From : Mehjabeen Alarakhia <mehjabeen.alarakhia@unwomen.org>
To : Tamar Barkalaia <tbarkalaia@moh.gov.ge>
Subject : RE: Georgia EPIC Application
Cc : Nani Bendeliani <nani.bendeliani@unwomen.org>; Tamar SABEDASHVILI <tamar.sabedashvili@unwomen.org>; Lika Klimiashvili <lklimiashvili@moh.gov.ge>; Mariana Unapkoshvili <mariana.unapkoshvili@unwomen.org>; etelia@moh.gov.ge
Received On : 11.09.2020 12:26
Attachments :

Dear Deputy Minister Barkalaia,

 

Unfortunately, due to the confirmation of validation meeting of the UNSCDF in Georgia, the EPIC launch event has to be rescheduled.

 

We, therefore, kindly request your participation in the event later in the day, at 14:00 on September 18th instead. The revised agenda is attached. Please do confirm with us at your earliest convenience.

 

In addition, please be informed that due to the changing epidemiological situation in Georgia, the event will now be held fully online. A link to the event will be shared shortly.

 

Warm regards,

Mehjabeen

 

 

Mehjabeen Alarakhia (she/her/hers)

Programme Specialist – Women’s Economic Empowerment
UN Women
3 Kavsazde Street, Office Suite 11

Tbilisi, Georgia
Tel: (+995) 32 222 08 70

Cel: (+995) 591 446 120
Email: mehjabeen.alarakhia@unwomen.org
              

 

 

From: Mehjabeen Alarakhia
Sent: Monday, September 7, 2020 3:06 PM
To: Tamar Barkalaia
Cc: Nani Bendeliani ; Tamar SABEDASHVILI ; Lika Klimiashvili ; Mariana Unapkoshvili ; etelia@moh.gov.ge
Subject: RE: Georgia EPIC Application

 

Dear Deputy Minister Barkalaia,

 

We are happy to see the progress that is ongoing with the EPIC application. We have been in touch with the colleagues from your Ministry to provide support to respond to the EPIC Secretariat’s request for clarifications and supporting documents. We are available to provide any further support that is required.

 

In the meantime, we are proceeding with the planning of the EPIC Launch event in Georgia on the 18th of September. Assuming the epidemiological situation remains unchanged, the event will be held in a blended format with Georgian participants being physical present at the venue in Tbilisi and international partners being present online. We have confirmation from Dr. Durrer’s office on her virtual participation. We would like to start the event with a public signing ceremony with the Minister signing the EPIC commitments – this will be ceremonial as the EPIC application is completed electronically however, this will provide the visual and the opportunity for the Ministry to speak to the media about EPIC and why it is important for Georgia. Following this, we will have the more traditional event with opening remarks and then a panel discussion. A detailed programme is attached. In this regard, we would like to request the participation of the Minister for the signing event and to provide opening remarks; we would also like to request your participation during the panel discussion.

 

In addition to this, you will recollect that we had planned a radio show on Equal Pay back in March. We would like to hold that show on the 14th of September as a lead up to the EPIC Launch event, at Radio Imedi and we would be honoured if you could participate in this. We will share more details about the radio show in the coming days.  

 

We would be grateful if you could confirm the participation in these events by the end of day on September 08 to enable us to proceed with the planning of the respective events.

 

Warm regards,

Mehjabeen

 

 

Mehjabeen Alarakhia (she/her/hers)

Programme Specialist – Women’s Economic Empowerment
UN Women
3 Kavsazde Street, Office Suite 11

Tbilisi, Georgia
Tel: (+995) 32 222 08 70

Cel: (+995) 591 446 120
Email: mehjabeen.alarakhia@unwomen.org
              

 

 

