Highlights
UNICEF held a seminar on Child Rights with the Members of the Parliament and the Permanent Council on Child Rights of the Parliament of Georgia. – please see MONTHLY FOCUS on page 5.
UNICEF launched a third phase of its back-to-school campaign, stressing the importance of school reopening, emphasizing the digital divide for those children who lack the necessary digital tools to engage in distance learning, and highlighting the negative impact that school closures have on children’s academic, social and mental wellbeing. UNICEF and WHO issued a joint press-release calling for school reopening. A press-conference was held with the UNICEF Representative, which was followed with media interviews and his participation on a TV Talk-show on school reopening triggered public discussion.
UNICEF’s campaign #აიცერითმასწ to engage teachers and school administrators in the national vaccination programme was joined by three Ambassadors in Kakheti - Ambassador of Norway H.E. Helene Sand Andresen, Ambassador of Estonia H.E. Riina Kaljurand, and Ambassador of Lithuania H.E. Andrius Kalindra. In their video addresses, the Ambassadors stressed the importance of creating a safe environment in schools so that they are the first to open and last to close amid lockdowns forced by the pandemic.
UNICEF Georgia continues to support the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) in providing information on COVID-19 vaccination to medical personnel, teachers, media, religious leaders and municipal staff.
Under an initiative of the European Network of Ombudspersons of Children (ENOC), and with UNICEF’s support, the Public Defender's Office completed a Child Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA) related to COVID-19. The draft report has been shared with ENOC for comments and feedback.
UNICEF launched a series of training sessions for academic staff of nine state universities to support finalisation and implementation of Bachelor level programmes for prospective preschool educators.
Field work for the fourth wave of the Real Time Monitoring (RTM) survey has been completed, and preparation for the fifth wave has started. Data is being generated on the impact of COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccinations, access to healthcare services and learning, amongst others.