Related items

• Statement on International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls

  This joint statement is issued by the United Nations system in Georgia, the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the NATO Liaison Office in Georgia, and the Embassies to Georgia of Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

  On this International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, we call for action to end violence against women and girls in all its forms – from sexual harassment and abuse to child marriage and  femicide. Globally, nearly one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence at least once, the majority of them assaulted by their husband or partner.[1] In Georgia, violence against women and girls remains a critical problem despite decisive steps taken by the government and civil society to combat these horrific human rights violations. Such violence is rooted in gender inequality and is in turn further perpetuating discrimination of women and girls. As a result, our societies are less peaceful and less just, and our economies are less prosperous.

  Eliminating violence against women and girls will require strengthening and enforcing legislation and policies to protect their rights and to promote gender equality, to ensure full protection and support to survivors of violence, and to end impunity for all perpetrators. To make this happen, it is vital to raise awareness and promote women’s leadership at every stage of decision-making. We especially emphasize the urgent need to take concrete steps in order to eliminate violence against women in politics, which prevents women’s meaningful participation in Georgian democracy. According to the latest data, 54 per cent of female candidates have experienced physical, psychological, economic, or sexual violence and harassment during their election campaigns or political careers.[2] Sexist hate speech is often used against women politicians in social media, including attacks based on their gender identity, appearance, intellectual abilities, and moral criteria.[3]

  Economic violence is one of the most hidden forms of violence in Georgia, forcing the victim to stay with the perpetrator. Challenges remain in reducing the gender pay gap[4], women’s equal access to financial resources, inheritance rights, employment opportunities, recognizing and redistributing unpaid and care work. Improving child protection systems, access to education and adolescent-friendly health services is of paramount importance to combat violence against girls.

  We call on all stakeholders, including political parties, the government, civil society organizations and the media to work towards a future where women are empowered to participate fully and equally in economic, social and political life, without fear of violence or harassment.

  ___________________

  [1] Facts and figures: Ending violence against women, available at: https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures

  [2] Violence Against Women in Politics in Georgia, available at: https://georgia.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2023/08/violence-against-women-in-politics-in-georgia

  [3] Election Monitoring Report: Sexism and Gender Stereotypes in Social Media, available at: https://www.undp.org/georgia/publications/gender-bias-social-media-2020

  [4] In 2022 the adjusted hourly gender pay gap equaled 15.4%. The same indicator calculated at the monthly level equaled 23.0%, available at: https://www.geostat.ge/media/57459/Adjusted-gender-pay-gap---2022.pdf 

• Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili sets out for Baku

  Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has set out for Baku on the invitation of President Ilham Aliyev. On November 24, the Head of Government will attend the SPECA (United Nations Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia) Baku Economic Forum as Guest of Honor.
  
  The Prime Minister of Georgia will deliver a speech at the Summit of Heads of State scheduled within the scope of the forum. Irakli Garibashvili will also meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
  
  Marking the 25th anniversary of the SPECA, this year's forum will be chaired by Azerbaijan.

  Press Service of the Government Administration

• VIDEO / Prime Minister of Georgia Attends a Funeral Service of Military and Civilian Citizens of Georgia Deemed Missing after the Armed Conflict of 1990’s Relocated from the Occupied Territory of Abkhazia

  Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia accompanied by Members of Government, attended a funeral service of the military and civilian citizens of Georgia deemed missing after the armed conflict of 1990's that have been relocated from the occupied territory of Abkhazia today.

  The Prime Minister of Georgia paid tribute to the memory of the deceased at the Trinity Cathedral and expressed condolences to their family members.

  Out of the 20 identified individuals that were deemed missing, 14 are military and 6 - civilians.

  Within the scope of a mechanism designed to locate the missing individuals after the armed conflict of 1990's and a war of 2008 August, first round of identification and relocation of the corpses occurred in 2013. To this day, corpses of 604 individuals have been located, out of which 265 are identified.

