Anti-trafficking
The Mission has supported the Georgian Government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in developing and implementing an effective framework for anti-trafficking activities that is in line with OSCE anti-trafficking commitments and focuses on protecting the human rights of victims.
A major focus of the Mission since 2004 has been to support the development and implementation of the Georgian National Action Plans against Human Trafficking, most recently assisting the Government in preparing a new plan for 2009-2010.
The Mission has also supported the development of a national referral mechanism for victims of trafficking in Georgia, assisting with an assessment that was published in September 2005.
Supporting anti-trafficking legislation
After a series of OSCE-supported discussions, the Georgian Government passed a new Law on Combating Human Trafficking in June 2006, leading to the approval of a new referral mechanism and a state fund to compensate and provide shelter for victims. The Mission set up a working group of experts from the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association, the Ministries of Interior and Justice, the General Prosecutor's Office and the International Organization for Migration to draft amendments to the Law.
Victim support in the Adjara region
The Mission provided technical support and co-ordinated an OSCE/ODIHR-funded project launched in 2007 to support the development of an effective local victim support mechanism in the Adjara region in western Georgia, a major transit point for victims from and going through Georgia.
Public awareness and capacity-building
The Mission has supported local NGOs in the development and implementation of initiatives which seek to prevent trafficking in human beings and provide direct assistance to victims of trafficking through a small grants programme.
As a result of a 2006 open competition conducted by the Mission, eight NGO projects were funded and implemented in Tbilisi and Adjara, Kakheti, Samegrelo, Guria and Mtskheta-Mtianeti. The projects mainly focused on capacity-building and training; supporting individual trafficking-victim cases; prevention and public awareness; and regional and international networking.
In October 2008, the Mission supported a study tour to Skopje, in which representatives of the Georgian government and non-governmental organizations engaged in the fight against trafficking in human beings met with counterparts to discuss up-to-date approaches to fighting human trafficking and identifying and assisting victims.
Gender equality
The Mission assisted the Government and women's organizations in developing Georgia's National Action Plan to Promote Gender Equality and lobbied for the creation of relevant institutional mechanisms, such as the State Commission on Gender Equality.