USAID/Georgia and Ilia State University (ISU) are jointly holding a forum Impartial Polling for Developing Citizen-Responsive Democratic Governance in Georgia aimed at raising awareness of non-partisan public opinion polling as a key component of Georgia’s democratic development.
The launch event on 17 July 2020 featured opening remarks from U.S. Ambassador Kelly C. Degnan, UK Deputy Head of Mission Claire Allbless, Ilia State University Rector Giga Zedania and Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Archil Talakvadze.
The forum brought together leading Georgian polling organizations: Analysis and Consulting Team (ACT), Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC), Georgian Opinion Research Business International (GORBI), Institute of Social Studies and Analysis (ISSA), and IPM Research. It will launch a community of practice to facilitate experience sharing among non-partisan opinion polling organizations, establish Georgian polling standards and a Code of Ethics, and strengthen stakeholder understanding of public opinion polling and its contribution to citizen-responsive democratic governance.
The forum is implemented by USAID’s Human and Institutional Capacity Development 2020 Activity (HICD 2020) and will complement USAID’s Elections and Political Processes program, the U.S. Government’s primary electoral and political development assistance initiative for Georgia’s 2020 and 2021 electoral cycles and beyond.