July 28, Tbilisi, Expo Georgia, Pavilion 3, 10:00 a.m. – U.S. Ambassador Ian Kelly, together with the Czech Republic Ambassador Tomáš Pernický and the Minister of Labor, Health and Social Affairs David Sergeenko, will mark the culmination of USAID’s ARDG project with a conference on drug addiction in Georgia.

Addiction research is essential to preventing and controlling HIV/AIDs around the world. Because the majority of HIV/AIDs cases in Georgia are concentrated among injecting drug users, USAID has invested over $9 million during the past decade in HIV prevention in Georgia, with a focus on drug addiction.

ARDG was a two-year project, jointly funded by the U.S. Government, through USAID, and the Czech Government, through the Czech Development Agency. One of the project’s core achievements is the General Population Survey (GPS) on Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drug Use Practices, which was conducted for the first time this year not only in Georgia, but also in countries throughout the former Soviet Union. The Survey results will be presented at the event.

ARDG is an excellent example of U.S. and European cooperation to improve the lives of Georgia’s citizens while also helping Georgia achieve its sustainable development goal and progress toward Euro-Atlantic integration. The project was implemented by a local NGO, Alternative Georgia, in collaboration with the Addictology Department of Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.

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