The Council of Europe Project “Strengthening Protection of Social and Economic Rights in Georgia” held its 2nd Steering Committee meeting in hybrid format.

Participants went through the state of state of implementation and the outcomes of the Project and assessed in particular the impact of the work carried out in the field of labour rights. The Project team presented the planned activities until the end of the Project (August 2022) and discussed opportunities for a possible second phase. In this sense, all parties to Project reiterated their readiness to cooperate with the Council of Europe to further enhance the protection of social rights in Georgia.

The meeting was opened by Margarita Galstyan, Project Manager at the Council of Europe and moderated by Tamar Nozadze, Senior Project Officer. The meeting was also attended by Lika Klimiashvili, Head of Labour Relations and Social Partnership Division, Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs, Tamar Gvaramadze, First Deputy Public Defender of Georgia, Nato Natenadze, First Deputy Chief Inspector of the Labour Inspection Office, Nino Veltauri, Director, State Employment Agency, as well as other stakeholders and beneficiaries.

The Project started in March 2021 for a period of 18 months with a budget of 350,000 EUR. The Project aims at aligning national legislation and practice with European social and economic rights standards, policies and practices, providing for proper protection and implementation of social rights and enhancing knowledge and capacity among target groups in promoting and protecting social rights in line with European standards and best practices.

The event was organised within the framework of the Council of Europe Project “Strengthening Protection of Social and Economic Rights in Georgia.” The Project is part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Georgia 2020-2023.