On October 27, 2014, at the sixth meeting of the government coordination council working on issues of persons with disabilities, the Georgian Government named the Public Defender of Georgia as an agency for monitoring of popularization, adherence and implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

On December 26, 2013, Georgia ratified the United Nations Convention on the Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities that came into force from April 12, 2014.

At the 5^th meeting of the coordination council that took place on January 17, the Prime Minister of Georgia asked Ministers of Labour, Health and Social Affairs and of Justice to present potential bodies responsible for implementation and monitoring of application of the convention.

On February 12-21, the Public Defender’s Office organized discussions in Samegrelo, Ajara, Imereti, Kvemo and Shida Kartli regions with the objective of inclusion of persons with disabilities and in connection with monitoring mechanisms. The discussions were attended by representatives of local non-governmental organizations and persons with disabilities.

Starting from January 2015 the convention monitoring mechanism will be formed at the Public Defender’s Office that will implies reorganization of the Centre of the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into a department and formation of a council of organizations of persons with disabilities. A report prepared by the department and the council will be sent to the relevant committee of the UN (CRPD). The first report will be sent in April 2016 while the next one will be due once in four years.

This topic will be the main subject of a public debate of the Public Defender of Georgia scheduled to take place in hotel Holiday Inn, on October 31, 2014, at 16.00. Attendance will be free.