Wikimedia Georgia (original) (raw)
From Meta, a Wikimedia project coordination wiki
| Wikimedia Georgia | |
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 Georgia |
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| Location |  Georgia |
| Country code | GE |
| Legal status | Non-Entrepreneurial (Non-Commercial) Legal Entity |
| Founding date | February 16, 2015 |
| Approval date | September 5, 2025 |
| Main office | Tbilisi |
| Membership | 18 |
| Staff | 5 |
| Volunteers | 72 |
| Official language(s) | Georgian |
| Other language(s) | Mingrelian Abkhazian |
| Executive Director | Mehman Ibragimov |
| Key people | Board Members Beka Baiashvili (Chair) Mimoza Gholijashvili (Deputy Chair) Mariam Amilakhvari Giga Doguzovi Mariam Kvartskhava |
| Budget | ₾162,080.00 (2026) |
| Reports | WMGE Reports |
| Affiliations | Wikimedia Foundation Wikimedia Europe |
| Former name | Wikimedia Community User Group Georgia |
| Website | wikimedia.gege.wikimedia.org |
| E-mail address | info wikimedia.ge |
| Mailing list | wikiwikimedia.ge |
| @wikimedia_ge | |
| @wikimedia.ge | |
| @wikimedia.ge | |
| YouTube | @wikimedia.georgia |
| Motto | Connect to Learn |
Wikimedia Georgia (Georgian: ვიკიმედია საქართველო), also WMGE, is a Georgian non-profit (non-commercial) organization representing the Wikimedia chapter in Georgia. It aims to promote and develop the Wikimedia projects, the Wikimedia Community in Georgia, and organize events for the Georgian community. One of its core missions is to aid and encourage people to collect, develop, and disseminate knowledge and other educational, cultural, and historical content in the public domain or other licenses that allow everyone to freely use the knowledge and to distribute and modify said content for free.
As a chapter of the global Wikimedia movement, Wikimedia Georgia works to connect local communities with the broader network of Wikimedia editors and affiliates worldwide. In addition to community engagement, the chapter fosters collaborations with educational institutions, cultural organizations, and civil society to advocate for open access and knowledge sharing.
The history of Wikimedia Georgia is closely linked to the development of the Georgian Wikipedia. The Georgian Wikipedia provided the momentum for the creation of a strong Wikimedia community in Georgia, leading to its growth and ultimately forming a stable organization.
In its current form, the history of Wikimedia Georgia began in December 2014 at the Wikimedia Central and Eastern Europe Meeting (Wikimedia CEE Meeting) in Kyiv, Ukraine. Two editors of the Georgian Wikipedia attended this meeting. At that time, the Georgian Wikimedia community was developing in isolation and was not involved in global Wikimedia processes. At the same time, the community was not familiar with the organizational development aspects of Wikimedia.
However, the Georgian Wikipedia editors who traveled to Kyiv met many like-minded people, got to know Wikipedians from other countries in the region, received direction, and realized that it was possible to form a local Wikimedia user group. This marked the beginning of Wikimedia Georgia’s history.
After active work and satisfying all the necessary procedures, on 16 February 2015, the Wikimedia Foundation’s Affiliations Committee recognized the Wikimedia Community User Group Georgia — an organization dedicated to supporting the development of Georgian Wikimedia projects and the Wikimedia community in Georgia.
On September 5, 2025, the Wikimedia Foundation recognized the organization as a Wikimedia chapter. This was made possible through the active work of the Georgian Wikimedia community and members of the organization.
Wikimedia Georgia empowers people in Georgia to create, share, and access free knowledge by supporting the growth of Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects in Georgian and other regional languages. We foster an inclusive and diverse community of contributors and volunteers, promote open access to cultural and educational resources, advocate for free knowledge policies, and build sustainable partnerships to preserve and expand knowledge for everyone.
Bridging Gaps
Wikimedia Georgia aims to reduce content gaps on Georgian Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects by:
- Encouraging contributions from underrepresented communities;
- Organizing workshops, trainings, edit-a-thons, and contests;
- Partnering with GLAM institutions to access resources;
- Improving the quality and quantity of Georgian-related content, including media files;
- Promoting content accuracy and supporting quality improvement efforts.
Community Development
Strengthening and diversifying the local Wikimedia community through:
- Promoting inclusivity and welcoming new contributors;
- Creating training resources and organizing regular meetups, workshops, and WikiCamps;
- Supporting volunteer networks, WikiClubs, and capacity-building initiatives;
- Providing scholarships for contributors.
Advocacy
Wikimedia Georgia will focus on advancing favorable policies for free knowledge and copyright reform by:
- Defining clear advocacy goals;
- Implementing campaigns and collaborative projects;
- Advocating for legalization of Freedom of Panorama in Georgia;
- Collaborating closely with the WMF and WMEU.
Partnership
Expanding and sustaining partnerships to support Wikimedia projects in Georgia by:
- Strengthening collaborations with governmental, cultural, and educational institutions;
- Cooperating with NGOs to promote free knowledge and open access;
- Developing a sustainable partner network;
- Actively participating in WMEU and the CEE Hub to grow regional collaborations.
Organizational Development
Ensuring the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of the organization through:
- Strengthening leadership, governance, and team skills;
- Recruiting and supporting staff to meet the local Wikimedia movement’s needs;
- Regularly reviewing and updating the strategic plan for relevance and impact.
Contributors of Georgian Wikimedia projects and WMGE members actively participate in regional and global Wikimedia events, including the Wikimedia CEE Meeting, Wikimania, and other international conferences. Through these events, they exchange experiences, build partnerships, contribute to global discussions, and strengthen Georgia’s presence within the Wikimedia movement. Wikimedia Georgia actively offers scholarships for volunteers and community members to participate in international and regional Wikimedia events.
- Beka Baiashvili – Chair of the Board of Trustees
- Mimoza Gholijashvili – Deputy Chair
- Mariam Amilakhvari – Member
- Giga Doguzovi – Member
- Mariam Kvartskhava – Member
- Mehman Ibragimov – Executive Director
- David Asriashvili – Administrative Assistant
- Jaba Labadze – WikiClubs Coordinator
- Mikheil Chabukashvili – Project Manager
- Leila Karajaeva – Accountant
Wikimedia Georgia is an open membership Organization, so anyone who meets the requirements of the chapter can become a member of our Organization. To become a member of WMGE click here.
If you want to join us and, together with us, on a volunteer basis, develop and improve Wikimedia projects, please click below on the joining button, sign up, and become a volunteer of our User Group.
On this page you can find a complete list of our volunteers.
Wikimedia Georgia, as a responsible organization and part of the Wikimedia movement, annually presents a report (Activity and Financial) with its activities to the community. The reports are given by year and are available both on the Meta-Wiki and on the official administrative site of Wikimedia Georgia. Please check out our reports on the Meta-Wiki or the Wikimedia GE site.
Bylaws
User Group Approval
Chapter Approval
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