Meetings have been launched in the regions of Georgia at the joint initiative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Georgia Office, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Liberty Bank to inform and empower women living in villages. The purpose of the meetings is to raise the awareness of women living in villages about gender equality, reproductive health and rights, community participation, as well as banking services that will benefit women involved in agriculture. In August and September 2020, at the initial stage of the initiative, meetings were held in Shida Kartli, Kakheti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Adjara and will include up to 300 women.

On August 16, 2020, the first meeting of the project was held in the village of Ateni, Gori Municipality, and brought together about forty women from the Ateni community who are involved in the Agriculture and Village Development Project of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. They received information on issues such as family planning, prevention of uterine and breast cancer, domestic violence, harmful practices (early marriage, gender selection), and the role of gender equality in business and agriculture, financial planning and banking services provided by Liberty Bank for women involved in farming.

"Protecting women's reproductive health and rights, informing them about the challenges and opportunities, is a top priority for the United Nations Population Fund. We are constantly striving to increase the circle of like-minded people and supporters, allowing us to reach more women so that they do not stay behind the wave of development. We are pleased that Liberty Bank, as a business with high social responsibility, has decided to invest in this area and join the process of empowering rural women with us and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,” said Lela Bakradze, Head of the UNFPA Georgia office.

"Rural women make a significant contribution to agriculture and rural development processes at both household and country level. Gender Equality Policy of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations envisages the active, equal involvement of women and the promotion of their economic empowerment. Their empowerment is achieved by identifying and overcoming barriers, informing, engaging in decision-making and increasing access to resources. Such events are important to enable women living in villages to engage in social activities, expand their support networks and make their voices heard, '' said Mamuka Meskhi, UNFAO Representative in Georgia.

“Liberty Bank, in partnership with the UNFPA Georgia Office and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, has launched meetings in the regions of Georgia to raise awareness and empower women living in villages. Liberty continues its special educational and cognitive programs in disseminating information about banking products. It is welcomed that no less important direction has been added to these projects today. We hope to work closely with our partners to develop new projects to empower women, including to introduce and maximize the use of banking services for women in agriculture. ” - Said Irakli Abashidze, Deputy Director in Direction of Small and Medium Business at Liberty Bank.

Existing evidence shows that access to information and services is cruicial in empowering women and improving their quality of life and achieving gender equality. In this regard, women living in villages face a special challenge. In 2020, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the UNFPA Georgia Office and Liberty Bank, one of the main directions of which is the empowerment of women.