On 11 and 12 July 2024, the Gender Equality Division hosted the conference “Synergy for Change” for representatives of civil society organisations active in combating violence against women and promoting gender equality. The conference, held in Budapest within the framework of Ending violence against women: multi-country programme, brought together 91 women’s rights activists and professionals  from 26  countries for a day and a half of learning and exchange on awareness raising on violence against women in the context of global challenges.

Six representatives from four Georgian civil society organisations attended the conference. Participants shared their experiences and good practices on awareness raising on gender equality and preventing violence against women. Four workshops took place around the themes of the digital dimension of violence against women, sexism and gender stereotypes, women’s access to justice, and addressing the backlash against gender equality. The workshops were facilitated by international experts and Council of Europe staff, giving participants access to a high level of expertise and different perspectives.

The conference received positive feedback from participants, who highlighted the practical applicability of the knowledge and skills gained. Saba Chitidze, a representative of CSO Rights Georgia, noted, " Given that the harmful narrative often stems from sexism and male domination, I am considering initiating a campaign called 'Boys Against Gender Violence' to engage young men in the fight against gender-based violence."

Nati Gelovani, another representative from a civil society organisation “Rule of Law Center”, shared, "Personally, it was the first event of a similar format, and I gained very important experience and knowledge. Additionally, the contacts and relationships that I have acquired during this conference are very valuable to me."

Ana Tavkhelidze, a representative from Partnership for Human Rights, stated, "I will single out two of the most important things that I personally intend to put into practice. First, learning about the experiences and strategies of other organisations showed me that public awareness of the Istanbul Convention in Georgia is very low. Non-governmental organisations working on women's rights do not systematically monitor the implementation of the Istanbul Convention. We work on individual issues, but our work is not aimed at assessing the full picture. Accordingly, I plan to direct my future efforts in this area."

The participation of representatives of Georgian civil society organisations was supported in the framework of the project “Reinforcing gender equality and implementing GREVIO recommendations to combat violence against women and domestic violence in Georgia”. The Project is a part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Georgia 2024-2027.