On November 20, the study “Mapping of Emerging and Potential Clusters in Georgia” carried out by the ISET Policy Institute in cooperation with local and international partners was presented at the stakeholder forum ‘Promoting strong and competitive business in Georgia’ organized by the EU and the four UN agencies – UNDP, FAO, UNIDO and IOM, under their joint effort for strong and competitive private sector in Georgia. Over 100 representatives of private companies, business associations and international organizations took part in the forum to discuss business development trends in Georgia, as well as the competitive potential of the private sector on national and EU markets. The forum was attended by officials from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Parliamentary Committee on Diaspora and Caucasus Issues.

The study has been commissioned by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). UNIDO is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. Under the overall guidance of the UNIDO Senior Industrial Development Officer ISET in partnership with two other organizations, TBSC and ABSO, has performed mapping of emerging and potential clusters in Georgia with a focus on manufacturing and agribusiness sectors.

The study examines economic context of all the regions in Georgia with a focus on the overall macroeconomic profile and the economic structure, and discusses major geographical agglomerations, with cluster development potential identified through quantitative and qualitative analysis. The report also presents country-level cluster selection matrix and prioritizes identified potential clusters according to the pre-determined factors.