Specialists of the ILO International Training Center in Turin have specifically created the course modules to make them even more relevant for the government, businesses, employers’ and workers’ organizations and for the general public who wants to know more about business and human rights.

The course brought together more than fifteen representatives from different ministries and the administration of the government of Georgia,the Parliament of Georgia, State Employment Support Agency (SESA), Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC), Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Ministry of Justice, Government Administration, Office of the Business Ombudsman, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Public Defenders Office, Labour Inspection Office, Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure.

The participants discussed inquired about the technical structure of the course. They also looled at the labour relations in Georgia, with regard to mediation and internal grievance mechanisms.  The overall opinion was that the course was very relevant for Georgia’s needs and further noted to share the course among their networks.

The online e-Learning course consists of four modules: (1) Overview of Business and Human Rights and Decent Work; (2) Business and Human Rights in Georgia; (3) Business and Human Rights and International Labour Standards (ILS); and (4) Stakeholders in Business and Human Rights Field in Georgia. After completing the modules by 100 percent, the system will generate a certificate of participation for the user, both in English and in Georgian languages.

“The Business and human Rights agenda has gained considerable ground in the last years. Especially the COVID-19 crisis has questioned the sustainability of existing business (as usual) modules and accelerated legislative reform within the EU and across the globe on human rights due diligence, and responsible business conduct. This innovative self-guided eLearning will contribute to the ongoing debate in Georgia on business, human rights and decent work”, said Karl Pfeffer, Programme Officer at the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization.

“Business and human rights support sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development by encouraging responsible businesses. There have been important milestones in developing responsible business conduct approach in Georgia, such as development of a National Baseline Assessment (NBA) on Business and Human Rights in 2017, a chapter on Business and Human Rights in Georgian Human Rights National Action Plan 2018-20. But more needs to be done. Business and human rights issues have taken up a higher-level focus under the priority directions in the National Strategy for Human Rights Protection of Georgia for 2022-2030. We welcome the initiative of an eLearning course and hope relevant stakeholders will find it useful. The Human Rights Secretariat team have worked closely with the ILO to develop the course”, said Niko Tatulashvili, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Human Rights Protection.

The e-course on Business and Human Rights was created with technical support of International Labour Organization (ILO) to Human Rights Secretariat (HRS) in the framework of the ILO project “Inclusive Labour Market for Job Creation in Georgia” funded by the Government of Denmark.