On June 2, 2021, Public Defender’s representatives Mariam Tavdgiridze and Nino Shalamberidze participated in the meeting of the Working Group on Ageing of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI).

The activities of the Working Group were summarized and future goals and plans were outlined at the meeting. The members of the Working Group discussed the challenges and problems emerged during the coronavirus pandemic, the rights situation of older people, the situation in their countries and the measures taken.

The representatives of the Public Defender spoke briefly about the rights situation of older people in Georgia, as well as the activities and future plans of the Public Defender's Office in this direction.

The meeting also discussed the 11th session of the UN Open-Ended Working Group, its results and plans for the 12th session. (The Public Defender's Office was actively involved in the 11th session of the UN Open-Ended Working Group).

During the session, a joint declaration was submitted by national human rights institutions and civil society organizations on the need to develop and adopt a new convention on the rights of older people, which was prepared and advocated by the national human rights institutions of Poland and Georgia. The declaration was assessed by the members of the group as a step forward in the process of advocating for the adoption of a new international binding instrument, which in turn will help to protect and promote the rights of older people.

GANHRI brings together more than 110 national human rights institutions from around the world and is one of the largest networks of national human rights institutions. The Public Defender of Georgia has been a member of the Alliance and has been actively involved in its activities since 2007. The Public Defender’s Office, together with the Office of the Polish Commissioner for Human Rights, has been a member of the GANHRI Working Group on Ageing from the European region since 2018.