Kolbaia: Informal settlements legalized in Georgia through systematic land registration

The Georgian government continues to actively implement large-scale social programs aimed at providing housing for internally displaced persons (IDPs), young families, and families with small children, Tinatin Kolbaia, first Deputy Head of the Division of Environmental and Social Issues, said at an event as part of WUF13 in Baku, Report informs.

She recalled that as a result of the conflicts of the 1990s, approximately 300,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were displaced to other regions of Georgia from Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs continues to build housing for IDPs and provides them with affordable housing.

At the same time, the state subsidizes mortgages to support young families and families with children under one year of age.

According to Kolbaia, the Tbilisi City Hall is implementing programs to restore dilapidated housing and cultural heritage sites in the city's historic districts.

"Certainly, in the process of urban renewal, we face the challenges of gentrification, but this problem is relevant today for most developing countries," the speaker emphasized.

In conclusion, she added that Georgia has already completed a project on systematic land registration with the support of the World Bank. This reform, she noted, has become a good example of the legalization of informal settlements, allowing citizens to formally register ownership of their homes.