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Gender equality in focus of high level Tbilisi conference

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini speaks at the Tbilisi conference on gender equality on November 10, 2015. Photo by MFA Georgia.
Agenda.ge, 10 Nov 2015 - 12:17, Tbilisi,Georgia

How to empower women and ensure gender equality in the world – hundreds of international delegates have gathered to discuss this important issue in Tbilisi today.

The Georgian capital is hosting an international high-level conference on Achieving Gender Equality - Challenges and Opportunities in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Region.

The country’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Cihan Sultanoglu opened the two-day conference earlier today.

"Dear friends, you are now in the country whose greatest thinker said a woman and man are equal back in the 12th Century,” said Garibashvili in his address referring to Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli who wrote in his legendary poem The Knight in the Panther’s Skin: "Lion cubs are equal, be they male or female”.

In front of about 250 guests and high-ranking officials, PM Garibashvili spoke about Georgia’s recent progress in the direction of gender equality to the international guests. He stressed 2015 was declared as the Year of Women in Georgia.

An important milestone reached by the country was adoption of the Anti-discrimination Law in 2014, which clearly stated the unacceptability of discrimination on the basis of sex, marital status, gender identity and more.

Georgia recently signed the Istanbul Convention (a Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence) and planned to ratify this document in the nearest future.

Several leading posts in the country were held by females, including the post of Minister of Defence, chair of the Supreme Court and secretary of the National Security Council.

The EU’s Mogherini also stressed the importance of gender equality and said no country could develop without empowering women. She also talked about the EU’s programs to promote gender equality in the region and in the world.

Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Foreign Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili both addressed the invited guests.

"Georgia is a country where women have always played a critical role in terms of building Georgian statehood,” Kvirikashvili said.
"Let me reiterate that the establishment of gender equality as a fundamental principle of democracy is highly important to the Georgian Government especially today when our country is engaged in carrying out substantial reforms as stipulated by the Association Agenda. We are currently implementing serious institutional and legislative reforms, and in this context, upholding the principle of gender equality is essentially important.”

The international conference was initiated and organised by Georgia’s Foreign Minister in cooperation with the EU and UN. The event aimed to provide an opportunity to locate gender equality and women’s empowerment agenda within the ENP processes, address challenges, as well as share good practices.

The event will conclude tomorrow with the adoption of the Tbilisi Declaration – a document to reconfirm faithfulness towards international obligations in regard of gender equality and women’s rights.