During the meeting, the Minister of Justice emphasized the special role of the ICC in the fight against international crimes. According to the Minister, the challenges in the modern world add even more importance to the protection of international legal mechanisms and the strengthening of cooperation in this regard.

At the meeting with Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi, Rati Bregadze noted that Georgia, as a founding member of the ICC, is an active supporter of the court. In particular, it always participates in sessions, general debates and discussions. Georgia was actively involved in the election of new ICC judges this year as well.

The parties noted that the active involvement of member states is crucial for the timely execution of arrest warrants issued by the Hague Court.

At the end of the meeting, Rati Bregadze stated that Georgia will continue close cooperation with the Assembly of Contracting States to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in order to ensure the execution of international justice.

As a result of successful cooperation, on June 30, 2022, the Hague Court issued an arrest warrant against 3 "high-ranking officials" of the Tskhinvali region for the episode of crimes committed against Georgian civilian prisoners during the August war. It was said that it is now essential to mobilize all resources to enforce the arrest warrants.

It was noted at the meeting that the Georgian side particularly appreciates the decision of the Hague Court Victims' Fund to approve the aid program for the victims of the August 2008 war, the implementation of which began in April of this year. The program provides for the assistance of war victims in medical treatment, psychological rehabilitation of victims and other types of support.

The Georgian side expressed hope that the existing close, effective and institutional cooperation with the court will continue in the future.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister of Justice, Beka Dzamashvili, Head of the Special Penitentiary Service, Nika Tshvarashvili and Ambassador of Georgia to the UN, David Bakradze.

The Minister of Justice Meets Head of the New York Probation Office, Juanita Holmes.

At the meeting, Rati Bregadze spoke about the reforms and innovations implemented by the Ministry of Justice in the field of crime prevention and probation.

"Innovative device Probbox is a modern mechanism of electronic control of probationers, which has no analogues in Europe. Electronic control and services of probationers, together with probation bureaus, are possible in alternative area, thereby increasing the protection of the anonymity of probationers and the geographical area of their control and services”, noted Rati Bregadze.

The Minister also informed the American side about rehabilitation programs introduced by the Ministry of Justice in the field of restorative justice. The conversation touched upon the importance of opening mediation spaces and juvenile referral centers in the regions.

It was noted that sharing the best international practices in the future development of penitentiary and crime prevention systems is one of the strategic priorities of the 10-year development plan of the Ministry of Justice.

The Georgian side expressed readiness to get acquainted with US experience in the field of probation and thanked the host side for the fruitful cooperation.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister of Justice, Beka Dzamashvili, Head of the Special Penitentiary Service, Nika Tshvarashvili and Consul General of Georgia in New York, Maya Bartaya.

During the meeting with Li Junhua, Rati Bregadze emphasized that the UN's sustainable development goals respond to global challenges and their implementation at the national level is crucial for the formation of a democratic society. In this process, quick, equal and inclusive access to public services is essential.

Fast, efficient and customer-oriented state services is the business card of the Ministry, the accessibility of which is constantly being improved by the agency, including through the introduction of digital and innovative technologies.

The Ministry of Justice provides more than 470 services across the country through 118 Public Service Halls and Mobile Public Service Halls.

It is important that by means of the newly introduced Mobile Public Service Hall, the villagers have the opportunity to receive all services without leaving their homes. In addition, the functioning of Public Service Halls in penitentiary institutions is another innovation.

At the end of the meeting, the Minister of Justice expressed hope for strengthening the future cooperation with the UN Secretary General's Office.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister of Justice, Beka Dzamashvili, Head of the Special Penitentiary Service, Nika Tshvarashvili and Ambassador of Georgia to the United Nations, David Bakradze.

Rati Bregadze informed the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations to about the role of the Ministry of Justice in the development process of the country's legal system and emphasized the long-term fruitful cooperation with the United Nations.

It was noted that the Ministry of Justice represents the state in international courts, including the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and UN treaty monitoring bodies.

The Minister of Justice spoke about one of the agency's priorities - the direction and education of raising legal knowledge and awareness, as the best tool for building a democratic society and state.

The parties agreed that in the summer of 2024, Georgia, in cooperation with the Office of the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, will host a regional conference on topical issues of international law.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister of Justice, Beka Dzamashvili, Head of the Special Penitentiary Service, Nika Tshvarashvili and Ambassador of Georgia to the United Nations, Davit Bakradze.

Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze's official visit to the USA began today. The Minister made a speech at the assembly.

