Public Defender’s Office assesses the national institutional mechanisms for gender equality in Georgia

Institutional mechanisms which advance women play a central coordinating role in gender equality policymaking, while equally supporting government-wide mainstreaming of gender equality perspectives throughout every area of policy. These mechanisms were identified as one of the 12 critical areas of concern outlined within the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA), adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women in September 1995.

On 15 April 2022, the Public Defender’s Office, in partnership with UN Women, hosted a presentation of a special report: “Assessing the Effectiveness of National Institutional Mechanisms for Gender Equality in Georgia”. The event was attended by more than 40 representatives of the legislative and executive branches, development partners and civil society organizations.

The report is the first of its kind, and it assesses Georgia’s progress towards establishing strong and effective institutional mechanisms for gender equality in line with international benchmarks. The main findings of the report reveal that Georgia has made significant strides towards establishing well-functioning institutional mechanisms on gender equality. Moreover, despite positive trends in institutional settings over the past decade, these significant challenges are still hampered by complex and expanding mandates, alongside a lack of adequate staff, training, data and financial resources. The report also puts forward a set of recommendations for the Government of Georgia directed towards strengthening national institutional mechanisms for gender equality.

Ekaterine Skhiladze, Deputy Public Defender of Georgia, noted: “We hope that the findings and recommendations captured in this report will support the Government of Georgia in identifying and addressing gaps and challenges and in strengthening institutional mechanisms for gender equality in Georgia.”

The initiative was supported within the framework of the “Good Governance for Gender Equality in Georgia” project, implemented by UN Women and generously supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.