Int’l organisations, diplomatic offices in Georgia call for “investment in women”, “accelerating progress” on Women’s Day
The statement says closing gender employment gaps, ensuring fair wages and formalising women's informal work could “significantly” boost Georgia's economy. Photo: UN Women Georgia
Tweet 
Share
The United Nations in Georgia, the European Union Delegation to the country, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and 25 embassies operating in the country on Friday released a joint statement on International Women’s Day to reaffirm commitment to achieving gender equality and empowerment for “all women and girls”.
The statement says women in Georgia spend five times more time on unpaid domestic and care work than men, which prevents women from pursuing their own professional success and from participating in political and public life.
Women's economic activity rate (41.5%) lags significantly behind men's (64%). Nearly half of women aged 25-34 are not working. Thousands of women have migrated to support their families through remittances. Violence against women and girls remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations. Women's voices are often excluded from political participation and decision-making”, it reads.
The message for Women’s Day also notes women in Georgia hold only one-fifth of parliamentary seats and one-fourth of local council seats, despite the implementation of mandatory electoral gender quotas.
Fifty-four percent of women candidates in Georgia have experienced physical, psychological, economic, or sexual violence and harassment during their election campaigns or political careers”, the organisations and diplomatic offices point out.
The statement also says closing gender employment gaps, ensuring fair wages and formalising women's informal work could “significantly” boost Georgia's economy.
It also calls for public and private investments to drive women’s inclusion across all sectors of the economy and to address all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls.
Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Human Rights Committee, on Sunday discussed existing and future cooperation with Vladimir Shkolnikov, the Senior Advisor of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Georgia and Besarion Bokhashvili, the Human Rights Officer at OHCHR.
The Human Rights Council of Georgia on Monday said the Government had approved the national referral procedures by its resolution, aimed at the identification, protection, assistance, and rehabilitation of victims of violence against women and domestic violence.
Paweł Herczyński, the European Union Ambassador to Georgia, on Sunday said Georgians could “count on the EU to stand by your side to ensure your fundamental rights are respected”.
The United Nations in Georgia, the European Union Delegation to the country, the OSCE and NATO Liaison Office, as well as the embassies to Georgia, on Saturday called for action “to end violence against women and girls in all its forms”, including sexual harassment and abuse to child marriage and femicide.
Police officers in streets of Georgia's capital Tbilisi marked International Women's Day on Friday by stopping women drivers and passersby to give them flowers and messages of congratulations.