Georgia’s responsible business awards, Meliora 2024, were established in 2018 by the Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG). The contest annually identifies and rewards companies operating in Georgia that implement outstanding projects and initiatives in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Meliora aims to promote the development of CSR in Georgia and raise public awareness in this direction.
The contest categories are based on the main issues of CSR, covering all key areas of corporate social responsibility. This allows companies to easily adapt their projects to different categories and participate in the competition with a variety of initiatives.
Meliora was developed in cooperation with experts from leading European organizations in the field of CSR, including the Pontis Foundation in Slovakia and Business in the Community, the Prince’s Responsible Business Network in the UK. Its independent jury consists of both Georgian and foreign experts in the field.To avoid any influence on the evaluators’ decisions, the identity of the Georgian jury is kept confidential until the end of the competition.
The winning projects and companies will be announced at the award ceremony at the end of June 2024, with the application deadline set for February 20.
Large, medium, and small companies can participate in the competition with an equal chance of winning. Each category is evaluated with specific criteria that consider the scope of the presented projects and results in relation to the size of the company. The amount of invested funds, much like the size of the company, will not be a decisive evaluation criterion.
It is noteworthy that in the modern world, there is an increasing focus on responsible business activities. Consequently, as Georgian companies strive for integration with the European Union and global markets, adherence to international standards of responsible business activity becomes a crucial component for their success.
It’s worth noting that corporate social responsibility extends beyond how companies allocate their profits; it also encompasses how those profits are earned. CSR goes beyond charity, philanthropy, and legal compliance. It involves managing the economic, social, and environmental impacts of a company’s activities, aiming to minimize negative effects and enhance positive ones. Additionally, it encompasses the forms and principles of relations with employees, customers, and society.
For more information about the Meliora 2024 contest and to submit projects, please visit the website: www.meliora.ge
The Awards will be held within the frameworks of the European Union (EU) and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) funded project ‘Civil Society STAR Initiative: CSOs as Sustainable, Transparent, Accountable and Resilient Development Actors in Georgia”.
