On May 5, 2015, the Department for Protection of Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the Public Defender presented vision of the Public Defender on the mechanism of popularization, protection and monitoring of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

According to the presented model, the monitoring mechanism includes the Consultation Council of the National Monitoring Mechanism of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, group of experts and the Department for Protection of Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the Public Defender.

The main function of the Consultation Council will be provision of consultations to the National Monitoring Mechanism /the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia in the light of determining content, strategy, priorities, methodology and plan of the monitoring aimed at monitoring implementation of the convention.

Members of the Council will present their opinions to the Public Defender on the action plan to be conducted by the National Monitoring Mechanism, thematic studies and various strategic documents, also, any other issues important for the mechanism activities.

The Consultation Council will include staff of the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia, persons with disabilities, their representative organizations, and representatives of organizations working on the issue.

Candidates for invited membership of the council will be presented to the Public Defender by organizations of persons with disabilities based on certain criteria, as well as their experience, reputation and impartiality. The composition of the council will be renewed once in two years, through mutual replacement.

For the purpose of conduction of the monitoring, expert groups will also be chosen whose function will be to carry our studies of monitoring field work, thematic work and prepare relevant reports. Experts will be chosen by the Public Defender’s Office through the open competition with participation of the Consultation Council.

During discussion that was held following the presentation, the audience expressed special interest in regulations of composition of the council, the quota system and the issues of financing of experts.

The Public Defender’s Office of Georgia will start working on elaboration of provisions of the Consultation Council with participation of organization of persons with disabilities while persons with disabilities, their representatives and organizations working on these issues will present candidates for membership of the council to the Public Defender in one month’s time.