As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary and celebrates UN Day 2025, UN Resident Coordinator in Georgia, Didier Trebucq, reflects on over three decades of partnership between the UN and Georgia. In this interview, he discusses how the collaboration has evolved, the priorities shaping the upcoming Cooperation Framework for 2026–2030, and the shared vision for an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future for all.
Mr. Trebucq, the UN has been a trusted partner for Georgia over many years. From your perspective, how has the UN’s role here evolved, and what does that partnership look like today, on the ground?
The partnership between the United Nations and Georgia was formally established in 1992, when Georgia became a member of the UN during an extremely challenging period following its independence from the Soviet Union.
Since then, the UN has been an integral partner in Georgia’s development, providing multifaceted support across a wide range of areas, including health, education, institutional building, infrastructure, agriculture, energy, regional development, social cohesion—especially in conflict-affected areas—human rights, and the rule of law.
The 32 years of partnership have greatly contributed to Georgia’s development, growth, and modernization. The UN has helped strengthen human and institutional capacities, create opportunities, and bring life-changing impact to many people across the country.
As Georgia’s economy has developed, UN support has shifted from providing direct livelihood assistance for basic needs to offering policy advice and connecting the country with global solutions for sustainable development. We help Georgia align with the UN and the global multilateral system, promote partnerships, and encourage knowledge sharing. At the same time, poverty—particularly in rural areas—remains a challenge, so our role is to support policies and strategies that ensure economic growth is inclusive.
Today, the UN is active in areas where our experience and resources are most needed. Our focus is on inclusion, resilience, and ensuring that development benefits every person and every region. This includes supporting agriculture, rural development, employment creation, strengthening health and education systems, human rights, and climate action. The rapid expansion of regional connectivity in transport, energy, and financial technologies creates important strategic opportunities. Our task is to ensure that these opportunities foster inclusion and do not become new sources of inequality.
We know the new Cooperation Framework for 2026–2030 is in the pipeline. Can you share some of the key priorities, and how they reflect Georgia’s development journey?
In May 2025, we began developing a new Cooperation Framework for 2026–2030, designed to align with Georgia’s dynamic development trajectory. Key priorities include promoting green and inclusive development to reduce the urban–rural divide. The framework emphasizes inclusive economic growth, enhanced well-being and social protection, strengthened democratic governance and human rights, and greater peace and resilience, including improved adaptation to climate change. It also highlights digital transformation and institutional strengthening to deliver better services.
These priorities reflect Georgia’s progress as an upper-middle-income country while ensuring that no one is left behind, particularly in rural areas and among vulnerable groups.
How has the process of shaping this new Framework involved Georgian society—government, civil society, young people, the private sector?
Shaping the new Cooperation Framework has been an inclusive and participatory process. We have held national dialogues to ensure that the voices of people from across Georgia are reflected in the priorities we set together. We have engaged government representatives, civil society, academia, youth groups, development partners, and the private sector to ensure that the Framework responds to real needs and reflects the aspirations and insights of the Georgian people.
Georgia is facing a unique mix of challenges—from rural development and inequality to climate resilience. How is the UN helping to unite local needs with global solutions?
Georgia faces a range of challenges that require solutions combining local needs with global approaches. The UN helps by supporting rural development, promoting climate-smart farming, and encouraging inclusive social policies to improve access to quality health care and education. It also links these efforts to global initiatives such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, helping Georgia access international expertise, funding, and best practices to strengthen resilience and drive inclusive growth.
The UN80 initiative, launched this year, is about making the UN more agile and effective. How do you see this playing out in practical terms here in Georgia or the wider region?
The UN80 initiative, launched by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in March 2025, is a major reform effort to make the UN more effective and efficient. Its goal is to help the UN respond faster to emerging challenges, better support national priorities, and build stronger partnerships with local stakeholders.
In practice, this means more agile program design, streamlined coordination among UN agencies, and greater use of innovation and digital tools. The goal is to build a stronger, better-resourced UN that can support countries’ priorities, foster regional cooperation, and stay closely connected to local needs.
Georgia sits at a geographic and political crossroads. What role do you think it can play in tackling global challenges like climate change, peacebuilding, or digital transformation?
Georgia’s strategic location makes it a bridge between Europe and Asia, enabling it to connect, innovate, and contribute to global solutions. This week, Tbilisi hosted both the Silk Road Forum and the Tbilisi Finance Summit, bringing together decision-makers and leaders from around the world to discuss opportunities for collaboration and partnership. This illustrates how the South Caucasus has emerged as a crucial connectivity hub in an era of major geopolitical, structural, and technological shifts.
Georgia’s diverse landscapes are vulnerable to climate change, but investing in climate-resilient infrastructure and sustainable agriculture can set an example for similar nations. With strong hydroelectric and solar potential, Georgia can scale up renewable energy and become a regional leader in clean energy. Its rich biodiversity also positions it to lead in conservation, reforestation, and sustainable tourism.
Additionally, Georgia is already becoming a digital hub, attracting tech startups and piloting solutions in finance, logistics, and e-governance. Its focus on digital transformation can boost regional connectivity, innovation, and socio-economic development.
In your work across the country, have you come across any inspiring examples—local innovations, community projects, partnerships—that show the real impact of UN support?
During my visits to different regions of Georgia, I’ve seen inspiring examples of local innovation and community-driven projects that show the real impact of UN support and lasting change in local communities. These include partnerships empowering youth, refugees, returned migrants, and women entrepreneurs; grassroots initiatives boosting rural livelihoods through environmental tourism and bio-farming; and municipalities piloting innovative green and digital approaches to renewable energy use and welfare improvement.
For example, climate-smart tools are helping farmers cope with increasingly frequent droughts, floods, and harsh winters. The Georgia Climate Services for Agriculture (GECSA) app, developed by UNDP and the FAO, delivers hyperlocal climate data directly to farmers’ phones. I recently visited the women-led Green Maradisi cooperative in Maradisi village, Marneuli Municipality, where they use the app to optimize irrigation, anticipate pests, and plan planting cycles more effectively. Another example is Machakheli Valley, where green practices such as eco-farming, renewable energy, and sustainable tourism are transforming the lives of over 3,000 residents. With UNDP support and funding from donors such as the EU, Japan, and GEF, households have received energy-efficient stoves and solar panels, while locals have been trained in tourism management and supported to open family guesthouses.
As the UN celebrates its 80th anniversary, what message would you like to share with the people of Georgia about the road ahead—and the kind of world the UN is working to help build?
My message is one of gratitude and shared purpose. Georgia’s partnership with the UN is about building a future that is fair, inclusive, and sustainable for all communities. The road ahead may hold challenges, but continued collaboration and innovation will help us achieve a peaceful, just, and prosperous future anchored in equal opportunities, solidarity, and shared progress.
Interview by Katie Ruth Davies
