At the joint initiative of Liberty Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), meetings continue to be held in the regions of Georgia to inform and empower women living in rural areas.

Access to information and services is critically important for empowering women and improving their quality of life and achieving gender equality. In this regard, women living in rural areas face a special challenge. The purpose of these meetings is to raise the awareness of rural women about gender equality, reproductive health and rights, and community participation. The initiative also includes promoting the economic empowerment of women and disseminating comprehensive information on banking services that will benefit women involved in agriculture.

This time the meeting was held in Telavi and women living in Kakheti talked about issues such as family planning, prevention of uterine and breast cancer, domestic violence, harmful practices (early marriage, gender-biased sex selection), and the role of gender equality in business and agricultural development. Financial planning and banking services that Liberty Bank offers to women involved in agriculture.

"It is extremely important that all women have access to reliable, evidence-based information on reproductive health and rights. The United Nations Population Fund, as the leading UN agency, has been actively working with partner organizations in this area for many years. In 2020, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, we came up with the idea of giving voice to rural women, visiting villages with experts, and thus promoting awareness of both reproductive health as well as gender equality and harmful practices. We are pleased that this innovative initiative has been supported by UNFPA Partner Liberty Bank." - Lela Bakradze, Head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Georgia Office

"FAO supports rural women by sharing best agricultural practices and information. Practical training and field schools for farmers are often organized which are being attended by rural women with great pleasure and interest. Sometimes, leaders are being identified, who share the acquired knowledge with their neighbors and fellow villagers, and as a result, often, interesting ideas are born. There have been cases when, as a result of such activities, women have created a common business or a new farm." -  Mamuka Meskhi, Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Georgia.

One of the main directions of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the UNFPA Georgia Office and Liberty Bank in 2020 is the empowerment of women.

"Liberty continues to hold meetings with the UNFPA Georgia Office and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to raise awareness and empower rural women. Our new strategy, New Liberty for a New Life, along with several innovations involves the constant support and empowerment of women. One of the important directions is to offer them easy services using the largest banking infrastructure of Liberty and to develop agribusiness in the region." - Khatuna Chelidze, Deputy Head of Micro and Small Business Lending Department of the Liberty Bank.

Liberty Bank is the third-largest system bank the assets of which amount to GEL 3 billion and serves 1.7 million individuals and 50,000 small, medium, and large businesses throughout Georgia.