Women’s Leadership Academy: An initiative for women’s empowerment

Women take an active part in Georgia’s political and public life and play an important role in the country’s development. They often handle quite difficult and high-level work; however, they are rarely seen in decision-making positions.

This reality is confirmed by statistics: Out of 129 Georgian MPs, only 27 are women (19 per cent); only 2 of the 12 government ministers are women (16 per cent); only 3 out of 64 municipalities have women mayors (4 per cent); and women occupy only 9 per cent of leadership positions in public agencies.

As international experience shows, promoting women’s participation in decision-making processes contributes not only to achieving gender equality but also to ensuring sound and fair politics, making decisions based on real experiences and knowledge, supporting the country’s development and ensuring a sustainable democracy. However, along with structural and systemic barriers, women still face numerous gender stereotypes on this path. Accordingly, UN Women works comprehensively across various domains to promote women’s representation in the political life of Georgia.

One such initiative is the Women’s Leadership Academy project, implemented in partnership with the Eastern European Center for Multiparty Democracy in Tbilisi and the regions. The Academy offers an intensive training course for women who want to be actively involved in politics and decision-making processes. The project participants have the opportunity to gain more knowledge about democracy, advocacy, gender equality, media relations, political communication and cybersecurity; improve their skills in debate, campaigns and social mobilization; and become familiar with other important topics.

Notably, throughout 2024, the Women’s Leadership Academy was implemented in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi and Telavi, and 89 women have already received their certificates of completion. Various professions were represented among the participants, who included teachers, public servants, journalists, lawyers and activists.

“I study at the Faculty of Public Administration, and when I learned about the project, I realized it would be a great opportunity for me,” says 20-year-old Anette Beridze, a student at Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University and one of the graduates of the Women’s Leadership Academy. “The Academy gave me more confidence [and] deepened my knowledge about gender and politics. I gained deeper insight about our role through the trainings. There are so many impressive examples in [our] history, and, technically, women in Georgia should have more opportunities. However, the reality is different, so I will use the information received here to promote women’s contributions.”

It is noteworthy that along with the trainings, the project also incorporates mentoring and networking opportunities. The programme is flexible and well adapted to the Georgian reality. It pays due attention to the needs of women leaders and is tailored to the local context, namely its cultural and political peculiarities. Eventually, the Women’s Leadership Academy will help the participants engage more effectively and meaningfully in decision-making processes. The project will run for three years and will be gradually rolled out to other regions of Georgia. In total, about 225 women will participate in it.

The Women’s Leadership Academy is implemented within the framework of the project “Women’s Increased Leadership for Democracy in Georgia” (WILD), implemented by UN Women with the generous support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).