On 28-29 April 2017 the Association of Judges of Georgia hosted the International Conference on Judicial Performance Evaluation, Mediation and Juvenile Justice. The Conference was organised with the support of the Council of Europe, European Union Delegation in Georgia, UNDP Georgia, EWMI PROLOG and IRZ.

The Conference brought together 14 signatory states of a memorandum signed in 2010 on creating a common platform for sharing ideas, concerns and challenges faced by judiciaries in the countries-parties to the memorandum. The programme of the Conference included interrelated and crucial issues for an efficient functioning of the judiciary. The Chief Justice of Georgia highlighted the country’s progress achieved by the adoption of the Code on Juvenile Justice and emphasised the importance of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, as one of solutions to the increasing caseload and court delays. The overview offered by Mr Gerhard Reissner, Council of Europe expert, on the judicial performance evaluation criteria and standards, based on the Consultative Council of European Judges Opinion No 17 opened the discussion on the need to find a balance between the quantitative and qualitative evaluation criteria. The outcomes of the Conference will be compiled and published for further reference. The participants agreed to meet in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2018, for a follow-up Conference on issues of interest to the judiciary.

The activity was co-funded by the Council of Europe Project "Support to the Judicial Reform in Georgia". This Project is funded by voluntary contributions of Bulgaria, Liechtenstein, Norway, Slovakia and Sweden to support the implementation of the Council of Europe Action plan for Georgia 2016-2019.