From: Tamar Barkalaia <tbarkalaia@moh.gov.ge>
Sent: Wednesday, August 5, 2020 5:16 PM
To: Erika KVAPILOVA <erika.kvapilova@unwomen.org>
Cc: Mehjabeen Alarakhia <mehjabeen.alarakhia@unwomen.org>; Nani Bendeliani <nani.bendeliani@unwomen.org>; Tamar SABEDASHVILI <tamar.sabedashvili@unwomen.org>; Lela Akiashvili <lakiashvili@gov.ge>; emikabadze@moesd.gov.ge; Lika Klimiashvili <lklimiashvili@moh.gov.ge>; Meuwly Monteleone Danielle EDA MWM <danielle.meuwly@eda.admin.ch>; Tsivtsivadze Tamuna EDA TSITA <tamuna.tsivtsivadze@eda.admin.ch>
Subject: Re: Georgia EPIC Application

 

Dear Erika,

 

On behalf of ministry I would like to thank UN Women team for continuous support in Government’s efforts to achieving  gender equality in Georgia. We have long way to go one step at a time. Looking forward to our fruitful cooperation.

 

Kind regards,

 

Tamila

Sent from my iPhone

 

On Aug 5, 2020, at 14:55, Erika KVAPILOVA <erika.kvapilova@unwomen.org> wrote:



Dear Deputy Minister, Dear Tamila:

On behalf of UN Women, let me congratulate you on your commitment to joint EPIC initiative and further to promote its goals of to reduce the gender pay gap and make equal pay for work of equal value a reality across all countries and sectors. UN Women with our partners stands ready to support your efforts, especially those related to working towards adopting legislation in line with ILO Convention No. 100 and the implementation of relevant policies.

 

Your wish to hold a signing ceremony in September is duly noted and we will consult the possibility to do so with Dr. Durrer with our Swiss partners.

 

With kind regards,

Erika

 

 

Erika Kvapilova
Country Representative

UN Women Georgia
Address: Kavsadze 3, 0179 Tbilisi
Tel: +995 577 555 701
Email: erika.kvapilova @unwomen.org
website: georgia.unwomen.org

            

 

From: Tamar Barkalaia <tbarkalaia@moh.gov.ge>
Date: 5 August 2020 at 13:22:23 GMT+4
To: "epic@ilo.org" <epic@ilo.org>, "wong@ilo.org" <wong@ilo.org>, "pozzan@ilo.org" <pozzan@ilo.org>
Cc: Mehjabeen Alarakhia <mehjabeen.alarakhia@unwomen.org>, Lela Akiashvili <lakiashvili@gov.ge>, "emikabadze@moesd.gov.ge" <emikabadze@moesd.gov.ge>, Lika Klimiashvili <lklimiashvili@moh.gov.ge>
Subject: Georgia EPIC Application



Dear EPIC committee members,

 

On behalf of the Ministry of IDPs from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, it is my pleasure to submit the Georgia’s application to join the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC). 

 

Please, kindly note that out of compliance criteria, Georgia already meets four.  Namely:

  • Georgia has ratified ILO Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100);
  • Georgia has ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women, 1976; 
  • Georgian National Statistics office collects sex-disaggregated data on monthly wages since 2001 however, hourly wage data has been collected since 2017 through the improved Labour Force Survey;
  • Georgia offers in-kind support as contributions to key EPIC outputs. 

 

In addition to the above, in the upcoming three years, the Government of Georgia will continuously work on complying with other EPIC criteria, including:

  • adherence to the recommendation of the 2013 OECD Council on Gender Equality in Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship and the 2015 recommendation of the OECD Council on Gender Equality in Public Life; 
  • encouragement of policies or practices for pay transparency;
  • enhancing further measures to ensure that equal pay laws and policies are in place and working towards adopting legislation in line with ILO Convention No. 100.

 

It would be our pleasure to explore hosting the signing ceremony in September, 2020 with Dr. Durrer, of course considering the COVID-19 international travel recommendations of both the Government of Switzerland and the Government of Georgia.  

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Tamila Barkalaia

 

Deputy Minister