Duration: 1 November 2024 – 31 October 2028

Introduction and Overview

The Comprehensive Approach to Integrated and Accessible Mental Health in Georgia (COMPASS-GE) project aims to systematically strengthen Georgia’s mental healthcare system through rights-based, evidence-informed policies and practices. Funded by the European Commission under the Support to Civil Society 2024 programme, the project brings together five partner organizations led by Global Initiative on Psychiatry – Tbilisi, with Curatio International Foundation leading the Mental Health System Assessment Study. COMPASS-GE addresses major gaps in policy, service quality, and access to care by generating local evidence, promoting human rights-based approaches, and building the capacity of professionals and service users. Over its four-year duration (2024–2028), the project seeks to enhance evidence-based policymaking, improve the quality and reach of mental health services, and strengthen collaboration between state institutions, professionals, and people with lived experience. Ultimately, COMPASS-GE supports Georgia’s alignment with EU and WHO mental health standards by fostering accessible, equitable, and recovery-oriented mental health care.

Organizations Involved

• Global Initiative on Psychiatry
• Curatio International Foundation (CIF)
• Alliance for Better Mental Health (ABMH)
• Alternative Georgia (ALTGEO)
• The CARe Network (Netherlands)

Project Outcome

The COMPASS-GE project aims to strengthen Georgia’s mental healthcare system through rights-based, evidence-informed reforms and practices. The project’s outcomes are threefold:

1. Evidence-based policymaking is strengthened – Mental health policies and legislation are revised in line with international human rights and EU standards, ensuring participatory and inclusive policy development.
2. Quality and accessibility of services are improved – Service delivery across the prevention–treatment–recovery continuum is enhanced, with updated care models, improved coordination, and increased satisfaction among service users and providers.
3. Access to equitable and rights-based care is expanded – More individuals, especially vulnerable groups, are able to access community-based, integrated, and recovery-oriented mental health services, supported by digital tools and awareness initiatives.

Collectively, these outcomes will contribute to a more effective, inclusive, and sustainable mental health system in Georgia—one that upholds dignity, human rights, and equal access to care for all.