EU-funded EU4Envrironment Programme: Support Georgia to promote Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) and complementary tools

Background Information: 

UNEP is one of the five partner agencies implementing EU-funded EU4 Environment (2019 – 2023). This regional programme supports 5 countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine) in making policy planning and investment greener, stimulating the uptake of innovative products and technologies, and raising awareness about benefits of environmental action. More specifically, within EU4Environment’s component on “circular economy and new growth opportunities”, UNEP supports Georgia to promote activities on Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) and complementary tools.

The project supports the development and implementation of SPP policies and tools for SPP in Georgia. EU4Environment also assists Georgian authorities and businesses to prepare for future to launch new pilot tenders through technical assistance to the development of sustainability criteria, procurement guidelines, verification schemes and training. Eco-labelling is one of the tools to promote Sustainable Consumption and Production. Ecological labels and standards can be used by  producers to manage their production processes more sustainably and improve their sustainability performance over time.

Project objectives:

• To strengthen the capacity of Georgian procurement authorities for sustainable public procurement and ecolabels and strengthen the capacity of businesses to respond to public tenders with sustainability criteria;
• To strengthen the capacity of government entities and private sector on ecolabels as one of Sustainable Consumption and Production tools;
• To translate a Green Economy training course into Georgian. Launch and run the course once a year.
  

Project Activities: 

• Develop law amendments, bylaws and guidelines for SPP;
• Develop guidelines inclusive of sustainability criteria for selected priority goods and services;
• Conduct assessment of existing eco-labelling systems;
• Capacity of business sectors to respond public tenders and access eco-labelling strengthened;
• Assessment of the sectors’ capacities for eco-innovations conducted;
• Green Economy on-line training course.

Project Outputs:

1. SPP legal provisions (amendments to the draft PPL and relevant bylaws) and manuals/guidelines drafted;

2. Prioritization exercise coupled with market readiness analysis; Procurement guidelines developed;

3. Existing eco-labelling systems assessed;

4. Capacity of business sectors to respond public tenders and access eco-labelling strengthened;

5. Assessment of the sectors’ capacities for eco-innovations conducted;

6. Green Economy training course translated into Georgian, launched and run.

Donor organization - European Union (EU)

Implementers - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

National implementing partner of UNEP - The World Bank Group/ Environmental Information and Education Centre (EIEC)

Contact person: Natia Bliadze - Environmental information service; E-mail:Natela.Bliadze@eiec.gov.ge

Useful link:

Videoclip about Eco-labeling - EU4Environment 

https://www.eu4environment.org/what-we-need-to-need-to-know-about-eco-labelling/