"Fifteen years have passed since the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, as a result of which Georgian civilians and military personnel became victims of brutal crimes committed against them. We have achieved tangible results through intensive cooperation with the ICC Prosecutor's Office. In particular, on June 30, 2022, the Hague Court issued an arrest warrant against 3 "high-ranking officials" of the Tskhinvali region for the crimes committed against the population of Georgia during the August war, and identified the responsibility of the Russian Major General. On December 16, 2022, the ICC prosecutor completed the investigation in the August war without revealing violations of international law norms or any other kind of misconduct on the part of Georgia," noted Rati Bregadze.

According to the Minister, there is high expectation in Georgia that the issued arrest warrants will be promptly executed.

The Minister of Justice emphasized the importance of the ICC's activities in the issue of the rule of law and the protection of victims and expressed his unwavering support for future cooperation with the court.

On December 4-14 of this year, the Assembly of States Parties to the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is being held in New York, in which the Georgian delegation is also taking part.

The selection competition for the candidate to be submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has been announced, which will be conducted in accordance with the rules of the competition approved by the order of the Minister of Justice of Georgia dated December 2, 2023 No. 945.

As a result of the competition, the candidate nominated from Georgia will participate in the elections of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which will be held in 2024. The candidate will act individually, independently and impartially within the scope of activities.

Competition requirements are posted at the following addresses: https://hr.gov.ge/JobProvider/UserOrgVaks/Details/82704?active=1

Interested parties should submit applications by December 19, 2024.

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is an independent expert body operating in the UN system, which monitors the implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. In addition, the functions and duties of the candidate for membership of the committee include supervision of the effective fulfilment of the obligations stipulated by the convention by the contracting states of the convention and work on the protection and strengthening of women's rights.

The selection competition for the candidate to be submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has been announced, which will be held in accordance with the rules of the competition approved by the order of the Minister of Justice of Georgia dated December 2, 2023 No. 946.

As a result of the competition, the candidate nominated from Georgia will participate in the elections of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which will be held in 2024. The candidate will act individually, independently and impartially within the scope of activities.

Competition requirements are posted at the following addresses: https://hr.gov.ge/JobProvider/UserOrgVaks/Details/82706?active=1

Interested parties should submit applications by December 19, 2024.

The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a body created on the basis of the "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities", which is responsible for protecting, strengthening and enhancing the rights of persons with disabilities. In addition, the main direction of the committee's activity is the monitoring of the effective fulfilment of the obligations assumed by the contracting states of the convention.

In particular, in a manipulative story with a flashy background of planes and pilots, which aims to mislead the public, it is said that, allegedly, the leadership of the Ministry spent up to 7 million GEL in six months on flights related to business trips.

We clarify that 6.4 million GEL of the amount indicated in the story is the expenses incurred by the National Agency of the Public Registry for business trips within the country within the framework of the reform of the systematic land registration, which involves the travel and accommodations of 750 land surveyors throughout the country in order to measure land plots in different municipalities, as well as, for organising trainings, working meetings with city hall representatives and residents in 64 municipalities. This expense is included in the systematic land registration budget.

As of today, within the framework of land reform, 612,609 land plots with a total area of 194,530 ha have already been measured and 482,190 land plots with a total area of 173,272 ha have been registered. Systematic registration of land throughout the country started in 2022, it is completely free for citizens and is funded by the state.

The closing of the second consecutive national simulation training - "Fight against human trafficking: sustainability of inter-agency cooperation through the implementation of national simulation training" - was held today.

The purpose of the simulation training is to increase the skills of practitioners employed in the field of victim-oriented approaches and inter-agency coordination and cooperation, which, in its turn, will contribute to the timely detection of crimes and the effective integration of victims into society.

The training is a unique opportunity for investigators, prosecutors, labor inspectors, lawyers, psychologists, and social workers to engage in the process of detecting and responding to human trafficking cases in a simulated and, at the same time, safe environment.

It should be noted that Georgia is one of the first states where simulation training was introduced as one of the successful methods of training in the fight against human trafficking. The first training was held in 2022. This year, a similar exercise was conducted in Georgia for the second time, which indicates that the fight against human trafficking is one of the priority directions of the Georgian government.

It should be noted that in the fight against human trafficking, Georgia holds one of the leading positions in the world for the 9th year. According to the latest 2023 report of the US State Department, Georgia still maintains its place at the highest level of evaluation in the so-called first basket, along with many European countries.

The event was implemented with the financial support of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Embassy of Switzerland in Georgia.

The national simulation training was held within the framework of the inter-agency coordination council for combatting human trafficking. Its partners are: the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the General Prosecutor's Office, the Investigative Service of the Ministry of Finance, the Labor Inspection Service, the State Care and Assistance Agency for Victims of Trafficking, the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the non-governmental organization - the National Network for Protection from Violence and the Shota Rustaveli Theater and Film State University.

The simulation training started on November 20 and ended on November 24.