A/HRC/45/54 11. There were noteworthy changes to the internal regulations of the Inter-Agency Council for Human Rights and the Human Rights Secretariat. OHCHR and the United Nations Development Programme assisted in drafting amendments to the statute of the Inter-Agency Council for Human Rights, which were approved by the Government of Georgia in February 2020. The number of non-governmental organizations participating in the meetings of this body consequently doubled, from 6 to 12. Support by OHCHR also made it possible to clarify and transform the mandate and functions of the Inter-Agency Council for Human Rights and the Human Rights Secretariat. 12. In February 2020, the long-delayed chapter on sexual orientation and gender identity of the National Human Rights Action Plan was completed, following consultations with non-governmental organizations representing LGBTQI+ persons. The National Human Rights Action Plan became the first governmental document in Georgia to include State activities to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. 13. OHCHR – as well as other international actors and civil society organizations – routinely participated in hearings of parliamentary committees on human rights-related legislation before the declaration of the state of emergency. The parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Civil Integration played a leading role in developing – with the assistance of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) – the Code on the Rights of the Child. The adoption of the Code by Parliament, on 20 September 2019, was a major step forward in meeting the legal obligations of Georgia under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 14. During the reporting period, the Government submitted the fifth periodic report of Georgia to the Human Rights Committee. 11 On 11 and 12 June 2019, prior to the submission of the report, OHCHR held a meeting for ministries and State bodies involved in drafting the report. Civil society organizations took part in the meeting and provided comments and inputs for the report. According to the Government of Georgia, this report was also presented to the Public Defender, non-governmental organizations and international organizations for their suggestions and recommendations. In line with the amendments of 2016 to the rules of procedure of Parliament, Parliament reviewed and approved the report. Georgia has yet to submit its next periodic reports to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Committee against Torture, which are both overdue.12 B. Administration of justice and law enforcement 15. OHCHR continued to support the justice sector, focusing on building awareness and the capacity of judges and court staff, especially of the Supreme Court, to apply international human rights norms and standards. OHCHR provided the judiciary with pieces of research on jurisprudence and case law of international and regional human rights bodies on various issues, including gender identity and the role of authorities in ensuring effective protection of the human rights of transgender people, and standards related to the protection of minorities. 16. In her submission, the Public Defender stated that her observation of the selection of candidates for vacant positions of Supreme Court judges13 had revealed several concerns, including procedural shortcomings. 14 The Public Defender had appealed to the 11 12 13 14 CCPR/C/GEO/5. The most recent reviews of Georgia before these Committees took place in 2002 and 2006, respectively. See www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/ENACARegion/Pages/GEIndex.aspx. The process of interviewing candidates began on 17 July 2019 and ended with their selection on 4 September 2019 and the subsequent vote by Parliament on 12 December 2019. According to the Public Defender, although the hearings for the nominees in Parliament’s Legal Committee were open and transparent, the preceding “process in the High Council of Justice failed to convince an objective observer that ultimately the most competent and conscientious candidates were submitted to the Parliament of Georgia” as required under domestic law. See Public Defender of 5