Tbilisi Marks International Day for Tolerance

November 24, 2011- The Public Defender of Georgia hosted an event dedicated to the International Day for Tolerance at Sheraton Metechi palace Hotel, Tbilisi.

George Tugushi, Public Defender of Georgia and Jamie McGoldrick, Head of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Georgia opened the event.

“Tolerance is not being taught, one should be feeling that,” said Jamie McGoldrick in his welcoming speech. Stigma towards different minorities, he stressed, is being crashed down through acquiring knowledge.

The event being organized by the Tolerance Center of the Public Defender’s Office with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) was attended by the representatives of the Georgian government, diplomatic missions, and international, non-governmental and religious organizations.

Tbilisi City Mayor Gigi Ugulava being present at the event discussed the importance of tolerance. Tolerance, he pointed out, is conducive to civil integration.

The Public Defender traditionally reviewed the implementation of the rights of religious and ethnic minorities and cases of xenophobia in 2011.

Delivering a speech Giorgi TUgushi pointed out that the main event of the year in regard to tolerance was the amendments made by the Parliament of Georgia to the Civil Code. Following the amendments religious unions have been granted a right to register as public law legal entity.

Based on xenophobia, said Public Defender, in 2011 crimes and cases of intolerance has decreased and in this regard only six applications have been lodged to the Public Defender’s office.

 In 2011, said Tugushi, a great part of media kept replicating intolerance.

“We were concerned about greater part of media being not only replicating hate speech and xenophobia but being the source of intolerance. This issue turned out to be most critical when granting legal status to religious unions,” said Tugushi.

After having delivered the speech Giorgi Tugushi awarded the winners of the journalism contest Tolerance

and Diversity.

Lela Dumbadze of the Batumelebi newspaper has been awarded the first prize for the article entitled What is National Fundamentalism?

Levan Sutidze of the Tabula magazine is the winner of the second place for the article Kidnapping Crescent.

The third place was shared by Salome Ugulava and Levan Sutidze of the Tabula magazine for the article To Fergan and Back.

Public Defender also recognized the author of the best TV story. Journalist Rusudan Gvaramadze and cameraman Sergey Fidanyan of Akhaltsikhe-based Channel 9 have been awarded for the story about Muslim Meskhetians.

The winners have been awarded with certificates and iPods.  

In the course of the given event the persons, organizations and media outlets that have made a particular contribution to the development of the culture of tolerance in Georgia were awarded too.

The title of the Supporter of Tolerance has been granted to journalist Ninia Kakabadze, theologian Basil Kobakhidze, newspaper Multinational Georgia, Alpe Foundation, coalition For European Georgia an online edition Netgazeti.

During the event the presentation of the Public Defender’s website www.tolerantoba.ge will held. The website offers users Public Defender’s reports and recommendations, results of media monitoring as well as the information about different religions and the holidays calendar.

The International Day for Tolerance is marked every year as a reminder of the necessity of respect, dialogue and cooperation among cultures and civilizations. The International Day for Tolerance was first marked in 1996 on the initiative of the UN General Assembly. On November 16, 1995, the UNESCO adopted the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance.