This page states what the Public Health Institute of Georgia is in law, how it is governed, and where it stands in relation to the international organisations whose recognition matters for a public health institute. It follows the practice of institutes and NGOs that publish their status, memberships and applications openly, and it is updated whenever a status changes.
Legal status
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Legal form | Non-profit (non-entrepreneurial, non-commercial) legal entity registered in Georgia |
| Registered name | Public Health Institute of Georgia (PHIG) — საქართველოს საზოგადოებრივი ჯანმრთელობის ინსტიტუტი |
| Registration | Public Registry of Georgia (National Agency of Public Registry); identification number 404407815; registered 9 September 2011, Tbilisi; legal representative Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze |
| Registered office | 3 Betlemi Rise, Tbilisi, Georgia |
| European office | 32 Boulevard de Rochechouart, 75018 Paris, France (through Accréditation Sans Frontières, the institute’s international accreditation partner, registered in Paris) |
| Governing body | Board chaired by Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD; the Chair is the legal representative |
| Profit distribution | None; all income reinvested in the institute’s programmes (see financial sustainability) |
| Advertising and sponsorship | None accepted from companies whose products or services the network assesses |
| Tobacco industry | No relationship of any kind, no funding, no contact beyond what the law requires (WHO FCTC Article 5.3 applied to the institute itself); extends to nicotine and vaping |
| Annual reporting | Summary of activities, income and spending published each year |
Reports and accounts
Under the Policy Framework the first annual report and summary accounts for a full year (2026) are due by 30 June 2027; activity summaries and financial statements for earlier years are available to donors and auditors on request. PHIG does not publish figures it cannot source; where a page cites PHIG’s own records, the record is available on request.
Related parties and concentration of roles
PHIG discloses the following because a reader assessing its independence should know it. The Chair, Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, is also: founder and President of Accréditation Sans Frontières (Paris), PHIG’s alliance partner and the body that delivers accreditation; owner of Media Holding “Sheni”, the private Georgian-language media network that distributes PHIG’s public information; Editor-in-Chief of the Georgian Medical Journal, which PHIG publishes; Head of the School of Public Health at David Tvildiani Medical University; and, in a personal capacity, a consultant to WHO and a former member of the UN Secretary-General’s Independent Accountability Panel. These roles are declared under Policy 01; ASF and Sheni are related parties under Policy 15 §4, so any transaction with them is approved by the Board without the Chair, at arm’s length, and listed in the annual summary. Editorial decisions of the journal and the platforms are protected from management under Policy 26. One Board member is a family member of the Chair; this is disclosed on the governance page with the safeguards applied. Personal appointments of the Chair are not institutional relationships of PHIG; PHIG’s own standing with WHO, the UN, the ILO and the EU is exactly as stated in the table above.
How established institutes present their standing
Public health institutes and NGOs that are taken seriously by governments and funders publish three things: their legal registration, their governance and accounts, and their formal relationships with the international system. The relationships that matter most for an institute like PHIG are these:
| Status or membership | Granted by | What it means | Main requirements | PHIG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consultative status with ECOSOC | United Nations Economic and Social Council (Committee on NGOs) | The standard UN recognition of an NGO: attendance and written statements at UN meetings, access to UN bodies in Geneva and New York | At least two years of registered existence; activity relevant to ECOSOC; democratic governance; transparent funding; application through the UN NGO portal | Application in preparation |
| Official relations with WHO | World Health Organization, under the Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors (FENSA) | Formal recognition by WHO; participation in the World Health Assembly and regional committees | Three years of documented collaboration with WHO under a plan, then an application; due diligence on governance and funding | In contact with the WHO Country Office in Georgia on the pathway to official relations |
| WHO Collaborating Centre | WHO, through the regional office | Designation of an institution to support WHO programmes in a defined field | Institutional track record with WHO in the field; designation by the Director-General | Long-term objective (health and migration; quality and safety of care) |
| ILO Special List of NGOs | International Labour Organization | Recognition of an international NGO whose aims are in harmony with the ILO’s; invitations to ILO meetings | International character; aims and activities relevant to the ILO; application to the Director-General | Planned, through the Georgian Institute of Labour Studies |
| Participatory status with the Council of Europe | Council of Europe Conference of INGOs | Participation in the Conference of INGOs and in the Council’s work | Representative international NGO active in the Council’s fields | To be assessed |
| EU Transparency Register | European Parliament, Council and Commission | Registration of organisations that engage with EU institutions; a condition for meetings and consultations | Registration with declared interests and funding | Planned (through ASF’s Paris office) |
| IANPHI membership | International Association of National Public Health Institutes | The association of national public health institutes; peer exchange and capacity-building | National public health institute status, or associate membership for institutes with national functions | Associate membership to be explored |
| WFPHA membership | World Federation of Public Health Associations (Geneva) | Membership of the federation of public health associations, in official relations with WHO | Public health association or institute; application and fee | Application in preparation |
| EUPHA membership | European Public Health Association | European network of public health associations and institutes | Association or institutional membership; fee | Application in preparation |
| ISQua membership and EEA accreditation | International Society for Quality in Health Care | Membership of the global quality society; accreditation of accreditation standards and organisations | Membership open; EEA accreditation of standards by assessment | Through Accréditation Sans Frontières: membership and standards submission in preparation |
| Crossref membership | Crossref | DOI registration for scholarly publications | Publisher membership | Held — member #56297, DOI prefix 10.66636 (Georgian Medical Journal) |
| Accreditation Canada representation | Accreditation Canada / HSO | Representation of Accreditation Canada in Georgia | Agreement with Accreditation Canada | Held — Georgia office since 2023 |
Status lines are updated when an application is submitted, accepted or declined. “Planned” and “in preparation” mean exactly that: no claim is made before a status is granted.
Why this matters
These recognitions are not decoration. ECOSOC status opens the UN system; WHO official relations and ILO listing give a voice in the organisations whose guidance the institute applies; the professional federations (WFPHA, EUPHA, IANPHI, ISQua) place the institute among its peers and subject it to their standards. Each one also requires the transparency this site already practises — published governance, declared funding, no outcome-linked money — which is why the applications are feasible.
Enquiries about PHIG’s status, statutes or accounts: info@accreditation.ge.
PHIG Policy Framework → — the seventy-five policies by which the institute governs itself, written to EU, US, WHO/UN and bilateral donor standards and the Core Humanitarian Standard.