MPs at the plenary session presided by the Speaker, Archil Talakvadze ratified and approved with 82 votes unanimously the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

As the Speaker stated after the ballot, ratification of this Protocol is a historical decision. “The protectors of human rights and the persons of special needs are best aware of the meaning of ratification of this Protocol and I thank you all for your support as it is a truly important decision and I hope that it will improve the conditions of many persons with special needs in real life”, - he stated.

The Protocol was introduced by the Deputy Health Minister, Tamila Barkalaia speaking about the importance of the document, especially for the improvement of the condition of persons with disabilities.

“It is crucial for the protection of rights of persons with disabilities, for their integration in the society and facilitation of their socialization. By ratifying the Protocol, we ensure two key issues for these persons: it grants the right to the UN Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to individually discuss their claims and in case if our citizen – a person with disabilities is unable to restore his/her individual right, then it will be resolved at the international level; and we thus joint the countries putting the human rights at the highest stake, especially for persons with disabilities and thus, the Protocol will ensure the additional technical and expert support for persons with disabilities by the UN Commission. Respective expert support and recommendations will allow us to further improve and enhance our support to our persons with disabilities”, - she stated.

According to the Deputy Chair of the Legal Issues Committee, Rati Ionatamishvili, the Protocol ensures Georgia joins the progressive countries which to a maximal extent protect the rights of persons with disabilities. “Since the very moment of ratification of this document in the UN, we have been striving to ratify it in Georgia. It is important that the position of the Governmental branches, persons with disabilities and their representatives is common and unanimous, which is an important message to the international community. By ratifying the Protocol, Georgia joins the progressive countries, which at a maximal extent protect the rights of persons with disabilities and individual mechanisms of advocacy. By sharing the Protocol, we move forward to the new stage of the policy and thus, finalize the process of ratification of the values and principles recognized under the Convention”, - he added. Other than the international obligations and advocacy, the Protocol creates various opportunities, namely higher international support, additional grants etc. “The Protocol is the official document of the comprehensive and high standard of the human rights protection and it shall be shared and ratified by us as it is our responsibility to persons with disabilities”, - he stated.

The Chair of the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee, Mikheil Sarjveladze stressed the importance of the document as the degree of human rights protection indicates the degree of civilization of society.

“It is a very important decision. Our Committee supports the ratification of the document as a very important decision of the Parliament. Ratification is the starting stage allowing the creation of the real opportunities under the Law on Persons with Disabilities adopted by the Parliament in 2020 for effective ratification and establishment of the instruments envisaged under the document. It is also noteworthy that it is a step forward in terms of the provisions of the law establishing a high standard for protection of the rights of persons with disabilities as it creates the perfect mechanism of enforcement”, - he stated.

The Chair of the Education, Science and Culture Committee, Tea Tsulukiani stated that this Protocol is important indeed as Georgia was waiting for its ratification for years:

“It is not excluded that ratification of this Protocol is one of the greatest events of 2021. Hence, now the executive authorities and the Parliament need to hold the wider-scale campaign for communication as it is one of the greatest achievements in this sphere and we have been waiting for it for years. Maybe any of the executive officials or personally you make society have a real sense of this importance”.

The Parliament approved the document and also voted and approved the bill on Narcotic Means, Psychotropic Agents, Precursors and Narcological Aid (III reading); and the draft resolutions on: Accession to the Hague Convention of November 15, 1965 on Serving Abroad the Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Matters; and Accession to the Hague Convention of March 18, 1970 on Taking the Evidence Abroad in Civil and Commercial Matters.