Human Rights Week 2022

Starting on 2 December, the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia will mark Human Rights Week together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN HIGH Commissioner for Human Rights in the South Caucasus (OHCHR), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Public Defender’s Office in close partnership with Georgia’s national human rights institutions and other partner organisations.

This year, Human Rights Week will focus on how human rights are the beginning of peace within societies, and a way to create a fairer society for future generations. In light of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine, the aspirations of the Declaration, of human dignity and equality, the right to life and liberty, are recalled once again as core basic human rights.

Human Rights Week 2022 will cover a wide variety of activities:

2 December	Women-themed film festival at Conflict-affected communities dedicated to the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence organized by UNDP as part of the EU4Dialogue Programme
4 December	Opening of Tbilisi International Film Festival (EU Human Rights in Film Award)
5 December	Fathers’ School Closing Event in Kutaisi with UNFPA- Another cohort of participants to complete the course at the Fathers’ School
6 December	“Invisible” – UNFPA and Palitra L are presenting comic book created on gender equality
9 December	Multimedia exhibition organised by UNDP dedicated to International Human Rights Day – “What makes me a human”
10 December	Closing of Tbilisi International Film Festival and Award of the EU Human Rights in Film Award

About Human Rights Week

Human Rights Day, observed annually on 10 December, marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. This year, we mark the 74^th anniversary. The Declaration serves as the foundational blueprint to stand up for and defend human rights. It sets out a broad range of fundamental human rights and freedoms to which all of us, everywhere around the world, are entitled. It grants the rights of every individual, without distinction based on nationality, gender, national or ethnic origin, religion, language, or any other status.

EU Support to Human Rights in Georgia:

Human rights protection and promotion is a core part of the EU’s work in Georgia. In recent years, the EU has supported up to 40 projects dedicated to human rights and gender equality as well as a number of actions to combat all forms of inequality and discrimination in line with the SDG of leaving no one behind.

In partnership with UN and local partners, the EU works hand-in-hand with the Government, Parliament, human rights institutions and civil society to increase national capacities for the protection of human rights, develop new and improve existing policies, promote a human rights-based approach, and advocate for a human rights culture. The EU continues to play a leading role in consolidating the Human Rights Agenda to support the Government in setting the course of action up to 2030 within the new Human Rights Strategy.

In 2022, building on previous years, advocacy for the inclusion of the most vulnerable communities, including Persons with Disabilities continued and saw the establishment of a Coordination Commission under the Human Rights Council responsible for the coordination and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The EU has further supported gender equality and social inclusion, equal social and economic participation of all, working with women in business, and worked to empower more vulnerable groups, including youth, women and girls. Read more about some of our human rights projects below.