General

16.Nov.2010

On November 16, 2010 the Public Defender of Georgia hosted an event dedicated to the International Day for Tolerance. International Tolerance Day is celebrated every year as a reminder of necessity of respect, dialogue and cooperation among cultures and ethnicities. The Public Defender reviewed the achievements and current tolerance related problems in Georgia.

The meeting was opened by the Public Defender of Georgia, George Tugushi and UNDP Resident Coordinator in Georgia, James McGoldrick. The representatives of Georgian government, non-state, international and religious organizations and diplomatic missions attended the meeting.

The Public Defender of Georgia nominated and awarded the civil society and media organizations, as well as individual champions of tolerance, for their valued contribution to the development of the culture of tolerance in Georgia.

UN Association of Georgia was awarded for its contributions in the field of tolerance and civic integration. UNAG has been involved in this issue area for last four years, with the launch of the National Integration and Tolerance in Georgia program in 2006, supported by USAID.

Diversity.Ge, one of the national minority and tolerance related UNAG products, which mentioned on the award ceremony, was also created within the frameworks of the National Integration and Tolerance in Georgia Program. The web-site [www.diversity.ge] is the only database in Georgia, which provides the comprehensive information about national minority communities in Georgia.

 “Our Yard”, a weekly TV talk show, developed and run by the Public Broadcaster of Georgia, was also awarded for its exemplary contribution to the promotion of tolerance in Georgia. The talk show was also developed within the frameworks of the National Integration and Tolerance in Georgia Program, implemented by UNAG.

Apart From UN Association of Georgia, a movie critic – Mr. Gogi Gvakharia, Ilia State University, media entities - Liberali and Tabula, and human rights advocate – Mr. Emil Adelkhanov were awarded for their contribution to the promotion of tolerance culture in Georgia.