The Ministry of Justice hosted today the delegation of the Republic of Moldova. Within the framework of the study visit, Georgian officials shared with the members of the delegation of the Republic of Moldova the experience of the work conducted for the ratification and further implementation of the Council of Europe Convention of May 11, 2011 (Istanbul Convention) under the leadership of the Ministry of Justice.

Changes in Georgian legislation, measures to raise awareness of domestic violence against women, behavior correction programs in the penitentiary and probation systems - these are the issues that the Moldovan delegation was introduced to during the study visit.

The study visit was planned within the framework of the European Council project. The Council of Europe considers that the Georgian mechanism for monitoring femicide and the Georgian model of implementing the convention at the level of national legislation are exemplary for the Republic of Moldova, which ratified the Istanbul Convention in 2022.

Georgia completed the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in 2017, after which, with the joint efforts of the executive, legislative, judicial authorities and the non-governmental sector, under the leadership of the Ministry of Justice, effective legislative and institutional tools were created to eliminate and respond to violence against women.

Sharing the experience of Georgia will help the Republic of Moldova in the prevention of violence against women and in the family, effective fight against this crime and identification of victims of violence. The study visit serves to deepen the cooperation between the two countries.

32 years ago, on March 31, 1991, the Scientific Advisory Council discussed the importance of the historical referendum. This day is an example of exemplary civil unanimity in the recent history of Georgia, because Abkhaz and Ossetian citizens participated in the referendum held throughout Georgia, including those who supported the idea of Georgia's independence. It was the results of the March 31 referendum that became the basis for the adoption of the State Independence Act by the Supreme Council on April 9, 1991.

At the today’s meeting, the participants discussed the prospects of peaceful coexistence within the internationally recognized borders of Georgia, the policy of reconciliation and the will, once again declared by the March 31 referendum, which implies the construction of an independent, united and strong state.

Minister of Justice of Georgia, Rati Bregadze, First Deputy Minister, Tamar Tkeshelashvili, Deputy Minister, Tornike Cheishvili and members of the Scientific Advisory Council at the Ministry - professors of the law school of higher educational institutions and prominent experts in various fields of law, doctoral students and researchers attended the session of the Scientific Advisory Council.

Rati Bregadze held a meeting today with the members of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). At the meeting, the Minister of Justice discussed the ongoing reforms within the Ministry and emphasized the importance of cooperation with the PACE Monitoring Committee in the way of promoting the rule of law and human rights.

The conversation touched on the victories achieved by Georgia in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the sharp decrease in applications against Georgia. In particular, ten years ago, the Strasbourg Court had to deal with about 3,000 cases against Georgia, and this year - only 147, which is the result of the reforms implemented by the Georgian government and the strengthening of citizens' trust in domestic courts.

At the meeting, it was noted that last year, in order to strengthen the enforcement of Strasbourg court decisions at the national level, legislative changes were implemented, which is one of the recommendations of the 12 priorities of the European Union implemented by the Georgian authorities.

According to the Minister, the agency continues to work to strengthen human rights. For this purpose, a new penitentiary code and strategy have been developed, re-socialization and rehabilitation programs for prisoners are actively underway, a digital university has been created for convicts, employment opportunities have been expanded, a sports management strategy has been developed, a new prison in Laituri will be opened at the end of spring to solve the problem of prison overcrowding.

Deputy Minister of Justice, Tornike Cheishvili presented today the draft law developed by the Ministry of Justice to the Regional Policy and Self-Government Committee of the Parliament.

The legislative initiative envisions the creation of a national geoportal, which will be the official web portal of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). It reflects relevant spatial data owned by public institutions or, in certain cases, natural and/or private legal entities. Spatial data will be easily exchangeable and accessible at central, regional and local levels.

The creation of NSDI will contribute to the regulation of transport, tourism, environmental issues; management, planning and efficient operation of agriculture, defense, infrastructure projects, emergency situations, communication systems, land, government and utility services; attracting investments and increasing economic activity.

In addition, one of the goals of the draft law is to facilitate the integration of the national spatial data infrastructure into the unified spatial information infrastructure of the EU countries (INSPIRE).

At the meeting, the Minister of Justice of Georgia discussed future initiatives for the promotion of legal migration with the special representative of the German government on migration issues, which aims, on the one hand, to protect the rights of legal migrants from Georgia to Germany, and on the other hand, to reduce the number of illegal migrants.

