Progress and challenges of Georgia's Women, Peace and Security agenda discussed at conference
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A conference was held in Tbilisi highlighting Georgia's commitments under UN Security Council resolutions 1325 et al: “Georgia's National Action Plan for the Implementation of UN SCR on Women, Peace and Security - Progress, Challenges, Way Forward”.
Supported by UN Women, the conference offered space to engage the state agencies, local and regional governance bodies, civil society organizations (CSOs) and development partners in a discussion on the implementation of the previous years’ plans and examining new priorities reflected in the subsequent cycle of the 2018-2020 National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP WPS).
The third generation NAP development process was launched in August 2017 by the coordination mechanism formed at the executive branch, the Inter-Agency Commission on Gender Equality, Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. Since August, the Government has invited CSOs to provide their recommendations on several occasions, including a drafting workshop along with implementing state agencies. Thus, the conference also served as a platform for CSOs to observe their contributions to the NAP and further propose efficient procedures to increase civil society’s involvement in NAP monitoring and implementation throughout the next three years.
Ms. Erika Kvapilova, UN Women Country Representative in Georgia, opened the conference and was followed by Ms. Sopo Japaridze, Assistant to the Prime Minister on Human Rights and Gender Equality Issues and Chair of the Inter-Agency Commission, who reported on the achieved progress and setbacks of the 2017-2018 NAP WPS.
Senior level decision makers and deputy ministers from the line ministries (Ministry of Defence; Ministry of Internal Affairs; Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees; and the Office of the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality), who also serve as members of the Inter-Agency Commission, participated in the discussion session and confirmed the readiness of their respective state agencies to push forward the WPS agenda.
A special session was dedicated to the monitored results of the 2017-2018 NAP WPS presented by the Public Defender's Office, NGO Women’s Information Center and IDP Women's Association "Consent." The set of recommendations presented as a result of monitoring and consultations with the grassroots included localizing the NAP, creating spaces for involving conflict-affected women and girls in decision-making and policy-planning processes at the local level, expanding needs-based targeted programmes, and improving communication and increasing cooperation among regional CSOs, local administrative bodies and the central Government. Budgeting of the NAP remained at the top of the CSO recommendations.
Capping the conference was an examination of the main directions, goals and activities under the draft 2018-2020 NAP WPS.
According to Ms. Japaridze, inputs from the conference sessions will be further integrated into the NAP and will be circulated among the grass-roots organizations, municipalities and wider public for feedback, comments and suggestions. The new NAP should be adopted by Governmental decree in early 2018.