At the initiative of Vice-Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Nino Tsilosani, and organised by the Parliamentary Commission on Women’s and Children’s Issues, with the support of the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia, a forum entitled “Local Efforts for the Well-being of Women and Children” was held in Tbilisi.

Representatives from various municipalities participated in the event.

In her opening remarks, Vice-Speaker Nino Tsilosani addressed the invited guests.

"Participants of this forum include those working on women’s and children’s issues from all 64 municipalities. The aim of the event is to strengthen coordinated cooperation with local authorities and to share practical information to further improve both the social packages and policies related to women and children’s issues", - Nino Tsilosani stated.

The Chair of the Parliamentary Commission on Women’s and Children’s Issues, Mariam Lashkhi, outlined the Commission’s priority areas.

"One of the Commission’s priorities is to strengthen children's rights in the digital environment, including reducing the child poverty rate to the lowest possible level. Another key focus is the political empowerment of women, encouraging greater participation of women in politics. A third priority is to support families, aimed at promoting demographic development and enhancing related state support programmes", - Mariam Lashkhi noted.

The event was also attended by Deputy Minister of Regional Development Zurab Iashvili, Public Defender Levan Ioseliani, and Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Sopho Kiladze.

Throughout the forum, participants reviewed existing municipal programmes supporting women and child protection. Public finance management expert Shorena Kakhidze conducted a training on integrating women’s and children’s issues into the municipal budget process. In addition, group sessions were held with the participation of municipal representatives, focusing on identifying local challenges, exploring solutions, and defining priority directions.

With the support of UNICEF, a training session was also held on children’s rights in Georgia, during which current challenges and potential solutions were discussed.

As highlighted during the event, such engagement with municipalities will continue through future meetings.