Although the overall risk of severe illness from COVID-19 remains low, pregnancy puts you at higher risk of severe illness compared to people who are not pregnant. Research is still ongoing to understand the safety and effects of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant women, but there is no known reason that would outweigh the benefits of vaccination for pregnant women. For this reason, pregnant women at higher risk of exposure to COVID-19 (e.g. health workers) or who have health issues that add to their risk of severe disease, may be vaccinated in consultation with their health care provider. Find out more on navigating pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The national rugby team of Georgia, the Lelos, will raise awareness on ending violence against women by wearing the UN Women logo on their jerseys as they compete against the reigning World Champion South Africa team on 2 and 9 July. South Africa’s matches first since they won the Rugby World Cup (RWC) in 2019, the games will also be the first between Georgia and South Africa since they two sides last met in the 2003 RWC. They are also important events in the rugby community after the Covid-19 pandemic restricted activities worldwide, including sporting events. Georgia Rugby Union president Ioseb Tkemaladze said: “We decided to transform these long-awaited matches into a global message. We intentionally turned down sponsors’ funding to continue to support our historical partner in social programmes, UN Women, now from the global perspective. We would like to tell the whole world that ending violence against women and girls is more important than any game.” Mr. Levan Maisashvili, head coach of the Lelos said: “We are glad to be given the opportunity to play such important test matches with this logo. Violence against women is a worldwide problem, and we are joining the global campaign against it now. Wearing the logo of UN Women instead of the main sponsor’s logo is an important message for supporting women’s rights.” Georgian national rugby team, the Lelos, held an open training session wearing shirts with UN Women logo. Photo: Georgian Rugby/Gogita Bukhaidze Georgian rugby players have a long-standing partnership with UN Women. The cooperation promotes the participation of men in the fight against violence against women and girls. “We are honoured to be involved once again in the campaign for supporting gender equality and raising awareness against violence against women and girls. We will take part in the most important games of the summer tests with this message,” added the captain of the Georgian team, Mr. Merab Sharikadze. “UN Women Georgia Country Office enjoys long-term partnership with the Georgia Rugby Union around ending violence against women. We are united in this struggle,” said Tamar Sabedashvili, the Country Representative in Georgia, ad interim. “It is especially joyful for us that the Lelos are dedicating this highly significant game to the cause of women’s rights and their empowerment.” The Georgia team will also wear the UN Women logo on their jerseys while playing against Scotland in Tbilisi at Dinamo Arena on 17 July. Their shirts will again express their support to ending violence against women and girls. Georgian rugby players have dedicated several international matches to the movement to end violence against women, including the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign and the UN Women global solidarity movement for gender equality, HeForShe. They also meet with local men and boys in Georgia discuss the imperative of stopping violence against women and girls.

Strong regional and local economies are essential for Georgia’s success and sustainability. That's why, one of the main goals of the new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2021-2025 is to strengthen regional and local development and to update efforts on support for local economic development initiatives together with the national, regional and local authorities, civil society, the private sector and communities. On 19-21 May 2021, UN Resident Coordinator in Georgia Sabine Machl visited the Samegrelo region.  She traveled with UNFPA Head Lela Bakradze, UNHCR Representative a.i. Dejan Obradovic and UN Women  Programme Analyst Ana Pashalishvili to meet with local entrepreneurs and farmers, civil society activists and local authorities. The purpose of the visit was to outline the current state of the region, its vision for the future and a game plan to invest in its growth and prosperity. During the trip, the UN Resident Coordinator and representatives of the UN agencies met with local government representatives, including the State Representative in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Region, Malkhaz Toria, and the acting Mayor of Zugdidi, Konstantine kakava.  The sides discussed the prospects of cooperation between the UN and the municipalities and the role of municipalities in the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2021-2025. The UN Resident Coordinator and representatives of the UN agencies met with the representatives of IDP and conflict affected women. The participants discussed the relevance of the localization of the 2018-2020 National Action Plan of Georgia for Implementation of the UN Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security and participation of IDP and conflict affected women in the decision-making, peace and security processes. The women shared with the UN Resident Coordinator their concerns and challenges as well as their ideas on how to address these. UN Women, with the support of the UK Government, is actively working with the IDP and conflict affected women to strengthen their participation in the decision-making processes at the community and local levels.  The meeting was held in Anaklia, at the family hotel of Maia Pipia, an entrepreneur supported by UN Women. Before that,  the UN team also visited the office of the community fund, "NEFA". NEFA was founded by the local women activists, who were voluntarily engaged in the UN Women community mobilization component since 2010. Now they are successfully leading a number of interesting projects supported by the various donor organizations. UN Women is working on social mobilization and women’s economic empowerment in Samegrelo region with financial support of the Government of Norway. The UN Resident Coordinator and representatives of the UN agencies,  met with the local women entrepreneurs and farmers in Zugdidi. Participants have provided information about the current economic situation in the region, the impact of the pandemic on small and medium-size businesses, challenges and needs. The UN team also met several beneficiaries of  UN Women, which supports economic growth in rural areas by helping small and medium-sized businesses grow into profitable enterprises. They developed their business with the support UN Women project "Joint Action for Women's Economic Empowerment in Georgia" funded by the Norwegian Government. The UN guests and women entrepreneurs were hosted by Tika Didishvili, also one of the beneficiaries of this project, at the Green House Hotel. During the trip, the UN team had an opportunity to visit Alex Lukava, a returnee from Greece. He launched his aluminum doors and windows business in November 2019.  