The report conducted by Transparency International Georgia within the framework of parliamentary monitoring project covers the activities of the Gender Equality Council (hereinafter the "Council") carried out during the reporting period (July 29, 2018 – July 31, 2019).

The report presents the analysis and assessment of the work of the Council in defining the main directions of the state policy, gender analysis of legislation, making new legislative initiatives and carrying out oversight of accountable bodies on gender-related issues.

The following positive trends were identified in the functioning of Gender Equality Council during the reporting period:

• With the active engagement of the Council and the initiative of its members, sexual harassment was defined as an administrative offense;
• The Council strengthened its oversight function. Two thematic inquiry groups were set up on women’s participation in economic programmes and supporting vocational education of women for the strengthening of the economy. The thematic inquiry groups carried out a problem analysis and drafted recommendations.

The following challenges were identified during the research:

•  It is important for an analysis of the budget from a gender perspective to be carried out on an annual basis
• Committees should carry out a gender impact analysis on the legislation, as it is envisaged by the action plan
• The Council should strengthen the oversight of the executive government in matters related to gender issues. The Council should actively summon representatives of Ministries and agencies to receive information about their work and the state of fulfillment of the issued recommendations;
• The explanatory note of the draft law should include information on the gender impact of legislation.
• The Gender Equality Council should actively carry out a gender impact analysis of legislative amendments;
• Information about the gender impact analysis of draft law carried out by committees should be periodically published on the official website of the Parliament;
• The recent rise of instances of femicide has once again shown the need for new measures in this area. In regard to femicide, it is important for the Council to become more active in addressing the challenges in this area and to take effective steps within its oversight framework, including the drafting of a draft law that would criminalize femicide with a special provision in the Criminal Code.
• Each indicator in the Action Plan of the Council should have a hard deadline for fulfillment.
• The Council should regularly receive and analyze information on the challenges and issues that municipalities face in regard to legislative amendments. The Council should be more active in releasing public statements, as well as publishing special reports. In particular, the Council should make more statements in regard to the instances of sexist assaults and online blackmailing of female politicians.
• The 2018-2020 Action Plan of the Council should cover the problems of vulnerable groups and other minorities; therefore, it is important for there to be respective awareness-raising activities in this regard.