According to the amendments made to the Law of Georgia on Gender Equality in 2016, which obliges local self-government to observe the principles of gender equality, it became necessary to create gender equality councils in the local self-government councils. The city halls were tasked with adding the position of an official working on gender equality issues in their staff.
Based on this, we were interested in what has been done in this direction in Aspindza municipality and we spoke with the Chairman of the City Council – Mamuka Melikidze.
Mr. Mamuka, when was the Gender Equality Council established in your municipality and what measures are you implementing in this direction?
First of all, I would like to note that Aspindza is one of the 14 municipalities that joined the European Charter ‘On Equality of Women and Men in Local Life’ at the initiative and with the support of the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia. As you know, the document created by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) in May 2006 aims to establish gender balance in municipalities and implement measures to improve equality between women and men within their own jurisdiction. Accordingly, we did not miss NALAG’s offer and we are pleased to have signed this document.
Regarding your question, the Gender Equality Council of Aspindza Municipality Council was established in 2018 and operates according to the approved plan. I personally lead this council and, together with my colleagues, I ensure that issues that address gender equality principles and challenges in this direction in the municipality are taken into account in the budget planning process.
It is also important to note that currently the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia is working on a practical guide, based on which we will plan a new long-term action plan and strategy, which will make our work even more effective in this direction. The NALAG document, which is being developed in cooperation with the Government of Georgia and UN Women, aims to support municipalities on gender equality issues and help achieve relevant goals at the local level.
I would also like to emphasize our cooperation with the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Women’s Information Center, within the framework of which a gender audit was carried out in Aspindza municipality. Based on its conclusion, we were given the opportunity to see the existing challenges more clearly and start looking for ways to solve them.
What measures have been implemented in your municipality to promote gender equality?
On August 10, 2018, the 2018-2019 action plan was approved, based on which the city hall allocated three thousand GEL to ensure gender equality in Aspindza municipality. In the following years, the amount increased and, accordingly, we increased the number of activities.
In 2018-2020, trainings were held organized by Aspindza Municipality City Hall and the Gender Equality Council of the City Council, which were dedicated to raising public awareness in this direction, as well as prevention of violence against women, domestic violence, and early marriage. The target groups were selected – council deputies, mayor’s representatives, public officials, as well as teachers of preschool institutions, public school students and teachers. In order to identify leading women living in the municipality, training seminars were held, for which funds were allocated from the local budget.
Also, representatives of the Association of Financiers of Local Self-Government Units of Georgia and UN Women conducted trainings on ‘Gender Budgeting’ for employees of Aspindza City Hall structural units and subordinate non-profit (non-commercial) legal entities of the municipality.
We actively held events within the framework of the 16-day campaign against violence. We met with the population and distributed informational brochures with the slogan – ‘The law protects you’, which were also prepared with the funding of the municipality’s city hall.
Within the framework of this campaign, representatives of the Public Defender’s Office also held meetings with the population and provided information about human rights protection services.
It is noteworthy that for the purpose of women’s economic empowerment, from May 1, 2019, with the support of UN Women, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), in cooperation with partner organizations (Kakheti Regional Development Fund (KRDF), Taso Foundation and CARE International in the Caucasus), a 26-month project ‘Women’s Economic Empowerment through Social Mobilization and Capacity Development (WEE)’ was launched in Aspindza municipality.
In order to analyze the initiatives planned and implemented by the municipalities and to study the gender policy of local self-government bodies, representatives of the Gender Department of the Public Defender’s Office held a meeting in Aspindza municipality within the framework of the project ‘Women’s Economic Empowerment in Georgia’. The target group of the meeting was the employees of Aspindza Municipality Council and City Hall and women living in the municipality.
Since 2015, a ‘Women’s Room’ has been functioning in Aspindza, the purpose of which is to provide women with necessary information and services, raise women’s awareness on gender equality issues, and also increase women’s participation in the decision-making process at the municipal level. Interested persons are also given the opportunity to receive desired information using the library and internet available in this space. In addition, representatives of non-governmental or private sectors can use the space to arrange meetings, which in turn creates additional benefits for visitors to the Women’s Room in terms of sharing information and various ideas. Based on this, in 2020, a Women’s Room manager was appointed in Aspindza municipality on the basis of an employment contract.
Is there female representation in the Aspindza Municipality Council?
Of course, compared to previous years, female representation in the municipality council has increased. They actively hold meetings with the population and provide beneficiaries with timely information on important issues. This includes information about programs implemented in the municipality and also information about services that serve to prevent violence against women, one form of violence – early marriage, and domestic violence.
How was the year 2020?
As for 2020, the global pandemic and regulations changed a lot and we faced a new reality. However, in Aspindza municipality, to alleviate the circumstances created by this very reason and the impact of COVID-19, not one measure was implemented and even more are planned for the future.