakeholders at every stage. The principles of stakeholder engagement will consist of following key steps:

Acknowledge — the issue, idea, criticism, or compliment

Feedback — ensure that project stakeholders have opportunities to provide their opinions/views to the project team

Follow up — provide updates on actions taken as a result of feedback and meet agreed dates

Inform — ensure all parties who need to know about the activity are informed

Review — analyse activities and project actions and look for improvements.

Project stakeholders

There are a wide range of stakeholders with differing interests in the project including people and organizations who: are directly or indirectly affected by the project; have interests in the project and have the potential to influence the project implementation process and its outcomes.

Target groups and beneficiaries at local and regional levels

The Keda LAG (1) involving AMAGs (6) and community institutions of Keda Municipality:

Local communities: ~16,760 people, 9 communities , 63 villages and Keda town

Local authorities: 1 municipal authority and 1 Sakrebulo

Regional authorities including interagency bodies i.e. Rural Development Council: 7 agencies

Farmers’ info-consultation centre

Local entrepreneurs : agro-cooperatives, farmers, greenhouses, fish farms, wine and fruit factories, family wineries, Atshesi HPP; license holders of natural resources use

Tourist service providers: hotels, guesthouses, guides

Mtirala National Park Administration

Educational institutions, and youth: schools, Education Resource Centre of Ministry of Education and Science’s, Vocational College ‘Black Sea’, Batumi Business Incubator (BBI)

Tourists and visitors (~25,000 )

Media organisations

Co-applicants will provide key personnel and experts for project management and execution. The associate will be instrumental in supporting activities related to agriculture.

The project will cooperate with local authorities (the Rural Development Department of Adjara’s Ministry of Agriculture, and the Intergovernmental Agency Rural Development Council in Adjara), various donor

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organisations (the EU, USAID, KfW, ADA, WB, IFC, EBRD, ADB, SIDA etc.) and partners (i.e. UNDP, Bridge — Innovation and Development, WWF, Mercy Corps, DVV International, etc.) implementing projects that address rural development, agriculture, environmental protection, climate change, youth, and gender in Keda Municipality, as well as ENPARD partners in other regions (CARE International, Mercy Corps, PiN, GIPA, RDFG, HEKS-EPER Georgia, UNDP, ACDA, EVOLUXER, and GFA).

The project will coordinate with the following on-going EU funded projects in Adjara: EU-ENPARD/UNDP Rural Development Initiative in Adjara, EU/IoD Supporting improvement of legal and social state of eco-migrant and potential ecomigrant families, EU/IoD Launching of Employment-Oriented Education and Development System in Adjara, USAID/IoD Petition-People’s voice in the self-governance, and the Adjara AR government program Farmers Development Assistance. This will ensure that efforts are complimentary and synergies are maximized.

The project will actively cooperate and create synergies with CENN’s on-going activities in Keda Municipality:

Promotion of the eco-corridor in the Southern Caucasus, ECP-FPA, BMZ/KFW/WWF, 2015–16; this project established Keda local working groups, which can be enlarged and strengthened;

Sustainable Forest Governance in Georgia: Phase II, ADA, 2016–19;

Waste Management Technologies in Regions (WMTR), USAID, 2014–20;

The Open Environmental Civic Initiative (OECI), established by CENN in 2009.

State authorities linked to rural development

Ministry of Agriculture — Carry out agrarian reforms considering international experiences as well as the historical and national traditions of the country; support the development of agricultural cooperation; promote processing of primary agricultural and food products; support the country’s export potential and strengthen positions on the international market; collect and analyse information about conditions and tendencies of internal and external markets; promote and organize scientific consulting services, capacity building, and hands-on training courses of agricultural entrepreneurs; registration and organization of pesticides, agrochemicals, and testing of new animal and/or plant breeds; supporting accessibility and replacement of agricultural equipment and technologies; forecasting needs for pesticides and agrochemicals and promoting their application.

Agricultural Cooperatives Development Agency — Promote rehabilitation of rural areas and agriculture through development of agricultural cooperatives; provide social and economic development of rural areas; improve productivity and competitiveness of agricultural production, increase profitability of production and develop national economics; conduct state promotion events for agricultural cooperatives.

Agricultural Projects Management Agency (APMA) — Implement and manage a variety of projects initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and other subordinate enterprises. Main purpose: promote and stimulate development of production-oriented industries in county regions of Georgia.

