Open Society Justice Initiative Cosponsor Police Reform Conference in Georgia

TBILISI, Georgia—The Open Society Justice Initiative is cosponsoring a major international conference in Georgia on October 6-7 titled "Policing Reforms in the 21st Century: Values, Structures, and Processes." The conference examines community relations, crime prevention, internal discipline, external oversight, parliamentary and media relations, and the role of civil society. Sponsored in cooperation with the Georgian Ministry of the Interior and the Open Society Georgia Foundation, the conference will be attended by ministry staff, government officials, local elected representatives, civil society activists, and journalists. Conference speakers and participants include international experts from three continents, staff from Soros foundations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and representatives from donor agencies active in Georgia.

Following the November 2003 "Rose Revolution" that forced former Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze to resign, President Mikheil Saakashvili has undertaken a historic transition ushering in a broad array of institutional reforms. Overstaffed and notorious for its rampant corruption under the former government, the police stood out among Georgian government agencies in dire need of change. Saakashvili's government has implemented aggressive measures to address these problems, firing thousands of corrupt and incompetent officers, introducing new police training, and creating a brand new patrol police that has already taken on visible police functions in the capital, Tbilisi, and other major cities.

In this context of rapid change and social pressure for improved police conduct and services, Interior Ministry officials are keenly aware of the need to create new institutional structures that will support democratic, professional, and effective policing in Georgia. Over the last year, the Justice Initiative has provided police training materials and seminars in support of vigorous reforms underway at the Georgian Police Academy. Other activities, including support for the creation of local civilian review boards, are carried out by the Open Society Georgia Foundation.

"Policing Reforms in the 21st Century: Values, Structures, and Processes" offers an opportunity for experts, policymakers, and activists to reflect on comparative experiences and promising practices as well as network with some of the foremost practitioners from around the world. It also provides the opportunity to create the institutional architecture that will support a new model of rights-based policing that is democratic, publicly accountable, and effective in confronting and preventing crime.