Georgia’s Assessed Progress on Human Rights over the Past Six Years

Commissioned by the European Union, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), today, on October 18 an independent expert presented a report on legislative and policy reforms of Georgia over the past six years. The assessment, prepared by the independent human rights expert Maggie Nicholson, covered all major areas of Georgia’s National Human Rights Strategy for 2014-2020. The report showcased significant achievements of Georgia in protecting and improving human rights over the past six years. 

The report also included recommendations on closing human rights gaps. The country’s top priorities, according to the findings of an independent human rights expert, include protecting the independence of judges and prosecutors, preventing discrimination, defending media pluralism and developing a culture of transparent, democratic law-making.

The report was commissioned under the joint EU-UN “Human Rights for All” programme, which was implemented over nearly four years by four UN agencies: UNDP, OHCHR, UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The “Human Rights for All” program helped with the implementation and monitoring of Georgia’s National Human Rights Strategy for 2014-2020 and accompanying Action Plans for 2016-2017 and 2018-2020 in areas prioritized by EU-Georgia agreements. These prioritized agreements included: the rights of minorities and vulnerable groups; internal and external oversight of law enforcement; labor rights, freedom of expression and information; the protection of privacy and personal data, as well as child rights.

By Nini Dakhundaridze