Wine Agency — Regulation of viticulture i.e. the wine making industry; monitoring the production and planting of vine mother plantations, grafting materials and grafted seedlings; preparation of proposals and recommendations for functionality and development of the branch; state control of the appellations of origin of wines and wine brands; issuing certificates of compliance and origin for alcoholic beverages of grape-origin; labelling control of grape-origin alcoholic beverages; interrelations with national and international organizations in the

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viticulture-wine making field, plus marketing and promotional activities; promotion of the arrangement of alcoholic beverage tasting events, competitions, exhibitions, and seminars.

Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure — The main task of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure is to implement infrastructure projects aimed at long-term benefits in the regions of the country, using local resources efficiently, and promoting a decent environment for the population. Rehabilitation of rural roads and small-scale agriculture-related infrastructures at village level are some of the ministry’s tasks related to rural development.

Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development — Support of investment activities in Georgia and attracting FDI; SME Development; Enhancing economic relations with trade partners for Georgia’s integration to international economic markets; spatial development, city-building, construction and settlement of legal/regulatory issues related to their implementation; putting Georgia into a leading position in the competitive tourism market through strategic investments in infrastructure development, providing relevant education programs to offer highly-solvent foreign tourists a chance to share the unique Georgian experience; undertake significant infrastructure projects that will facilitate additional flows of goods towards Georgia and increase the effectiveness of transport systems; eliminating the digital divide and development of broadband Internet infrastructure; Development of ICT entrepreneurship and competition; co-ordination of land privatisation.

Georgian National Tourism Administration — Ensure sustainable tourism development and increase awareness of Georgia, as a unique tourist destination, on the international market.

GITA – Georgia's Innovation and Technology Agency.

LEPL Entrepreneurship Development Agency Produce in Georgia – Enterprise Georgia is a government institution in Georgia mandated to facilitate private sector (and in particular SME) development through a variety of financial and technical support mechanisms, as well as export support. The Agency is an integral part of the new Produce in Georgia state program.

Ministry of Education — managing general education, higher education, vocational education; runs the Vocational Education and Training schools, where agriculture and rural development related issues are a predominant part of the curricula.

Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia — land degradation and biodiversity conservation issues.

National Environmental Agency (NEA).

Agency of Protected Areas — The Agency’s primary responsibility is to manage Georgia’s strict nature reserves, national parks, natural monuments, managed reserves, protected landscapes, biosphere reserves, world heritage sites, and wetland sites of international importance. The objective of the agency is to improve the management of protected areas, ensure functionality of territorial administrations, and supervise the process of following legally established regulations and to plan, create, and develop new protected areas.

National Forestry Agency — The authorised governing bodies of the state Forest Fund are: the Legal Entity of Public Law National Forestry Agency and the LEPL Agency Protected Areas of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia.

GEOSTAT — (Georgia’s statistics agency) Conducting the agricultural census, regular surveys, and producing agriculture-related statistics.

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Regional Level Authorities Ministry of Agriculture of Adjara AR

Ministry of Finance and Economy, (3) Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture and Sports, (4) Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs, (5)

Department of Tourism and Resorts of Adjara AR

Directorate of Environment and Natural Resources AR

LEPL Adjara Forest Agency.

Local Level Authorities Gamgeoba of Keda municipality

Sakrebulo of the Keda municipality

Table summarizing the stakeholders linked to the project

Stakeholder Interest

Government ministries: • Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia; • Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of

Georgia; • Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia; • Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of

Georgia; • Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia

State agencies: • Agency of Tourism Product Development; • GITA, • LEPL Entrepreneurship Development Agency Produce in

Georgia, • National Food Agency, • National Environmental Agency (NEA), • Agency of Protected Areas, Agency of Natural Resources,

National Forestry Agency. • Agricultural Cooperatives Development Agency • Agricultural Projects Management Agency (APMA) • Wine Agency • Agricultural Scientific Research Agency

The main interest of government structures at the central level in this project is to ensure that the project is implemented in accordance with national and regional strategies.

Regional authorities in target regions: • Ministries of Adjara AR: (1) Agriculture, (2) Finance and

Economy, (3) Education, Culture and Sports, (4) Labour, Health and Social Affairs, (5) Department of Tourism and Resorts, (6) Directorate of Environment and Natural Resources, (7) LEPL Adjara Forest Agency

The local development strategy developed by LAG (Local Action Group) covers the government’s priorities.

