Implementation of Georgia’s Human Rights Strategy and Future Approaches

On April 10, Tamar Chugoshvili, First Deputy Chairperson of Parliament, Shombi Sharp, Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Georgia,Natalia Jaliashvili, Head of the Human Rights Secretariat, and Monica Azimi, Director of the Office of Democracy, Governance and Social Development – USAID/Georgia, will open a presentation on the Implementation of Georgia’s Human Rights Strategy: Main Findings and Future Approaches from 9:30 – 13:30, at Tbilisi Marriott Hotel.

The aim of the event is to present the findings of the report on the progress in implementation of the National Strategy for the Protection of Human Rights in Georgia (2014-2020) and recommendations as to future approaches that was prepared by international expert Maggie Nicholson. The report incorporates the findings of the expert’s assessment visit in Georgia carried out between October 29-November 7, 2016, during which she met with various stakeholders, as well as subsequent events.

The report welcomes the significant progress made, to greater and lesser degrees, in almost all subject areas addressed in the National Strategy. In addition to general recommendations, the report makes specific recommendations in relation to justice, penitentiary systems and the prevention of torture and ill-treatment, the right to privacy, freedom of expression, assembly and demonstration, minority rights, rights of children, persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, migrants, gender equality and the right to work.

 It goes on to identify priorities for further action. It is hoped that these will assist the respective state agencies in assessing their own progress and refocusing on how to achieve the central goals of mainstreaming human rights in all government policies and promoting a human rights culture in the country.

The presentation will bring together members of Government and Parliament of Georgia, as well as representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office, diplomatic corps, international organizations and civil society to discuss the current state of human rights in the country and possible approaches for the future.

The presentation is supported by the US Government through USAID’s Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia (PROLoG) activity, which is implemented by the East-West Management Institute, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and is in line with EWMI/PROLoG’s efforts to assist with establishing a system of continuous human rights reform in Georgia and the U.S Government’s efforts to strengthen democratic principles in Georgia.