Aiming to eradicate extreme poverty and extend assistance for the most vulnerable population in Georgia, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with financial support from the Government of Sweden, is expanding cooperation with the Social Service Agency (SSA) of Georgia’s Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs.

As Interpressnews was informed, UNDP will continue assisting the SSA’s institutional strengthening, focusing on improving critical services for the most vulnerable groups of Georgia’s society.

"Social service is one of the crucial functions of the state. Effective and targeted social aid offers immediate relief to the most vulnerable families. To leave no one behind, such service must ensure that people fall out of poverty and enjoy the benefits of economic and social development. Achieving this goal is the focus of our strategic partnership with the Social Service Agency", - said UNDP Acting Head Anna Chernyshova.

"UNDP will assist the SSA to carry out a functional assessment of our work as well as research the families registered in a social vulnerability database. This memorandum is important to each of our beneficiaries because improved services for the most vulnerable will help reduce extreme poverty in Georgia", - noted the SSA Acting Director Levan Gogodze.

According to UNDP, Under the Memorandum of Understanding signed on 30 August, UNDP will help the SSA design new evidence-based solutions to empower vulnerable populations and increase access to employment. The process will be informed by a comprehensive study to be conducted in 2021 to examine the social status of the families registered in a social vulnerability database and reveal the causes of unemployment. The emphasis will be made on the rural communities across Georgia.

UNDP will also continue assisting the SSA to assess its institutional capacities, reveal the gaps and implement a staff training programme.

The UNDP and SSA cooperation draws on the resources provided by the Government of Sweden under three ongoing initiatives – the UN Joint Programme for Gender Equality, the Increased Access to Digital Services, and the Governance Reform Fund.