A meeting was held at the Tbilisi City Municipal Assembly, where Georgia’s Public Defender, Levan Ioseliani, presented the 2024 report titled “Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms in Georgia.”
During the discussion of the document, special attention was paid to the realization of human rights in local self-governments.
The meeting was held with the support of the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG) and was attended by the heads of Eastern Georgia municipalities, the Deputy Chairman of the Tbilisi Assembly, Giga Akhvelediani, NALAG’s Executive Director, Nino Rukhadze, and her deputy, Lasha Archvadze, as well as representatives of the Public Defender’s Office.
Within the framework of the meeting, the Public Defender presented the findings and recommendations reflected in the report, which detailed the state of human rights protection at the local level and the main challenges. The presentation focused on significant issues such as addressing the needs of vulnerable groups, ensuring equal access to services, and special attention was given to the topic of women’s quotas in local self-government elections.
Following the presentation, municipal representatives noted that they welcome the format of direct communication and dialogue between the Public Defender and local self-governments. According to their assessment, such cooperation enables municipalities to better address shortcomings and improve their operations. Additionally, it is important for the Public Defender to have a complete and objective understanding of the causes of problems and the real circumstances in which municipalities operate.
Both sides confirmed their openness and readiness for cooperation to effectively implement human rights protection at the local level through joint efforts.
At the meeting, the parties also agreed that municipalities will be involved in the process at the stage of preparing special reports, which will allow the Public Defender to hear their positions and ensure that the challenges reflected in the reports are presented objectively and comprehensively.