Press Release
U.S. Government Sponsors Conference Celebrating Fifth Anniversary of Georgian Constitution
August 22, 2000
Tbilisi--President Eduard Shevardnadze and U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Kenneth Yalowitz will open a constitutional law conference on Thursday, August 24, marking the fifth anniversary of the enactment of the Constitution of Georgia. The three-day conference is administered by the Georgian Constitutional Court and the Center on Institutional Reform and the Informal Sector (IRIS) at the University of Maryland, with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the development assistance agency of the U.S. government.
Conference participants will examine the Constitution’s implementation and discuss the most pressing constitutional issues facing Georgia today. These issues include separation of powers, decentralization and freedom of speech. Conference proceedings published by the Georgian Constitutional Court will be used by lawmakers and legal specialists when adopting future legal reforms.
Speakers at the conference opening will include the Chairman of the Constitutional Court Avtandil Demetrashvili and USAID Mission Director Michael Farbman. Additional participants will include senior officials from the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches, several drafters of the first Constitution of Georgia, as well as representatives from Georgian NGOs and media.
The conference will open at the Krtsanisi residence on Thursday, August 24 at 11:00 a.m.
Please call IRIS at 99-01-01 for more information.