Gender equality and cultural heritage top the agenda for meeting between the President of Georgia an

The Director-General thanked the President for his visit to UNESCO and expressed deep appreciation for the fruitful relationship between Georgia and the Organization across the full spectrum of the Organization’s fields of competence, and in particular in the fields of education and culture.
“Georgia is very connected to UNESCO and to the great work of the Organization” stressed the President of Georgia, in referring to the close cooperation ever since Georgia joined UNESCO as a Member State in 1992. The President expressed great appreciation for the role it played in strengthening education and empowering women worldwide. In this regard, President Margvelashvili underlined that, following a decision of the Georgian Parliament, 2015 was declared by him as the year of women in Georgia, thus highlighting the importance he personally attaches to gender equality and gender empowerment, one of UNESCO’s global priorities.
The Director-General and the President then exchanged on the current status of the World Heritage Sites in Georgia, and specifically concerning the two sites of the historical monuments of Mtskheta, and the Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery currently on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in Danger, stressing the efforts conducted by his government to redress the aspects relating to their conservation and management and underlining that both properties will be examined by the World Heritage Committee at its 40th session later this year in Istanbul.