U.S. Funding Cuts in Health, Justice Raise Public Concerns

After the U.S. paused more than $95 million in aid to the Georgian government as a result of the Parliament’s passage of the Foreign Agents law and the government’s recent anti-democratic steps, several media outlets reported on the specific areas where portions of this aid had been suspended. The suspension of assistance has so far reportedly affected several areas of the health and justice sectors, prompting concerns among general public.

In particular, the funding has been cut to the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) and the Lugar Research Laboratory, both of which are critical components of Georgia’s public health system. In addition, USAID has stopped funding programs for the Constitutional Court.

U.S. Assistance to Lugar Laboratory and NCDC

On August 3, opposition-leaning TV Formula reported, based on its source, that financial support for the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Lugar Research Laboratory had been suspended as part of the $95 million U.S. aid cut. 

Formula’s information sparked concerns about the serious consequences that Georgia’s health care system could suffer without U.S. assistance. The Lugar Research Laboratory is one of the key U.S. contributions to Georgia’s health care. The lab served as an invaluable facility during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The former director of the NCDC, Amiran Gamkrelidze, told Formula that the NCDC received about $10 million a year from international partners, including Europe and America. If Formula’s report of aid cuts is true, the question is how much funding will be lost and which projects will be affected.

On August 6 Health Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze held a briefing and had to confirm Formula’s information, but downplayed the seriousness of the report, calling for avoiding exaggeration and speculation about “astronomical” numbers, saying: “We’re talking about, let’s say, about two million GEL at the most.” 

As for what will be affected by the aid cuts, Sarjveladze said: “We are actually talking about the suspension of several ongoing projects, the content of which is research, training and so on.” 

“There is no talk of shutting down the Lugar Laboratory or the Center for Disease Control and impeding their work…Both the Lugar Laboratory and the Center for Disease Control will continue to operate unimpeded,” Sarjveladze said briefly. 

Asked whether he thought the U.S. decision to cut assistance was related to Georgia’s adoption of the Foreign Agents law, Sarjveladze said, “Objectively, there is no such connection,” later adding, “I think that just as there was no problem with this law in terms of democracy and justice, analogously now there isn’t really a connection between this [U.S.] decision [to cut funding] and this legislation, which may be viewed as controversial by some.” 

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department clearly stated that the suspension of more than $95 million in assistance “that directly benefits the Government of Georgia” has been the result of a comprehensive review of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, initiated “following anti-democratic actions by the Georgian government.”

Georgia’s Health Minister said: “Whatever the U.S. motivation [to cut funds] may be, I think this is unequivocally a wrong decision.” 

Civil.ge approached the Ministry of Health and the NCDC to clarify the amounts of U.S. funds suspended and the specific projects affected, but have received no new information other than what Minister Sarjveladze has already voiced.

U.S. Assistance to the Constitutional Court

On August 6, local media reported the suspension of one of the Constitutional Court’s projects due to USAID’s decision to cut its aid. The Constitutional Court told Civil.ge that a summer school for law students was canceled this year because USAID decided to stop funding the school. 

The summer school is a joint project of the Georgian Constitutional Court, the Council of Europe, and USAID. During the two weeks, the students received lectures from international and Georgian legal experts with a main focus on human rights. The Summer School concluded with a moot court contest. The best students were granted paid internships at the Constitutional Court. 

As the notorious Foreign Agents Law, designed to stifle dissent, nears implementation phase amid preparations for the country’s crucial parliamentary elections, the government’s anti-democratic rhetoric and decisions are beginning to draw consequences from the West.

However, the GD does not seem to give in. “The Georgian state works with its own budget, which is created by the Georgian people. We are not some sponger country that lives on subsidies from other countries,” said Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Parliament, commenting on the U.S. aid cuts. 

Meanwhile, all of Georgia’s Western partners stress that while the GD government will have pay the price for trying to bury the country’s democracy, Western funds will be shifted from the government to independent media and civil society organizations to make them more resilient at this critical moment. 

Also Read:

• 01/08/2024 – Amb. Dunnigan Delivers Message of U.S. Support to Georgian People Amid Worsening Bilateral Relations
• 05/07/2024 – BREAKING: U.S. ‘Indefinitely’ Postpones Noble Partner Exercise in Georgia
  

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