Local authorities in target regions: • Sakrebulo Municipality of KEDA • Gamgeoba of Keda Municipality

The main interest of government structures at the local level in this project is to ensure that local authorities are active participants in this process.

General public (especially local populations of target regions) Ensure their active participation in the process and that the process is driven by a bottom-up approach.

NGOs

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Stakeholder Interest

International projects and organizations Promote and support project activities and to gain information and cooperation with their own on-going projects, where relevant.

Business community: • Entrepreneurs • Financial Institutions • Hotels and restaurants SMEs

Ensure that their concerns are considered and interests are protected in the development and implementation of a new LDS. As potential employers of young people from Keda Municipality, the business sector should be interested in the projects activities.

Media (national and local) To highlight issues related to the development and implementation of a project. It is very important to involve the media in the project’s implementation and to have a constructive media partner for the project to support timely and accurate dissemination of information on the subject to the public.

Groups of interest in Keda Municipality • AMAGs

• LAG • Women and youth groups • SMEs • CBOs • Schools

.

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Identifying, categorizing, and prioritizing stakeholders

The Stakeholder Management Map presented below categorizes stakeholders according to their influence on, and interest in the project. Section D lists stakeholders who are key for the project and with whom the project team should establish good working relations to ensure their effective support and involvement in the project implementation process.

Stakeholders Management Map

Stakeholder engagement mechanisms

Presented below is the Stakeholder Engagement Plan for the project, which describes the objective for involving each project stakeholder, communication tools, responsible person, timeline, and indicators for each communication tool/activity.

LEVEL OF INTEREST

LOW HIGH

PO

WER

/ IN

FLU

ENC

E

LOW A

Monitor Stakeholders who need to be aware of the project’s work and kept informed of major developments. Aim to increase their level of interest

international projects and organizations

general public

B Keep Informed

Stakeholders who the project needs to consider for particular areas of work. Raise their interest in project

Scientific community

State institutions at the national and regional level

HIGH C

Keep Satisfied Stakeholders who need to be actively involved in and supportive of the project’s work. Aim to increase their level of interest

Business community

Local and regional authorities

MSEs

D Manage Closely

Stakeholders the project needs to work in partnership with. Focus most effort on this group

state organizations at the local levels

AMAGS

schools

NGOs

Local population

Mtirala National Park Administration

media

Local tourist service providers

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OBJECTIVE TARGET GROUP COMMUNICATION TOOL

Build awareness of the project among stakeholders. Gain support for the project by highlighting its benefits to central and local government structures, the business community, NGOs, and the scientific community. Engage the local and regional authorities, including interagency bodies, to exchange information about on-going processes in the region and share important milestones and upcoming plans.

National, regional and local state institutions

National and local NGOs

International projects working on related issues

National and local media

Business community

General public

A steering committee, including all important stakeholders.

Steering committee meetings and sharing project updates.

Project brochure (electronic and print) describing goals, objectives, activities, outputs, and importance of the project.

Dissemination of the brochure to the target audiences (electronic version via CENN’s e-network).

Dissemination of information about regular discussions/workshops via CENN’s e-network.

Dissemination of project outputs among stakeholders (in electronic and hard copy versions) and via CENN’s e-network.

Raise awareness of key stakeholders at national and local levels on Rural Development in Keda Municipality

Local state institutions

Local NGOs

Local media

Local population

Women and youth groups

Workshops on rural development.

Trainings, with participation of state authorities, NGOs, and

Articles and interviews with experts on the topic in local newspapers.

Trips with national stakeholders to project target areas.

Involvement of the local farmers, the business community, entrepreneurs, and tourist service providers in the main activities planned within the action

Business community with special focus on women and youth

The Invest in Keda campaign and sharing of best practices through various media channels.

Development of the list of active women involved in the SMEs and targeted activities to empower them (women business forum)

Youth campaigns, open lessons, Green Camps

Attract media and encourage them to highlight rural development issues in Keda Municipality via different channels

TV and radio channels

Newspapers

Information agencies

Regularly updated media contact lists.

Project event press releases sent to the media.

Information on project activities and interim results sent to the media.

Work with newspaper journalists to develop stories.

Involvement of educational institutions and local youth in programs implemented within the action. Support local youth in creating a sustainably operated startup system aiming at further development of sustainable economic development in the region and avoiding brain drain from Keda/Adjara AR.

Educational Institutions

Schools

Women and youth

Green camps.

Green idea incubator programs to support entrepreneurial education.