Ambassadorial Working Group statement

We welcome the recent amendment to the Constitution of Georgia, which provides for special measures to be implemented by the State to ensure substantive equality between men and women and to eliminate inequalities.

We take note of the legislative initiative supported by more than 37,000 citizens of Georgia which, if passed, would significantly increase representation of women in elected bodies at all levels and would help Georgia to bring women's voices more prominently into political discourse. We consider the initiative to be timely as it provides a tool to meet one of the objectives of the EU-Georgia Association Agenda 2017-2020 and brings Georgia, in line with other successful reforms, closer to the average proportion of women at national parliaments in the EU (30.4%). This legislation would also bring Georgia into better compliance with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #5 and the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) when it comes to women’s political participation.

Being aware that the legislative initiative was endorsed by three Parliamentary committees in the 3rd quarter of 2017, we reaffirm the importance of striving for gender equality in any democratic society and look forward to further developments at the Parliament of Georgia with regard to this important piece of legislation.