  Press Service of the Government Administration

   

• Statement of the United Nations in Georgia regarding the draft laws on amendments to the Tobacco Control Law

  

  The UN in Georgia maintains that the draft laws initiated in the Georgian Parliament on October 16, 2023 is damaging to public health. The proposed changes seek to exclude heated tobacco products from standardized packaging regulations, extend the sale of tobacco products with old packaging for another eight months, and modify the requirement to display brand and variant information in the state language of Georgia, by allowing also display in English.

  Protecting public health and effective tobacco control policy are paramount. Governments must act to protect public health policies from tobacco industry interference as per Art. 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Allowing these changes would prioritize the financial interests of tobacco companies over the interest of public health.

  Almost one-third of adults and a substantial portion of adolescents and young people in Georgia are using tobacco. Tobacco-related direct healthcare costs and indirect costs due to premature mortality and disability and workplace costs exceed 800 million GEL annually, with the number of deaths surpassing 11,000[1]. Addressing this situation necessitates long-term and steadfast implementation of comprehensive and effective tobacco control policies. Georgia took a positive step with the adoption of strong tobacco control legislation in 2017, which yielded initial results through effective implementation. However, to achieve a sustained reduction in tobacco use rates and mitigate its catastrophic impact, full implementation and further strengthening of tobacco control legislation and state policies are required.

  Standardized packaging regulations under the new tobacco control legislation were originally intended to take effect on January 1, 2018, then unfortunately postponed to December 31, 2022, and subsequently extended once more to July 1, 2024. This delay and other proposed changes are unjustifiable and further delays the demonstrable benefits that plain packaging provides.

  As of today, many countries in Europe and globally have demonstrated that plain packaging is an effective tobacco control measure. It reduces the appeal of tobacco products, enhances the impact of health warnings, diminishes consumer deception, and ultimately reduces tobacco consumption rates.

  We urge the Parliament of Georgia  to reject the proposed  changes and we hope that it will continue the policy announced at the highest level in the field of health protection and tobacco control, protect the legislation from the interests of the tobacco industry, including the implementation of standardized packaging of tobacco products.

  ---

  [1] UNDP/WHO/NCDC Tobacco Control Investment Case study, 2017

• Azerbaijan launches localised anti-terrorist operation in Karabakh

  Baku/19.09.23/Turan: The Azerbaijani armed forces launched an anti-terrorist operation in Karabakh on 19 September, the Defence Ministry said at noon.

  Systematic shelling, mining of territories, strengthening of combat positions, growth in the number of trenches and dugouts by the Armenian armed forces in Karabakh has caused increased tensions, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

  There is observed strengthening of combat positions with personnel, armoured vehicles, artillery and other firepower, bringing units to a high level of combat readiness, creation of additional mobilisation units, expansion of reconnaissance activities, penetration deep into the positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces to repeatedly mine cleared territories and civilian roads for sabotage and terrorist purposes, the statement said. 

  On 19 September in Karabakh, 6 people, including four policemen, were killed as a result of mines planted by Armenian saboteurs.

  Local anti-terrorist measures have been launched in the region "in order to ensure the provisions of the Trilateral Statement of November 2020, the suppression of large-scale provocations in the Karabakh Economic region, the disarmament and withdrawal of the armed forces of Armenia from our territories, the neutralization of their military infrastructure, ensuring the safety of civilians who have returned to the territories liberated from occupation and civil servants involved in the construction and restoration work and our military, as well as the restoration of the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan".

  Within the framework of the measures mentioned above, positions of the Armenian armed forces formations, their long-term firing points, as well as military means and military facilities are put out of action using high-precision weapons in the front line and in depth.

  We reiterate that the civilian population and civilian infrastructure are not targets, only legitimate military targets are taken out of action.

  The command of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation and the leadership of the Turkish-Russian Monitoring Centre have been informed about the activities," the statement said.

  Within the framework of the measures, positions of the Armenian armed forces formations, their long-term firing points, as well as military means and military facilities are put out of action using high-precision weapons in the front line and in depth.

  We reiterate that the civilian population and civilian infrastructure are not targets, only legitimate military targets are taken out of action.

  The command of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation and the leadership of the Turkish-Russian Monitoring Centre have been informed about the activities," the statement said.