The Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel hosted the presentation of the changes to the laws regulating education, culture, sports and road traffic, organized within legal advocacy of persons with disabilities supported by USAID, by the Coalition for Independent Living.

As the Head, Giorgi Dzneladze noted, the changes aim at compliance of the legislative base with the UN 2008 Convention on Protection of Rights of Disabled. “We strive to change living conditions of disabled in order to allow them to live independently. It is important that the Parliament pledged to support us”. Particularly grave situation is in the regions with often discrimination of disabled, which requires the system reforming.

According to MP, Tamar Kordzaia, obligation of MP is to listen to the society to consider their opinions in decision-making. “We shall be in concord with the opposition in the decisions by the Coalition. I strongly believe that the changes will create dignified and equal conditions for disabled”.

According to the Coalition expert, Ketevan Margalitadze, the changes are synchronized with the planned and ongoing processes by the relevant agencies. The drafts are oriented to further specification of current mechanisms, defining reasonable terms for implementation without extra budgetary costs. The changes envisage development of the action plan with involvement of PD organizations. The action plans will allow the agencies to reasonably plan and schedule implementation with effective budgetary assignments for 2017 and further.

As G. Dzneladze elucidated, USAID advocacy project aims at facilitation to enforcement of national legislation and implementation of UN 2006 Convention with enhancement of PD organizations in Tbilisi, Guria, Samegrelo, Imereti and Adjara. The executive officials expressed own opinions regarding the changes.

The event was attended by the representatives of the Ministries of Education and Sport, of Culture and Monument Protection, of Justice, and of Interior Affairs, as well as PD organizations.