"Maro! We have no fear in our hearts!" - One of the main banners from the heart of Georgia’s protest, from the demonstration in Tbilisi, was shown to around 50 participants from different countries at the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York. We showed it and shared stories from Georgia—stories of how, in this country, protest has a women's voice and how, today, women are the main symbol of the struggle. Just like Maro, Georgia’s national hero, who fell in battle against Soviet Russian troops at the gates of Tbilisi. The fight for independence in this small country continues even years later, and women, just as before, remain on the frontlines, giving their all to the cause.
"Europe is our historical choice." - We shared this as well, with the same spirit of protest, for Georgia’s democratic future, just like the banner. This year, it was necessary to do so, unlike last year when, at the 68th session of CSW, we were still proudly showcasing our achievements in women’s rights and gender equality, positioning ourselves on the international stage with successful practices—practices that were once endorsed by the same government that today is behind anti-democratic legislative initiatives.
In recent years, many countries, including Georgia, have faced the rise of conservative ideologies and policies, significantly worsening the situation for women's rights. The political crisis in the country, along with the adoption of anti-democratic legislative changes, has led to a regression in gender equality and put the work of women's rights defenders and organizations at risk. The strengthening of the anti-gender movement creates an environment where women's rights become even more vulnerable. This context laid the foundation for this year’s regional event in New York, which we held as part of the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women - "Women's Struggle for Equality in Times of Political Crisis: Perspectives in Europe and Central Asia."
The impact of political crisis on women’s rights and gender equality, the disruption of civil sector activities, the challenges faced by women and activists, sharing international experiences, solidarity, and the development of strategies were the main topics of the event, which involved representatives from organizations working on human and women’s rights, international partners, and experts from Europe and Central Asia.
At the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the issues of gender regression and the deterioration of women’s rights were raised multiple times on both a regional and global level. In addition to the WIC event, several important reports were presented by women’s rights defenders from different countries around the world on the international platform, including by the Chairperson of the Board of the Women’s Information Center, Elene Ruseckaya.
"My report was titled 'The Impact of Political Crisis on Women's Rights and Gender Equality Policies,' and it addressed gender regression. Unlike last year’s 68th session, where we spoke about the achievements and progress in women’s rights and gender equality in Georgia, this year the main focus was on the changed agenda that our country and region now face." - As Elene Ruseckaya, the founder of the Women's Information Center, tells us, she recalls the 68th session of CSW, when, one year ago in the United States, she was still talking about good practices and the achievements made.
"Returning from America, we were faced with a completely different reality. Back then, in America, we presented good practices of women's political participation, but when we returned, the initiative to abolish gender quotas was put on the agenda. This decision effectively nullified the results we had fought for over the years, the efforts we had put in, and the work done by women's organizations. This was followed, gradually but at a very rapid pace from this perspective, by the anti-democratic legislative initiatives we now face in the country."- shares Elene.
In New York, the supporters of this year's event were UN Women Georgia and the Norwegian Agency for Development and Cooperation. This once again emphasizes the tremendous contribution of our international partners in helping us do what is necessary for the democratic development of our country here, now, and on every platform.
"Attending this event was of utmost importance to me. I had the opportunity to hear about all the challenges you are facing. I want to once again tell you that the doors of UN Women are always open to you. Please reach out to us, write to us, and within our capabilities, we will always try to offer you our support."- This was said by Kaori Ishikawa, the UN Women representative in Georgia, at our event in New York.
"Maro! We have no fear in our hearts!" "Europe is our historical choice" – these were the messages on the posters for the attendees in America.
It is already well-known to the 50+ participants of the WIC event, and not only to them, that women's voices are at the heart of protests in Georgia, that women are fighting and not giving up. "Victory is in the people," "Maro! We have no fear in our hearts!" "Displaced women are here," "Women have a voice, listen to them!" "The voice of women is the voice of the country" – these were the messages on the posters as the participants of our event in America listened to the story of the 100-day protest. We shared the story of why the cry "Freedom for Mzia" is heard from every region and from the capital of this small country and how Mzia Amaghlobeli became a symbol of the fight for justice.
