Outcome GEO_O_1

Assuring an accountable organization through principled performance

In the reporting period, the Gender Theme Group (GTG) (chaired by UN Women) continued its work as planned; three regular GTG meetings took place, culminating in the high-level annual National Gender Equality Conference on 15 December 2022. UN Women continued to take active part in the work of all UNSDCF results groups, providing reporting inputs to UNINFO as relevant. In the reporting period, the UN Women Georgia team received funding for the third and final phase of the UN Joint Programme for Gender Equality (UNJP4GE), implemented from July 2022 until December 2026. UN Women is serving as the Convening Agency of this Joint Programme.

Assuring an accountable organization through principled performance

The implementation of this result is on track; UN-Women Georgia Country Office remains to be an accountable and trustworthy development organization that manages its financial and other resources with integrity and in line with its programmatic ambitions and fiduciary obligations. UN Women Georgia CO has delivered 99 per cent of its regular and 90 per cent of non-core (other) resources. The CO has actively engaged with the HQ around Enterprise Risk Management policy and framework requirements, risk register is regularly updated and available in RMS. The CO does not have any long outstanding internal or external audit recommendations to follow up. The office is fully compliant with UN Women corporate A) business continuity plans and processes B) Occupational Safety and Health requirements C) UNSMS Security policies. The CO needs to improve its application of environmental and social standards in programmes in line with United Nations standards (QCPR). UN Women has successfully exercised its coordination mandate throughout the year; The Gender Theme Group (GTG) continued its work in the reporting period; The Annual Workplan of the GTG has been successfully implemented. Out of 11 activities foreseen by the UNCT Gender SWAP scorecard 2022 workplan 5 (46 per cent) have been implemented. Workplan implementation progress has been reported in the SWAP scorecard platform in set deadlines.

Assuring an accountable organization through principled performance

The implementation of this result is on track; UN-Women Georgia Country Office remains to be an accountable and trustworthy development organization that manages its financial and other resources with integrity and in line with its programmatic ambitions and fiduciary obligations. UN Women Georgia CO has delivered 99 per cent of its regular and over 95 per cent of non-core (other) resources. The CO has actively engaged with the HQ around Enterprise Risk Management policy and framework requirements, risk register is regularly updated and available in RMS. The CO does not have any long outstanding internal or external audit recommendations to follow up. The office is fully compliant with UN Women corporate A) business continuity plans and processes B) Occupational Safety and Health requirements C) UNSMS Security policies. The CO needs to improve its application of environmental and social standards in programmes in line with United Nations standards (QCPR). UN Women has successfully exercised its coordination mandate throughout the year in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan; The Gender Theme Groups (GTG) continued its work in the reporting period. Gender was successfully mainstreamed in UNSDCF evaluation processes in all three countries of the South Caucasus with active engagement and inputs from UN Women. Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are also on track of SWAP Gender Scorecard commitments and progress.

Enhanced coordination, coherence and accountability of the UN system for commitments to gender equality and women's empowerment

In the reporting period UN Women Georgia continued to serve as the Chair of the Gender Theme Group (GTG) in Georgia and the GTG successfully implemented its 2021 Annual Work Plan. President of Georgia H.E. Salome Zourabichvili took part in the Generation Equality Forum (GEF) in Paris, spelling out Georgia’s commitments under the following two Action Coalitions: Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality (TIGE). This was achieved because of several bilateral advocacy meetings organized by the UN Women Georgia CO under the GTG auspices in cooperation with the Embassy of France to Georgia and under the RC’s leadership, to steer the interest of the Government of Georgia towards the Generation Equality Action Coalitions. In addition, together with the RC, UNFPA and the French Embassy, a few advocacy events were organized locally to promote the global Generation Equality Forums (GEF) in Mexico and Paris. The two large events – Civil Society Forum – Bringing Generation Equality Home (March 11) and voicing of Government of Georgia’s commitments under Generation Equality (June 29) took place. Through this joint mobilization and advocacy, the Government of Georgia undertook decisive commitment under the two Action Coalitions. To mark the annual 16 days campaign against gender-based violence, a high-level conference was organized by UN Women under the auspices of the GTG to address the issue of ‘Enhancing Access to Justice of Sexual Violence Victims’ on 2 December 2021. As a result of this meeting, the GTG secured the political commitment from the representatives of executive as well as legislative branches of the government to change the legal definition of rape in the Criminal Code of Georgia, by making it consent-based, as per the Istanbul Convention provisions. The work of GTG as well as of its Task Forces has continued uninterrupted (mostly virtually due to the COVID-19). UN Women led the drafting of UNCT Confidential CEDAW report that has been submitted to the Committee on June 7, along with the draft of the oral statement by the UN Resident Coordinator Dr. Sabine Machl. CEDAW is to review Georgia's submission on its 81st session in the beginning of 2022. Also, UN Women Georgia provided input to UN Women liaison office in Geneva for their intervention at the up-coming 47th session of the Human Rights Council - Agenda Item 6: adoption of the final report on the UPR of Georgia. In close collaboration with UNCT and RCO, UN Women has led the implementation of UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard process. The Scorecard exercise was successfully completed in the last quarter of 2021. The findings of the SWAP Scorecard exercise along with the action-plan have been entered into the Gender Scorecard global platform in December 2021.