Overview

UNDP, in cooperation with the Government of Georgia, with funds from Green Climate Fund (GCF) aims to adapt to climate change and foster a proactive integrated climate risk management (CRM) approach centred around risk reduction, prevention and preparedness through the establishment of a multi-hazard early warning system (MHEWS) and enhanced use of climate information in planning and decision-making across all sectors. 

The project will address the main barriers to the establishment of MHEWS and all other aspects of a priori climate risk management required to support an effective MHEWS. 

The project will achieve transformative change in climate risk reduction and management in Georgia by developing a fully integrated impact-based MHEWS. In doing so it will introduce a standardised hazard, risk and vulnerability assessment, mapping methods and technologies and provide critical climate risk information to enable the implementation of nationwide risk reduction policies. Importantly, it will develop long-term institutional and community capacities in climate risk reduction (CRR), climate change adaptation (CCA) and MHEWS. The project will thus catalyse a paradigm shift towards climate risk-informed and resilient development and will directly benefit up to 1.7 million people (40% of the population) currently at risk from hydrometeorological hazards.

What We Do

The project’s objective is to reduce exposure of Georgia’s communities, livelihoods and infrastructure to climate-induced natural hazards through a number of activities which include: 

• Procurement, installation and operationalization of new hydrometeorological monitoring equipment;
• Identification and application of approach and tools for gender-sensitive socio-economic vulnerability assessments;
• Multi-hazard disaster risk data repository centralizing information management, applying relevant data protocols and with an accessible knowledge portal in place;
• Design and introduction of MHEWS covering all 11 river basins of Georgia;
• Access and use of tailored climate weather information products and advice to farmers/agricultural enterprises;
• Climate-informed multi-hazard risk management (MHRM) responsive system, including basin-level multi-hazard risk management plans and municipal-level multi-hazard response and preparedness plans;
• Participatory community-based adaptation planning reinforced through community-based early warning schemes and community-based climate risk management;
• Public awareness and capacity building to effectively deliver climate risk information for communities and local first responders;
• Implementation of the project selected from 13 shortlisted sites for location-specific priority risk reduction interventions.  

Results

• In 2021, Georgia became a member of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) to improve forecasting capabilities.
• In 2025, the programme helped establish a partnership between the National Environment Agency and the European Meteorological Network EUMETNET to enhance forecasting, climate services, and early-warning systems.
• Out of 154 planned stations, 150 are already in place. That includes 94 meteorological, 43 hydrometeorological and 13 agrometeorological observation networks. 
• The upper-air sounding system (comprising radiosondes, weather balloons, parachutes, and a hydrogen generator) has been installed in Poti and will become operational shortly. It will enable the systematic collection of critical atmospheric data, strengthening the accuracy of forecasts and early warnings for extreme weather events. 
• The Georgian Climate Service for Agriculture, GECSA, is fully operational in two pilot regions, Kakheti and Shida Kartli, with over 1,000 users so far. 
• Geological monitoring stations have been installed in 11 landslide-prone locations.
• For quality data processing and storage, a high-performance computer (HPC) was purchased for the National Environment Agency, which has been operating since 2021. The central information system is being updated, which ensures the automatic delivery of information from monitoring stations. 
• The information and communication technology (ICT) system of the hydrometeorological services is being upgraded in cooperation with the Finnish Meteorological Institute. As part of this process, the development of the new SartMet and SmartAlert mobile applications is nearing completion. These applications will provide broader public access to weather forecasts and climate information, thereby strengthening the effective delivery of early warnings. 
• The Multi-Hazard Disaster Risk Information System (MHDRIS) has been developed and deployed at the Emergency Management Service (EMS), where hazard and risk information for all 11 river basins has been uploaded. The system aims to provide critical information about existing threats and risks to various government agencies and the population. The plan is to continue working closely with the EMS to agree on a data-sharing protocol, ultimately enabling public access.
• Multi-Hazard Risk Management plans have been prepared for four river basins (Khobistskali, Kintrishi, Natanebi and Supsa). The development of the river basin-level risk management plans have been initiated for the remaining 7 river basins (out of 11) and will be completed in 2026. 
• Emergency Management Plans have been developed for 11 municipalities, of which six, Akhmeta, Gori, Kobuleti, Lagodekhi, Signagi and Telavi - have been officially adopted by their respective local authorities. The remaining five municipalities, Abasha, Khobi, Samtredia, Senaki and Tbilisi, and are yet to adopt their plans. 
• Based on hazard maps and the socio-economic vulnerability assessment, the most vulnerable communities to the hazards are being identified, and relevant measures are being developed and implemented. The programme has identified the 100 most vulnerable communities covering both Western and Eastern Georgia. At this stage, Community-Based Climate Risk Management (CBCRM) planning has been carried out in 45 of the most vulnerable communities in Western Georgia, with ongoing implementation of non-structural measures in 15 communities (out of these 45) in the, Kintrishi, Natanebi and Supsa river basins. This includes the implementation of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) measures outlined in the CBCRM plans, such as tree planting, small gabions, and riverbed/channel clearance. The implementation of CBDRM in the remaining 30 communities commenced in autumn 2025, and 50 of the most vulnerable communities in East Georgia will be covered from next year. 
• In partnership with the Roads Department of the Ministry of Infrastructure, flood-protective infrastructure is being built in 15 locations throughout the country.  Works have been finalised at 12 locations, with the construction of the last and largest GCF-funded site currently underway.
• The assessment and development of institutional capacities of various state institutions are underway. Training in forecasting, hazard assessment, modelling, and other related topics is provided for employees of relevant departments in multiple agencies and municipalities. 
• In partnership with the Environmental Information and Education Centre of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, awareness-raising and capacity-building activities have been conducted, reaching a total of 46 municipalities to date, with over 10,000 people trained so far, and over 200 youngsters have participated in the Green Camp “Young Climate Ambassadors”.
• 128 students from eight Georgian universities received “Green Scholarships” to continue their graduate studies in ecology, hydrology, geology, energy, mineral resources management, sustainable development and environmental policy. 
• UNDP supported a range of activities aimed at awareness-raising and knowledge-building: local Community Forums, and annual contests for the media, community-based organisations, and public schools.