Rati Bregadze noted that during the process of European integration, Georgia's policy in the field of migration has developed significantly, and close cooperation with EU member states, including Germany, played a special role in this regard. The Minister expressed hope that further cooperation between Germany and Georgia in this direction will be equally successful.

The meeting between Rati Bregadze and Joachim Stamp is a continuation of the existing close sectoral cooperation between Georgia and Germany, this time in the direction of migration management.

Cooperation with Germany on other issues within the competence of the Ministry of Justice became particularly intense since 2022, when the Georgia-Germany cooperation program in the field of justice for 2022-2025 was signed between the parties.

First Deputy Minister, Tamar Tkeshelashvili, Deputy Minister, Beka Dzamashvili and Ambassador of Georgia to Germany, Levan Izoria attended the meeting.

One of the agency's priorities is increasing access to legislation and promoting legal awareness. For this purpose, the LLP Legislative Herald of Georgia ensures the placement and accessibility of the legislation translated into the languages of ethnic minorities on the website for all interested persons.

Dozens of legal acts translated into Abkhazian, Ossetian, Azerbaijani and Armenian languages are already presented on the online platform of the Legislative Herald.

The Training Center of Justice offers a training course on Georgian law to ethnic minorities, within the framework of which the population will learn the basics of Georgian law and legal terminology along with the Georgian language for free.

Deputy Minister of Justice, Tornike Cheishvili, Chairperson of the Legislative Herald, Natia Chirikashvili and Director of the Training Center of Justice, Vakhtang Zhvania chaired the meeting held at the Marneuli Public Service Hall. They also received information about other needs from the meeting participants.

Taking into account the indicated information, the Ministry of Justice will offer various projects and services to ethnic minorities in the future.

The minister thanked the social workers for their work for public safety and awarded the successful employees.

Social workers in the field of crime prevention and probation, penitentiary and enforcement systems are engaged in complex and responsible activities.

They are actively involved in rehabilitation and re-socialization programs and events, in the process of rehabilitation and re-socialization of convicts, persons on diversion programs, probationers and ex-prisoners, in the direction of positive change of their behavior and reintegration into society; In working with the beneficiaries of the Juvenile Referral Center. With the involvement of social workers in the enforcement process, the voluntary execution of decisions and the settlement of disputes by agreement are facilitated.

Professional Day of Social Workers is celebrated worldwide and aims to raise awareness about social services for the welfare of society, social justice and protection of human rights.

The UN Women's Organization presented a gift to the winner of the competition, and other participants were awarded with certificates and symbolic gifts.

The competition of artistic works was held in the framework of the campaign against gender violence in close cooperation with the Department of Legal Cooperation of International Relations of the Ministry of Justice, the Training Center of Justice and the United Nations Women's Organization.

A competition was held with the aim of raising public awareness of domestic violence against women. 20 competition works were selected for the exhibition.

The First Deputy Minister of Justice addressed the participants. Tamar Tkeshelashvili spoke to the participants of the competition about the importance of gender equality and focused on the involvement of young people in the process.

"The Ministry of Justice is one of the exemplary agencies where the number of employed women exceeds the number of men, especially in managerial positions. We do everything to ensure that the rights of our female employees are protected both within the family and within the system, and in society as a whole. On this long and challenging road, we held many informational and consulting meetings with target groups, and public awareness raising activities," said Tamar Tkeshelashvili.

The UN Women's Organization presented a gift to the winner of the competition, and other participants were awarded with certificates and symbolic gifts.

The competition of artistic works was held in the framework of the campaign against gender violence in close cooperation with the Department of Legal Cooperation of International Relations of the Ministry of Justice, the Training Center of Justice and the United Nations Women's Organization.

The United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, James Cleverley visited today the Digital Governance Agency as part of his official visit to Georgia. On the spot, the high-ranking guest got acquainted with the specifics of the computer incident assistance team's activities and information technology infrastructure monitoring systems.

At the meeting, Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia, Erekle Gvinianidze, and the Chairperson of the Digital Governance Agency, David Nadirashvili thanked the guest for the support provided through the UK-Georgia Cyber Security Partnership Program.

Within the framework of the program, Georgia receives support from Britain for the implementation of the national cyber security strategy, the development of an interagency framework for sharing information, the development of public-private cooperation, and the raising of public awareness of cyber threats.

The meeting was also attended by Ambassador of Georgia to the United Kingdom, Sofia Katsarava, Chief of Staff of the National Security Council, Givi Tumanishvili and his deputy, Giorgi Ghibradze.