UN Forum on Minority Issues Geneva, 15 December 2010 Topic: Meaningful and effective participation in economic and development policy-making Participation of the Georgian ethnic minorities in the economic life of Georgia Statement by the Public Movement “Multinational Georgia” (original: Mr. Chairman) Madam Chairperson, thank you for the opportunity to speak at this High Assembly. Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Agit Mirzoev and I represent the Georgian NGO “Multinational Georgia”. I would like to focus my remarks on issues related to the effective participation of minorities in economic life and the decision-making processes in this area. Ethnic minorities form 16% of the total population of Georgia and populate the country both in compact and dispersed groups. Some regions densely populated by ethnic minorities suffer from daunting socio-economic conditions, low levels of infrastructure and information isolation from the rest of the country. I would like to draw your attention to paragraphs 12, 15, 18, 21 and 25 of the draft recommendations on the Effective Participation of Minorities in Economic Life. Despite the considerable achievements of Georgia in the sphere of socio-economic reforms, namely progress in establishing a positive climate for business and investment, infrastructure development and the fight against poverty, the major problem of the low level of involvement of minorities in decision-making processes on the socio-economic issues affecting them directly still remains. An issue of inadequate representation of minorities particularly concerns the state apparatus, and local authorities; on the local government level, where their representation is slightly stronger, minorities are limited in making real decisions in the socio-economic sphere and remain dependent on the central authorities in the area of budgeting and local development programmes due to the underdevelopment of the Georgian local government system.