The Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, made a statement regarding International Human Rights Day and noted that the protection of human rights and freedoms is the main priority of the government.
“After WWII, the civilized world came to an agreement that it was necessary to step up international effort toward protecting human rights. And it was in this spirit that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. The declaration draws on the principles of natural law and enshrines the inherent dignity and equality of every human person.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was one of the key documents underpinning the Constitution of Georgia, the country’s supreme legislation. The Constitution reflects the unwavering will of the Georgian nation to build a democratic, free, social, and constitutional state guaranteeing universally recognized human rights and freedoms.
In the October 1, 2012 parliamentary elections, Georgia’s population clearly expressed its will and support for drastic changes in the country. The newly elected Government of Georgia committed to far-reaching reforms across the board.
In line with the Government’s programs, important efforts have been invested in cementing the inviolability of our citizens’ constitutional rights and institution-building grounded in democratic values.
Protecting human rights and freedoms is our Government’s key priority. The Government of Georgia ensures equal, free, and decent conditions for Georgian citizens, regardless of their affiliations with one group or another, because we firmly believe that protecting the interests of all groups and individuals and looking after their rights is a must.
It is important to us for the state’s human rights policy to reflect internationally adopted standards. To that end, in 2013, work commenced on the National Strategy for Protecting Human Rights, the first of its kind in the history of Georgia. The 2014-2020 National Strategy of Georgia for Protecting Human Rights was rooted in the idea of exercising human rights in everyday life and defined the long-term priorities and objectives of the Georgian Government, with a view to shaping interagency, multisectoral, unified, and consistent human rights policies, implementing good governance and strengthening the protection of human rights.
Presently, the Government is working on the 2nd National Strategy for Protecting Human Rights encompassing a wide array of rights and echoing international progress toward protecting human rights.
The Georgian Government is and will be the guarantor of Georgian citizens’ free expression of will, development, and progress. We believe that, together with our population and international partners, we will succeed in overcoming all challenges and furthering our country’s democratic development and integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.
Through a joint effort, we are destined to succeed!” noted Garibashvili.
By Ketevan Skhirtladze
