On February 24, 2015, in the framework of the EU-Georgia Visa Liberalization Action Plan, the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia was visited by the expert assessment mission with an official visit. The objective of the mission was to assess implementation of Georgia’s anti-discrimination legislation.

Issues discussed at the meeting included mandate of the Public Defender of Georgia as the country’s equality body, as well as challenges and ways for their resolution; activities and future plans of the Department of Equality of the Public Defender of Georgia; effectiveness of implementation of the Georgian anti-discrimination legislation and policies, compliance of the Georgian legislation and normative acts with anti-discrimination norms, conduction of awareness-raising campaigns for elimination of all forms of racisms, xenophobia and discrimination.

In the framework of the visit, the assessment mission also met with representatives of the Council of Religions and the Council of Ethnic Minorities of the Public Defender who emphasized issues such as challenges and achievements existing in the sphere of rights of ethnic minorities, realization of the right to freedom of religion and tolerance.