PMCG - Policy and Management Consulting Group

On May 4, PMCG hosted the “Green City: Transforming Urban Landscapes for a Sustainable Tomorrow” panel discussion as part of the Asian Development Bank’s #ADB 57th Annual Meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia. The panel discussion featured an illustrated range of speakers from international financial institutions, governments, and private businesses. Revealing many insights, the discussion explored effective strategies to enhance urban living standards and minimize cities’ environmental impacts. The speakers discussed various aspects of #greencities, including #energy, #wastemanagement, #watermanagement, #urbantransport, the circular economy, and #climatechange. Bearing the slogan “Bridge to the Future,” this year’s edition of the ADB’s Annual Meeting spanned May 2-5 and convened around 4,000 participants from over 60 countries. Therein, sustainability, the green economy, and climate change mitigation were among several hot topics covered across dozens of well-attended seminars, panel discussions, and other events. Kate Hughes Atze Verkennis Ondřej Kokeš Zviad Kharebava  #ADBAnnualMeeting #ADBTbilisi #PMCG #DeliveringProgress

Check out the latest issue of Employment Tracker (September, 2024), offering insights into recent developments in Georgia’s labor market: https://bit.ly/40dBxgx •In September 2024, 149 thousand persons received a monthly salary of up to 600 GEL. •Over the past 6 months (from April 2024 to September 2024), the IT/Programming sector experienced a decline in the number of vacancies posted on jobs.ge compared to the same period of 2023 (-11.6%). •From April 2024 to September 2024, the average YoY growth of vacancies published on jobs.ge sped up. Please refer to the full publication for more insights: https://bit.ly/40dBxgx

Check out the first issue of the Profile of Bilateral Relations, offering an in-depth exploration of key topics of the relationship between the #UnitedStates and #Georgia: https://lnkd.in/djXpwP7e From 2015 to 2023, the U.S. provided $1.3 billion in foreign assistance to Georgia, with $546 million managed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Over this period, the top three areas in which the U.S. provided foreign assistance in Georgia were “Peace and Security,” “Economic Development,” and “Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance.” Full Publication: https://lnkd.in/djXpwP7e

Happy Restoration of Independence Day, Azerbaijan! #PMCG #DeliveringProgress

Check out the latest issue of #Macro Overview - Issue 7: https://bit.ly/4eIZzED From January to August 2024, the Georgian #economy demonstrated robust performance, with an average real #GDP growth rate of 9.6%. Education and transportation and storage were the key contributors to growth in the first 6M of 2024, with contributions of 14.6% and 13.3%, respectively. Issue seven of the Macro Overview thoroughly explores different aspects of the economy in Georgia and beyond, including: Economic Growth; Economic and Business Climate; Key Macroeconomic Indicators; Labor Market; External Sector; Global Economic Trends. #PMCG #DeliveringProgress

On October 2-4, 2024, #Lutsk hosted the forum “Comprehensive Spatial Planning of Communities – the Foundation of #Ukraine’s Sustainable Development,” which brought together more than 400 representatives of communities, the Verkhovna Rada, the Ministry of Communities and Territorial Development, as well as architects and urbanists. The event was held with the support of the #USAID #HOVERLA Activity: https://lnkd.in/dZyHvBW4 PMCG has been engaged in the USAID Governance and Local Accountability #HOVERLA Activity in Ukraine, led by DAI Global, since 2021. Follow the link to read more: https://lnkd.in/dZyHvBW4 #PMCG #DeliveringProgress

On October 10, PMCG’s Coaches and Evaluators for the Startup Matching Grants program of Georgia’s Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA)—Frank Hannigan, Timur Daudpota, Alex M Dascalu, and Arta Beitāne from the Baltics Innovation Agency (BIA)— shared insights gained from entrepreneurial failures. The event was moderated by Nika Kapanadze, Head, Private Sector Analytics Division, PMCG. This event is organized by PMCG in partnership with Startup Buro and is part of the global movement Fuckup Nights, founded in Mexico in 2012, which celebrates the valuable experiences drawn from failure in entrepreneurship. It brings together entrepreneurs, professionals, and business leaders to share their stories of failure in a candid and supportive environment. With events held in over 260 cities worldwide and more than 800 events annually, Fuckup Nights fosters a culture of openness around failure, encouraging innovation and resilience. #PMCG #DeliveringProgress

