Armenian officials learn from Georgia’s experiences of gender equality during EU-supported study visit

Women and men in Armenia will benefit from the valuable lessons learned by Armenian civil servants learned during a study visit to Georgia, organised by the EU-funded EU4Gender Equality Reform Helpdesk project (27–29 June 2022).

Visiting other countries is an effective way of discovering improved methods of working, seeing good practices in action and bringing home new ideas. This is why the Helpdesk put together a customised study visit programme for the 20-member Armenian delegation, showcasing how gender policies are developed and implemented in Georgia.

While gender-based violence remains a challenge in Georgia, the country has made progress on preventing and countering the phenomenon. Participants learned about Georgia’s experience of ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combatting Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention), and how the country is aligning its legislation with the Convention to benefit women and men nationwide. The Armenian delegation saw first-hand how the creation of Georgia’s Inter-agency Commission on Gender Equality, Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence in the executive branch has improved coordination between state entities. They observed how the response to gender-based violence has been strengthened by the Gender Equality Department in the Public Defender’s Office and the Human Rights Protection and Investigation Quality Monitoring Department at the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Applying these lessons learned in Armenia will help to advance gender equality and counter inequalities – especially gender-based violence.

Participants were grateful to forge closer ties and share experiences with their Georgian colleagues. Participants from the Public Defender’s Offices in Georgia and Armenia plan to conduct joint research.

The EU4GenderEquality: Reform Helpdesk project, funded by the European Union and implemented by Niras, aims to ensure effective and equal results for women and men across Eastern Partnership countries – including Armenia and Georgia – by expanding the use of gender analysis in decision-making and reforms.

Learn more about the EU’s support for gender equality

Gender equality – EU NEIGHBOURS east

EU4GenderEquality: Reform Helpdesk

EU4 Gender Equality Reform Helpdesk – factsheet