UN-Georgia: 30 Years of Partnership

Thirty years ago, on 31 July 1992, Georgia became part of the United Nations family at the 88th plenary meeting of the 46th session of the UN General Assembly. Joining the UN provided an opportunity for the newly independent state of Georgia to be recognized as a fully-fledged member of the global community of nations, and to affirm its commitment to multilateralism. Since then, Georgia has consistently supported the aims and purposes of the Organization in the areas of peace and security, development, justice and human rights, as set forth in the UN Charter.

In the first years of the UN-Georgia partnership, the UN emergency humanitarian aid played a key role in the country’s recovery efforts in the aftermath of the 1992-93 conflicts and the economic hardships of the early 1990s. Later, the UN mission grew to encompass much more: transition initiatives, environment, agriculture, rural development, climate change, education, health, asylum and migration, and economic development. Over three decades of work to support Georgia’s development, the UN helped the country to develop human and institutional capacities and to create opportunities for the neediest.

We look back with pride at many joint achievements in the past 30 years. Among them are our efforts to support Georgia in promoting gender equality and enhancing protection of human rights for all people in all parts of the country, including children, women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQI+ persons, people with disabilities, older persons, internally displaced persons, refugees and migrants. UN is proud of our partnership with the Public Defender’s Office and other national institutions protecting human rights. We have also continuously promoted good governance and supported Georgian national institutions in enhancing transparency, accountability, evidence-based policy-making, improving delivery of services and enabling decentralization. Important milestones were the election of Georgia as a Chair country of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2017 and granting the United Nations Public Service Award to the Public Service Halls in 2012.

Today, the UN is present in Georgia in areas where our experience and resources are most needed. In October 2020 we co-signed with the Government of Georgia the new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2021-2025 with one overarching priority of enhancing wellbeing, human capabilities and social equality.

The 30th anniversary represents a unique opportunity to look back in order to move firmly forward.  Over these years Georgia has been able to achieve real progress on its development pathway. As we look forward, we remain unwavering in our support of Georgia’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. We will reinforce our joint efforts to leave no one behind and to make a real difference in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people at a time when many fragilities and societal fault lines are even more exposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Today we reaffirm our commitment to our partnership with Georgia to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals for the benefit of people and prosperity of the country.