On June 30, 2017, the Consultative Council of Protection and Monitoring of the Rights of the Child under the Center for Child's Rights of the Public Defender of Georgia held it first meeting, where Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili, Deputy Public Defender Ekaterine Skhiladze, representatives of the Public Defender's Office and invited members of the Council spoke about the challenges in the field of protection of child’s rights, Public Defender’s mandate and main activities of the Public Defender’s Office.

The Public Defender of Georgia informed the members of the Consultative Council of the efforts aimed at monitoring and promoting child's rights, informational and educational activities, the main outcomes of the review of individual complaints and improvement of the legislation regulating child’s rights.

Maia Gedevanishvili, Head of the Center for Child’s Rights of the Public Defender, spoke about the main directions of the Center, individual cases, monitoring of children's institutions, ongoing projects and the recent legislative changes in the field of child’s rights.

The Council members introduced priority issues and future vision about the functioning of the Council. They spoke about the need for activation and effective implementation of the Third Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adoption of a unified law on the child’s rights, elimination of violence against children, protection of the rights of children living on the street and other problems relating to the child’s rights.

The Consultative Council of Protection and Monitoring of the Rights of the Child was established in November 2016, based on the Order of the Public Defender of Georgia. The main goal of the Consultative Council is to facilitate effective monitoring of the protection and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the Public Defender's Office in compliance with the principles of the Convention. Members of the Council, selected through an open competition, are experts and representatives of international and local NGOs working on child’s rights:

1. Nato Shavlakadze - National Network of Protection from Violence
2. Ekaterine Saneblidze - Child Welfare League
3. Keti Margalitadze - Public Health Fund
4. Marine Gegelashvili - Associate Professor of Ilia University
5. Jaba Nachkebia - United Nations Children's Fund
6. Anton Kelbakiani - Initiative for Rehabilitation of Vulnerable Groups
7. Salome Namicheishvili - Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
8. Nino Shatberashvili - Association of Social Workers