On 5-8 November 2018, representatives of the Public Defender of Georgia met with representatives of the ombudsmen’s institutions of Finland in Helsinki. The aim of the visit was to share their experience in relation to migrants, asylum-seekers and internationally protected persons, as well as in the field of human rights education.

Within the framework of the visit, meetings were held with the Parliamentary, Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombudsmen, representatives of the Human Rights Center and other organizations working on the rights of migrants and refugees. Representatives of the Public Defender of Georgia also received information about the activities of Finland's Ministries of Justice, Economic Affairs and Internal Affairs and the Immigration Service, and visited the Helsinki center for asylum seekers.

The integration programmes and opportunities available in Finland, which enable refugees to enjoy one of the best health care and social programmes in Europe and to realize their capabilities, were dsicussed at the meeting with a representative of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and social workers.

Tamar Gvaramadze, First Deputy Public Defender of Georgia, briefed the Finnish colleagues of the general activities, priorities and challenges of the Public Defender of Georgia. Deputy Public Defender Giorgi Burjanadze spoke about the importance of human rights education and the Public Defender’s role in this direction. He emphasized the best practices of the European countries and the importance of sharing the practices.

Meetings were also held with Amnesty International, Refugee Advice Center, Refugee Council and women's multicultural organization - Monica.

Apart from the Deputies of the Public Defender, Medea Gugeshashvili, Head of the Human Rights Academy of the Public Defender of Georgia, Tamta Papuashvili, Senior Advisor on Migration, Repatriation and the Rights of Internationally Protected Persons, and Nino Sulamanidze, a specialist of the Department of Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, took part in the study visit.

The visit was partially implemented within the framework of the "Support to the Public Defender's Office in Studying the Situation of Asylum Seekers and Internaionally Protected Persons” project with the financial support of the Regional Representation of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in the South Caucasus.