"The aim of today's event is to strategically determine what we can collectively do to counter the challenges we see in the region (ECA region) regarding women's rights and gender equality." - This was said by Tamar Dekanosidze (Regional Representative for Equality Now in Eurasia), the facilitator of our event, at the beginning of the event, as she paved the way for all the speakers from different countries around the world.
Ana Nemsadze from the Women's Information Center, who was part of the New York delegation, considers one of the main achievements of the event to be that women from around the world heard every message in detail, understood it, and expressed their support for women and youth in Georgia.
"The event was valuable not only in terms of sharing the expert and professional experiences of the speakers but also because of the feedback we received from the participants. I heard very interesting discussions on how women in Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Denmark are dealing with the same challenges.
The most impressive and hopeful aspect was the sense of unity among women from different regions of the world, which, in recent years, has definitely been lacking in our sector. Now, everyone has a sense of solidarity towards each other, and all unanimously agree that we cannot allow anyone to retreat from our achievements, including in the area of peacebuilding.
I believe the main message of the event was understood correctly by the audience, which is confirmed by the wishes and support sent to Georgian women from women across the globe. This is exactly what solidarity, strength, and courage to continue the fight represent." - Ana Nemsadze, Head of the Women, Peace, and Security Direction at the Women's Information Center.
The protest and the role of women were a crucial message in New York, but it was equally valuable and necessary to provide accurate information to participants about what and why people in Georgia are protesting. Accordingly, participants received information about the impact of the so-called "Russian law" on civil society organizations, as well as potential legislative changes, including the FARA Act, which, according to the Georgian Dream-led Parliament, is the "literal translation" of the US Foreign Agents Registration Act. Meanwhile, the word "gender" is being removed from Georgia's legislation, with proponents of this initiative arguing that the term was artificially introduced into Georgian law through foreign influence and lobbying, and now it should be replaced with the words "man" and "woman."
"I believe we didn't leave any issue unaddressed on the international platform. We talked a lot about the protest, which, to be fair, was initiated by women and, together with youth, they won the first battle. However, today we are faced with what we have — a whole package of anti-democratic legislative initiatives. We also did not forget the parliamentary elections, which are considered illegitimate by many civil society organizations and a large part of the public, with violations that have been highlighted by several international organizations."- said Elene Rusetskaia.
The First Women's Congress of Georgia – a history written during a political crisis, which today helps us in the restoration of our strength.
At the end of the event, the team of the Women's Information Center shared with the participants the story of the founding of the First Women's Congress of Georgia, which, during a political crisis, the organization’s team was able to establish with the support of international partners. Years later, when Georgia becomes a member of the European Union and the country's European future is officially confirmed, the Congress will serve as a proud historical memory, being the first and largest platform for women, women’s organizations, and people interested in women’s issues.
The First Women’s Congress of Georgia took place on March 7, 2025, with 250 participants from different regions of Georgia. The Congress united women’s rights defenders, activists, leaders, local and international experts, representatives of academic and diplomatic circles, journalists, and people interested in issues such as violence prevention, combating anti-gender movements, promoting women’s political participation, strengthening women's economic empowerment, implementing gender policies, and advancing the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, among others.
The main symbol of the Women’s Congress, "Lady Republic," is an emblem of independent Georgia's postage stamp from 1918-1921. It is a message of equality, strength, and emancipation from the 1920s to the world. It represents the fighting spirit of Georgia and was specifically created for the postage stamp. The initiative aims to remind us once again who we are, where we come from, and where we are going, which is also an important part of the concept of the Women’s Congress.
We take great pride in announcing that WIC from Georgia has been bestowed with the esteemed CAREC PROGRAM Gender Award—CAREC GENDER CHAMPIONS 2023. Certainly, it is noteworthy that women's organizations from various countries around the world were nominated for this prestigious award
On July 26, 2019, representatives of the Women's Information Center organized a focus group in Kobuleti Municipality that included local leaders and women entrepreneurs who use / do not use the Women's Room Service.The purpose of the focus group was to evaluate the use of women's room services in the municipality for effective planning of further work.
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