Tbilisi: The First Deputy Ombudsman of Georgia, Tamar Gvaramadze took part in the 13th session of the Open Working Group between UN Member States on Aging in New York (USA) from April 3-6, 2023.
On April 4, Tamar Gvaramadze presented a report on the problems of realization of the right to health care for the elderly and access to health care services. Gvaramadze spoke about the importance of the right to health and the challenges associated with its implementation, emphasized the importance of abuse of rights under the principle of equality; also, the need for the approval of a new international mechanism for the protection of the rights of the elderly.
Deputy Ombudsman also Responded to the questions on the importance of the right to health care in order to effectively protect other rights, including the right to life goals.
During the discussion held on April 5, Tamar Gvaramadze spoke about the challenges faced by the elderly as a result of social isolation and loneliness in Georgia, especially the negative impact of restrictions imposed for the purpose of managing the pandemic on the elderly.
On April 3, the Ombudsman Nino Shalamberidze introduced the participants of the session the joint statement of the European Institutes of Human Rights, in which she spoke about the necessity of drafting and adoption of a new convention on the rights of the elderly and for this purpose recommended the creation of a working group between sessions.
The protection and promotion of the rights of the elderly is one of the most important directions of the activity of the Georgian Public Ombudsman. The Ombudsman reports on the situation in the country regarding the protection of the rights of the elderly on an annual parliamentary report, also periodically monitors the elderly institutions and reflects the results in special reports.
At the same time, the Public Ombudsman is actively involved in international and regional events; it is also an active member of the Global Alliance of National Institutions of Human Rights and the European Network for Elderly Rights groups.
