The Public Defender of Georgia is participating in the 11^th International Conferenceof Ombuds Institutions for theArmed Forces in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) on 28-30 October 2019. The conference is annual and aims to bring together representatives of all the mechanisms that oversee the performance of military personnel and to discuss common challenges and solutions. The Public Defender's Office of Georgia has been actively participating in this event for many years. Over 100 participants from 47 countries are represented at the conference this year.

On October 28, 2019, the Public Defender of Georgia participated in a panel discussion and spoke about the activities of the Public Defender's Office in the field of defense. The activities and reports prepared by the Department of Human Rights in Defense since 2015 were discussed at the event, as well as the progress achieved, recommendations and challenges, were discussed at the event. Special attention was paid to the Public Defender's efforts in the direction of the rights situation of veterans, the successful constitutional lawsuit, as a result of which, subsidy was equally granted to all persons, and the Public Defender's recommendation endorsed by the Parliament, according to which, the Ministry of Finance was instructed to double benefits for veterans from 2020. The Public Defender talked about the monitoring carried out in the military units and the problems related to the conscripts' rights situation.

The theme of the 11^th International Conferenceof Ombuds Institutions for theArmed Forces will be the threats generally faced by the ombuds institutions, as well as the ways and forms of responding to them. Discussions and events are also planned on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the rights situation of whistleblowers in various countries.

The 11^th International Conferenceof Ombuds Institutions for theArmed Forces is being hosted by the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the DCAF (Geneva Center for Security Governance). Deputy Public Defender Giorgi Burjanadze and Head of the Human Rights Department Tamar Gabiani are also participating in the event.