ILO Launches Webinar Series on Business and Human Rights for Civil Servants in Georgia

On 16 December, International Labour Organization (ILO) in partnership with the Administration of the Government (AOG) of Georgia and the Civil Service Bureau of Georgia, launched a series of webinars on Business and Human Rights. The webinar series aims to strengthen the capacity of the Government in the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) on Business and Human Rights.

News | 17 December 2020
 
TBILISI, GEORGIA (ILO News) – Keynote speakers from ILO HQ Geneva Helpdesk for Business, Georgian Employers Association (GEA), Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC), and   Labour Conditions Inspecting Department (LCID) Georgia will provide guidance on the national and international labour standards. Specialists of the ILO International Traning Center in Turin have specifically adapted training sessions to make them even more relevant for Georgian public officials and civil servants.

More than 70 public officials participated in the webinar. They represented line ministries, local self-governance bodies, and office of Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia.

Ms. Lela Akiashvili, Human Rights and Gender Equality Advisor to the Prime Minister of Georgia greeted participants. She stressed the importance of raising awareness on responsible business conduct in light of the UN Guiding principles on business and human rights and International Labour Standards. “The end goal is to find practical applications of the UN Guiding principles into Georgian reality and subsequently increase standards of human rights protection in the country,” – said Ms. Akiashvili.

Ms. Meri Kajaia, specialist at the Human Rights Secretariat at the Administration of the Government of Georgia, reviewed the chapter on Business and Human Rights in light of the existing action plan and outlined the development process of the new NAP on Human Rights.  

Ms. Ekaterine Kardava, head of Civil Service Bureau highlighted the importance of training civil servants in ILS.

Mr. Kinan Bahnassi, Chief Technical Adviser of the ILO project in Georgia, reiterated ILO commitment to continue its support to the Government of Georgia on promoting responsible business conduct and advancing international labour standards for sustainable economic growth and decent work opportunities for all  people in Georgia.

The first webinar session introduced participants to International Labour Standards and national framework for business and human rights in Georgia.

In total seven webinar sessions are planned to take place in the first quarter of 2021. The webinar series on business and human rights are implemented with financial support of the Government of Denmark through the ILO’s Project “Inclusive Labour Market for Job Creation in Georgia”.