The FINANCIAL — On 25 January 2017, the Committee on the Rights of the Child considered at its 74th session the fourth periodic report of Georgia under the Convention of the Rights of the Child.
Georgian delegation, headed by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia, Khatuna Totladze participated in the committee session. Noteworthy that in the view of the importance of the rights of the child for Georgia, delegation included high level representatives from executive, judicial as well as legislative authorities, according to MFA of Georgia.
In her introductory statement, Ms. Totladze overviewed the legislative and institutional reforms undertaken for the purpose of implementation of the Convention as well as steps undertaken by the authorities, which resulted in the improvement of the children’s rights in Georgia. In her introductory statement, the head of the delegation paid particular attention to the grave situation with regard to the protection of children’s rights in the occupied territories of Georgia.
The session was held in the format of an open dialogue. The participants of the meeting exchanged information on various matters related to the implementation of the Convention. In the course of consideration of the report, the members of Georgian delegation provided detailed information to the Committee on various important issues, such as juvenile justice code, antidiscrimination legislation, fight against child trafficking, children health and education, child care, children with disabilities, children in street situations, juveniles in penitentiary establishments, new referral mechanism against violence of children. Delegation members also recognized the issues which still remains to be addressed.
The Members of the Committee on the Rights of the Child positively assessed the reforms aimed at implementation of the Convention, emphasizing the efforts of Georgian authorities in terms of advancing legislation. At the same time, the committee members outlined the areas which require further improvements.
The Committee members praised the cooperation of the Government with the Committee and noticed that broad composition of Georgian delegation displayed the will of the state party to engage in open and interactive dialogue.
In her final remarks, the head of delegation re-confirmed the importance, Georgia attaches to the implementation of the Convention and pledged to continue reform efforts in line with Committee’s recommendations within the framework of the Interagency Commission responsible for the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The representatives of the Office of the Public Defender of Georgia, the UNICEF and NGOs also attended the session. The session was broadcast live allowing all stakeholders to keep a watch on the process of discussions.
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