The Tolerance Centre of the Georgian Public Defender’s Office on Thursday marked the annual International Day for Tolerance, declared by the UNESCO to raise public awareness of the dangers of intolerance.
In his comments at the event, Public Defender Levan Ioseliani highlighted the importance of the date for Georgia as a “multiethnic and multi-religious country”, and noted the messages during this day were “very important” for minority representatives.
Ioseliani noted “challenges as well as steps forward” in the area of tolerance across the country, naming topics such as transfer of ownership of symbolic venues and hate speech among challenges.
The event also saw the Public Defender and the Council of Ethnic Minorities award Dimitrios Karabalis, the Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia, with the annual title of Champion of Tolerance.
✨ We are honoured to be awarded a title “2023 Guardian of Tolerance” by the Public Defender of Georgia and Council of Ethnic Minorities.
— EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (@EUMMGeorgia) November 16, 2023
???? Head of Mission, Dimitrios Karabalis, attended the ceremony marking the International Day of Tolerance, expressing gratitude for the… pic.twitter.com/Qe4ZSPjvqh
On his part, the EUMM official expressed gratitude for the Public Defender’s recognition of the Mission’s role in promoting peace and stability in the country.