Georgia: Diplohacker's Unite

April 23, 2014 by Khatuna Sandroshvili

How can we open up the circle of decision-makers to include regular citizens? How can governments better respond to citizens’ concerns? How can people and decision-makers cooperate for a better future in the coming decade?

These were just some of the pointed questions raised by young Georgians during Post-2015 national consultations held in Georgia last year.

Photo: UNDP Georgia

It is in this spirit that we at UNDP in Georgia have decided to host the first ever Diplohack on 24-26 April in Tbilisi.

Wait…a diplo-what?

The Diplohack is an innovation challenge that calls on citizens to submit their ideas for improving cooperation between citizens and decision-makers to solve social problems.

In short, we are asking people to submit proposals for innovative solutions, technical or non-technical, to resolve problems they are facing on a day-to-day basis. These problems can be related to a wide range of topics, including crime, traffic, government services, waste, green spaces, and beyond.

In partnership with the Dutch Embassy in Georgia, promoting freedom online and access to data worldwide under the framework of the Freedom Online Coalition, as well as Association Rural Development for Future Georgia, Elva, Waag Society, and Garage 48; we are looking forward to fostering new solutions to problems – driven by the very citizens who face them every day.

By collaborating with youth and tech experts – we’re expecting to see innovative solutions that are as diverse as the problems they are trying to address.

We’re already hooking up with some awesome futurespotters in Georgia. From guerrilla gardeners to web designers, from corruption researchers to ecologists, we’re re-imagining what government – citizen collaboration can look like.

Out of all the proposals, the three best ideas will be selected and receive micro-grants and technical support to pilot their projects for a three-month period.

Successful models will be eligible for further funding and development.

So check out the website and spread the word: The Diplohack is coming to Georgia!