The International Organization for Migration (IOM) facilitated his return and allocated  a reintegration grant to help him re-establish himself in his community. Starting over is not easy but Alex managed to turn his enterprise into profitable business and employs other people. At the meeting with prominent rights based local NGOs in Zugdidi, the UN representatives learned about the important work they do on the ground to promote  human rights, including the rights of Persons with Disabilities and IDPs. The participants were also given an opportunity to  share their needs and challenges.   One of the highlights of the UN team’s trip was a visit to the Crisis Center for the victims of domestic violence and the survivors of violence, a small, family-equipped facility,  in the village of Tsaishi, Samegrelo. The Crisis Center was opened in 2019 by the non-governmental organization "Sakhli" and the local municipality within the framework of the UN Joint Program on Gender Equality, supported by the Swedish Government.  The Crisis Center offers psychological, social and economic assistance, as well as provides rehabilitation, medical, legal and referral services to the victims of domestic violence and the survivors of the violence. Sabine Machl  met with the beneficiaries and staff of  the Crisis Center and learned about their living conditions, needs, and challenges.  Sabine Machl also discussed the plans and opportunities related to the sustainability of the center with the head of the Center Rusudan Pkhakadze. During the visit to the Shota Meskhia Zugdidi State University, Sabine Machl and representatives of the UN agencies discussed the ongoing cooperation between the University and the UN agencies (UNDP, UNICEF, UN Women) with the Rector Teona Khupenia.    The meeting ended with signing of  the Letter of Intent between Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Shota Meskhia State Teaching University to launch a four-year project “Fostering economic empowerment of women farmers by supporting homemade dairy production” in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, in partnership with UN Women and the financial support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The UN Resident Coordinator Sabine Machl and UN team capped their visit yesterday, opening the documentary photo exhibition “Girls from the Future” by Dina Oganova and the Equality Corner in the secondary school in the village of Koki together with famous Georgian novelist Nino Haratischwili, who spoke about her award-winning family saga The Eighth Life: (for Brilka) and the importance of empowerment of women and girls. In the evening, she met public in the Dadiani Palace. The events were hosted by UNFPA.

Millions of people around the world have now been safely vaccinated against COVID-19, bringing us all one step closer to getting back to doing more of the things we enjoy with the people we love. For many the COVID-19 vaccines couldn’t come fast enough, but others understandably have questions about the vaccination process and what to expect when it comes to their turn. We spoke to UNICEF health experts to find out about the vaccination process and tips on what you can do before, during and after. >> Common questions about COVID-19 vaccines answered UNICEF/GEO-2021/Jibuti Before you go Do your research. There’s a lot of misinformation about vaccines online, so it’s important to always get your information from trustworthy sources like UNICEF and WHO. If you have any questions about whether you should receive a COVID-19 vaccine, speak to your doctor. At present, people with the following health conditions should not receive a COVID-19 vaccine to avoid any possible adverse effects: If you have a history of severe allergic reactions to any ingredients of a COVID-19 vaccine. If you are currently sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (although you can get vaccinated once you have recovered and your doctor has approved). >>What you need to know about COVID-19 vaccines Talk to your doctor. If you’ve ever experienced a severe allergic reaction from any vaccine or you have any questions about the medications you are currently taking, talk to your health care provider before your appointment. Take care of yourself. Get a good night’s rest and hydrate well before your vaccination so you can feel your best on the day. UNICEF/GEO-2021/Jibuti During the appointment Stay safe. Make sure to follow safety precautions at the vaccination facility such as physical distancing while waiting and wearing a mask. Communicate. Let the health care professional know if you have any medical conditions that could be considered precautions, such as pregnancy or a compromised immune system. Keep your records. You should receive a vaccination card that tells you which COVID-19 vaccine you received, when you received it and where you received it. Make sure to hold on to this card in the event that you need it in the future. UNICEF/GEO-2021/Jibuti After you’ve been vaccinated Stay for monitoring. The health care provider should observe you for about 15 minutes after the vaccine is administered to make sure you don’t have any immediate reactions. However, it is extremely rare for severe health reactions. Be prepared for some side effects. Vaccines are designed to give you immunity without the dangers of getting the disease. While it’s normal to build immunity without side effects, it’s also common to experience some mild-to-moderate side effects that go away within a few days on their own. Some of the mild-to-moderate side effects you may experience after vaccination include: Arm soreness at the injection site Mild fever Fatigue Headaches Muscle or joint aches  Chills Diarrhoea If any symptoms continue for more than a few days or if you experience a more severe reaction, then contact your health care provider immediately. Be patient. Building immunity takes time. You will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after your second dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, 15 days after your second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine or two weeks after the single-dose J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. Keep yourself and others safe. While these vaccines are showing to be highly effective at protecting people against serious illness from COVID-19, we’re still learning about whether it is possible for a vaccinated person to still spread the virus, even without symptoms. Therefore, it is important to continue practicing safety precautions to protect yourself and others, including avoiding crowded spaces, physical distancing, hand washing and wearing a mask .