As Georgia ratified the Revised European Social Charter (ESC) on 22 August 2005, it is obliged to follow the respective Monitoring procedure and submit the national reports to the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR). While the Government bears the key responsibility for preparing national reports, the non-Governmental organisations are also invited to submit alternative reports and contribute to the Monitoring procedure accordingly. On 27-28 April, Council of Europe office in Georgia organised an event dedicated to the introduction of European Social Charter Monitoring mechanism for the non-governmental organisations.
This was a first meeting that targeted non-governmental organisations in Georgia to inform them on their role in the monitoring procedure within European Social Charter implementation in Georgia.
During the meeting, along with Council of Europe representatives and experts, the participants discussed the reporting procedure stipulated by the European Social Charter and the conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights. The discussion regarding the international and national best practices was an important part of the workshop. The representative of the Public Defender’s Office in Georgia and the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) spoke about the experience of preparing alternative reports for the European Committee of Social Rights. It should be noted that as a result of the preceding discussions held with the framework of the Project “Strengthening Protection of Social and economic rights in Georgia”, GYLA was the first NGO in Georgia that submitted alternative report to the Committee.
The representatives from about 10 organisations participated in the workshop. As a result of the information and experience gained at the meeting, the participants will have the opportunity in the next reporting periods to present additional comments to the European Committee of Social Rights in the form of an alternative report. These reports will serve as an additional value to the national reports and will further enhance the level of information received by the Committee that will enable the European Committee of Social Rights to fully assess the situation and provide comprehensive conclusions to help policymakers take better-informed legislative and policy steps.
The event was organised within the framework of the Council of Europe Project “Strengthening Protection of Social and Economic Rights in Georgia.” The Project is part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Georgia 2020-2023.
