Council of Europe Office in Georgia and the Governmental Administration hosted on 13 February a conference to present the recommendations provided to Georgia by GREVIO, the independent expert body which monitors the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention), as well as by the Committee of the Parties to the Istanbul Convention. At the event, representatives of non-governmental organisations and academia together with the State agencies and Maria-Andriani Kostopoulou, GREVIO member and second vice-president of GREVIO, discussed the steps to take to implement the 16 recommendations approved by the Committee of the Parties to the Convention in December 2022. The recommendations are the most pressing as indicated in the first GREVIO baseline report on Georgia published in November 2022. Georgia is to submit a report on the implementation of the recommendations to the Committee of the Parties by the end of 2025.
"Women and youth for the implementation of women, peace and security agenda at the local level" - the Women Fund "Sukhumi" organized a civil forum on this topic in Kutaisi, Hotel Bagrati.
The forum was attended by representatives of the legislative and executive structures of Kutaisi, Tskaltubo, Khoni, Senaki and Zugdidi municipalities, as well as members of the women working groups.
The participants got acquainted with the results of the research conducted for the assessment of the needs of IDP and conflict-affected communities and the dynamics of the process of localization of the Resolution 1325 action plan on the example of all five municipalities. They were informed about the successful advocacy of the IDP women working groups and about the Resolution 1325 National Action Plan.
In the second part of the forum, during the group work, further prospects for the localization of the Resolution 1325 action plan of all individual municipalities were identified.
At the end of the forum, representatives of all five municipalities were awarded with letters of thanks for their active cooperation.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
On February 22, the Women Fund „Sukhumi“ participated in the preparatory consultation for the forthcoming 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in 2023 which focuses on “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”.
The consultation with all stakeholders, including Women CSO, international organizations and International NGOs was organized by the Government of Ukraine together with the UN Women. During the consultation the gendered implications of war on women and girls both inside and outside of Ukraine, as well as their role in leading and driving change was highlighted.
During the panel discussions different topics were explored, namely how technology and digital solutions are playing an integral role in addressing the socio-economic needs of war-effected women across the region, and how technologies and digital economy could efficiently facilitate gender responsive recovery and development and reduce existing gender digital gaps.
Together with OSCE – The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the WAVE Network in collaboration with four WAVE members: Sexual Assault Crisis Center (Yerevan, Armenia), Women Fund Sukhumi (Kutaisi and Tbilisi, Georgia), Foundation United Women Banja Luka (Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina), and Centre “Women’s Perspectives” (Lviv, Ukraine).
Based on the specific knowledge and experiences of women’s CSOs throughout war settings, the toolkit not only presents the harm and challenges posed by conflicts but also documents promising first-hand practices with concrete examples and recommendations.
PREVENTING AND RESPONDING TO GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE DURING THE WAR AND IN POST-WAR SETTINGS EXPERIENCES AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF WOMEN’S NGOS The authors of the toolkit presented their strategies related to different conflict stages:
A training on organizational development was held in Batumi. The following topics were discussed during the training: what is the scheme of roles in the organization, powers and responsibilities in the organization, how is the rule of exchanging information between different management levels determined, what is the optimal number of employees, what skills are necessary for them and how the results of the Fund activities be increased.
The project is implemented with the support the Equality Fund (Canada)
The Women Fund "Sukhumi" organized the action of women's solidarity in Kutaisi in front of Lado Meskhishvili State Academic Theater - thus the organization joined the march of the women's movement in Georgia "Women against total control!".
The action was attended by women activists of the organization, beneficiaries from four regions of Western Georgia, local civil society organizations and ordinary citizens.
The participants of the action demonstrated a common position regarding the Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia, which is declared in the Constitution of Georgia.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The round table in Chokhatauri City Hall was attended by the officials of the City Hall, law enforcement agencies, representatives of the education sector and various departments that work on issues of violence against women and children and are members of the interdepartmental commission on the prevention of violence against women and / or domestic violence, protection and assistance to victims of violence.
The meeting participants spoke about the facts of femicide, the problem of domestic violence and the importance of cooperation with local structures. Attention was focused on the ways of referencing, the importance of inter-agency cooperation and coordination, which will contribute to the prevention of violence.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Our organization has been cooperating with Khobi municipality for many years. Work will be renewed again. That was the reason of conducting this meeting.
Tea Goletiani and Khatuna Gogua, representatives of the Fund "Sukhumi", met with the Chairperson of Khobi City Council Levan Kavtaradze, Deputy Mayor David Beraya, City Council and City Hall specialists on the issues of gender equality.
The aim of the information meeting was cooperation between the municipality and the Women Fund in terms of strengthening women's rights and promoting gender equality.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The Women Initiative Group of Tskaltubo actively advocates for improving the social profile of IDPs - in particular, several problems were advocated and resolved with the participation of local authorities.
The Women Initiative Group is also actively engaged in advocating for the problems that need to be solved.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
Khoni Women Initiative Group is actively working to improve the living conditions of IDPs. They have advocated for several infrastructure issues. They also monitor the advocacy of issues that have not yet been resolved.
In February, the group conducted active communication with displaced populations to highlight their needs and then advocate them.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization