UNECE and UNDP organized a joint training  in Tbilisi, Georgia (22-23 November 2010) to address the question of access to justice in urban development. This training targeted public and private lawyers in Georgia and representatives of this country’s Ministry of Economic and Sustainable Development.  The event counted on interventions by international and national policy and legal experts. It followed-up on the findings of UNECE’s country profile on the housing sector (2007), which recommended the implementation of capacity building activities oriented to the training of government officials.
It is known that Georgia has faced difficulties connected to the housing sector in the post-Soviet period. The privatization of homes affected over 90% of the housing stock, bringing about a series of challenges which are shared with other post-socialist countries. These include the poor maintenance of already deteriorated multi-storey buildings, the proliferation of informal settlements and the lack of access to security of tenure for vulnerable populations. These problems were further exacerbated by natural disasters and military conflicts in recent years. As a consequence, the living conditions of socially disadvantaged groups, internally displaced persons, ethnic minorities and women were harmed.
Participants in the training event learned from experts’ advice on good practice policy on the housing sector and on several aspects of existing legislation in Georgia through the substantive analysis of judicial decisions by this country’s court system. Topics discussed included aspects of housing privatization law, mortgages law, neighbourhood law and international experiences on the legal empowerment of the poor. 
It is expected that the training of legal aid officers for the provision of information, legal advice and litigation in the interests of vulnerable groups will contribute to improvements in their access to justice, thus contributing to a more inclusive social and economic development in Georgia.
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Ref: ECE/ENV/10/P39