As part of the #USAID Local Governance Program, the “Circular Resource Management at the Local Level” regional multi-sectoral dialogue was held in Tbilisi, Georgia on October 3-4: https://bit.ly/4eURgVC The event brought together approximately 50 representatives from the private sector, civil society organizations (CSOs), and academia from the target municipalities. The main goal of the dialogue was to foster collaboration between the gathered parties and their organizations in developing policies promoting private sector engagement in the circular resource management value chain. PMCG is contributing to the USAID Local Governance Program by providing technical assistance to strengthen local governance in Georgia. Crucially, the aim of doing so is to enhance public administration, improve accountability, and ensure that local governments are more responsive to citizens’ needs. For more information please visit: https://bit.ly/4eURgVC #PMCG #DeliveringProgress

Are you aware that Jordan has eight active Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), that give exporters access to 52 countries in the #EU, #US, #MENA, #Canada, and #Singapore? To ensure that Jordan's exporters aware of these FTAs, the The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply (MoITS) is strengthening communication with the private sector about Jordan’s optimal entry markets and competitive advantages. This is part of ministry support to companies to leverage Jordan’s Free Trade Agreements to bolster economic development and trade facilitation. The USAID Economic Reform Activity is supporting MoITS' effort to enhance its capacity to communicate with and demystify the agreements for #exporters. The Activity and MoITS implemented an FTA training workshop last week for 10 ministry staff, which enhanced their knowledge and skills to better support and advise local businesses with practical insights and strategies to navigate the complexities of these agreements and maximize their benefits. This effort supports MoITS' goals under the Economic Modernization Vision and National Export Strategy, which identifies increasing Jordan’s #export volume as a key engine for #economic growth and #job creation. The USAID Economic Reform Activity partners with Jordanian institutions and businesses to pave the way for a prosperous and sustainable economic future for Jordan. هل تعلم أن الأردن لديه ثماني اتفاقيات تجارة حرة نشطة تمنح المصدرين الوصول إلى 52 دولة في الاتحاد الأوروبي والولايات المتحدة ومنطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا وكندا وسنغافورة؟  لضمان أن يكون المصدرون الأردنيون على دراية بهذه الاتفاقيات، تعمل وزارة الصناعة والتجارة والتموين على تعزيز التواصل مع القطاع الخاص حول الأسواق المثلى لدخول الأردن والمزايا التنافسية. يأتي ذلك كجزء من دعم الوزارة للشركات للاستفادة من اتفاقيات التجارة الحرة الأردنية لتعزيز التنمية الاقتصادية وتسهيل التجارة. وزارة الصناعة والتجارة والتموين تدعم المصدّرين للاستفادة من اتفاقيات التجارة الحرة الأردنية لتعزيز التنمية الاقتصادية وتسهيل التجارة. كجزء من هذا الجهد، يتم تعزيز التواصل مع القطاع الخاص حول الأسواق المثلى لدخول الأردن والمزايا التنافسية لتعزيز نجاحهم. يدعم برنامج USAID للإصلاح الاقتصادي جهود الوزارة لتعزيز قدرتها على التواصل وتبسيط الاتفاقيات للمصدّرين. نفذ البرنامج والوزارة ورشة تدريبية حول اتفاقيات التجارة الحرة الأسبوع الماضي لعشرة موظفين من الوزارة، مما عزز معرفتهم ومهاراتهم لدعم وتقديم المشورة للشركات المحلية برؤى واستراتيجيات عملية للتنقل في تعقيدات هذه الاتفاقيات وتعظيم فوائدها. يدعم هذا الجهد أهداف الوزارة ضمن رؤية التحديث الاقتصادي والاستراتيجية الوطنية للتصدير، التي تحدد زيادة حجم الصادرات الأردنية كمحرك رئيسي للنمو الاقتصادي وخلق فرص العمل. يتعاون برنامج USAID للإصلاح الاقتصادي مع المؤسسات والشركات الأردنية لتمهيد الطريق لمستقبل اقتصادي مزدهر ومستدام للأردن.

Maintaining a yearly tradition, PMCG has again issued scholarships to bachelor’s degree students from the International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University under the “Best Thesis Award.” PMCG’s “Best Thesis Award” stands among several of the company’s initiatives that both empower and motivate aspirational students. It has been running since 2021, giving the sharpest young minds the chance to win scholarships or other funding through publishing a high-quality thesis. #PMCG #DeliveringProgress