UN Commissioner praises Georgia’s human rights progress

A United Nations (UN) top official is praising Georgia’s progress in improving basic human rights.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Issues Navanethem (Navi) Pillay wrote a letter to Georgian Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili and thanked him for Georgia’s "open and candid discussion” about the state of human rights in Georgia during her visit to Georgia in May 2014.

Pillay noted that Georgia’s progress in developing human rights was a good foundation to implement an EU-funded human rights project that would assist Georgia implement the National Human Rights Action Plan.

"I am very encouraged by the progress that Georgia has achieved in the human rights domain. Furthermore, I am very pleased that the Parliament of Georgia has in recent months ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, passed the Law on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination and adopted the National Human Rights Strategy,” she said.

Pillay urged Usupashvili to do his best to ensure legislation was passed that protected the right to privacy for all people living in Georgia, in accordance with international standards.

"My hope is that Parliament will also soon consider legislation aimed at creating an independent mechanism to investigate allegations of wrongdoings by law enforcement officials,” she noted.

The UN Commissioner stressed the importance of Usupashvili’s personal leadership in strengthening the human rights culture in Georgia and encouraged him to emphasize the need for respect of human rights of all Georgians in his future speeches.

In her letter, Pillay mentioned the importance of the forthcoming annual report of the Georgian Public Defender and advised Parliament to carefully consider the recommendations included in the report.

"Following the adoption by the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the UN Human Rights Committee of their Concluding Observations on Georgia’s periodic reports this July, Parliaments can play an active role in debating measures to implement the Committees’ recommendations,” she added.

"I am grateful for Georgia’s positive engagement with my Office and encourage you and your colleagues in Parliament to continue the good cooperation with Vladimir Shkolnikov, OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) Senior Human Rights Adviser for the South Caucasus,” Pillay’s letter read.

"As you may be aware, the UN Country Team is planning to implement an EU-funded human rights project to assist Georgia in implementing the National Human Rights Action Plan. This project encompasses a number of activities involving the relevant committees of the Parliament. I am confident that the cooperation between OHCHR and the Parliament of Georgia will continue and expand,” she said.