Today a meeting of the Interagency Coordination Council for Human Rights was held under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of Georgia. In his opening remarks, the Head of Georgian Government spoke about the importance of the Human Rights Strategy and Action Plan.
"We produced this document last year. Thomas Hammarberg (EU Special Adviser on Constitutional and Legal Reform and Human Rights in Georgia), who has provided the Georgian Government with invaluable assistance, was engaged in this process. The state assumed an obligation to usher in internationally recognized high standards," the Prime Minister stated.
According to the Prime Minister, the implementation monitoring of the Government Action Plan is open and transparent, with international organizations and up to 200 local NGOs involved in it.
"Civil society demands answers from government institutions, and heated debates often ensue at working meetings, which is commendable. I understand that the quality of answers is not always to the liking of NGOs, but answers are given, and, most importantly, we maintain direct dialogue between the authorities and society," Irakli Garibashvili said.
The Prime Minister also thanked the European Union for financial support that involves the empowerment of the Secretariat for the Human Rights and the implementation monitoring of activities set forth in the Action Plan.
Today's meeting of the Interagency Coordination Council for Human Rights was attended by members of the cabinet and representatives of local and international organizations. The meeting discussed different issues on the agenda, including the interim report on the 2014-2015 Government Action Plan for Human Rights, which is expected to be approved by the council and subsequently referred to the Parliament.