On April 4, 2012 The Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus organized first National Steering Committee meeting within the framework of the project “Improvement of environmental liability regime: Introduction of methodology for valuation of environmental damage“ funded by the Government of Netherlands in Sheraton Metechi Palace Hotel, Tbilisi.

Participants of the meeting included representatives of the ministries and civil society sector of Georgia.

The overall objective of the project, which started on January 2012, is to improve environmental management system in two South Caucasus countries, Armenia and Georgia, through enhancement of the environmental liability regimes. Specifically, the project aims to:

1. Develop modern methodology for estimation of the monetary value of damage caused as a result of environmental pollution and exploitation of natural resources at the national level.

2. Design and implement pilots in selected sectors to illustrate how the elaborated methodology would work in practice and explore replication opportunity at country level.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss main goals and objectives of the project, as well as elaborate recommendations for detailed work plan and draft key most vulnerable economic sectors. The leading expert of the project Ms. Ekaterine Khvedelidze made presentation regarding goals, objectives and expected outcomes. Mr. Merab Machavariani, local consultant of the project, presented draft key economy sectors, mostly causing damage to the environment. Steering Committee members discussed suggested sectors and gave recommendations to make some amendments to them. Participants assessed the meeting as very productive and informative in terms of project-scope activities.

The first National Steering Committee meeting in Armenia is planned on April 20, 2012.