Georgian Government Works With UN to Enhance Personal Data Protection

TBILISI – Representatives of the Georgian Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) held a working meeting on Tuesday to discuss specific institutional and legal mechanisms aimed at better protecting the personal data of Georgian citizens.

At the meeting, the two sides decided that in the coming three years, UNDP will work closely with the Public Service Development Agency (PSDA), an exclusive provider of identification documents in Georgia and the operator of the largest citizen database in the country, to enhance personal data protection.

“We acknowledge the critical importance of personal data protection and spare no effort in trying to increase the institutional capacities of the PSDA to introduce the best international practices in our work and increase citizen awareness,” Giorgi Pataridze, PSDA Chairperso said.

By 2016, PSDA has succeeded in meeting the personal data protection requirements described by the European Union Visa Liberalization Action Plan and is seeking to sustain and further advance its procedures in this field.

“The UN supports Georgia in its effort to enhance human rights protection in the areas prioritized by the EU-Georgia agreements. The protection of privacy and personal information is an important part of this assistance,” Natia Natsvlishvili, the Assistant Resident Representative of the UNDP in Georgia said.

The assistance provided to the Public Service Development Agency is part of the “Human Rights for All” United Nations program funded by the European Union.

By Tamar Svanidze
Edited by Nicholas Waller