A/HRC/44/43/Add.1 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 24 April 2020 Original: English Human Rights Council Forty-fourth session 15 June–3 July 2020 Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Visit to Georgia Report of the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises*, ** Summary The Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises conducted a visit to Georgia from 3 to 12 April 2019. In the early 2000s, the Government initiated extensive deregulatory programmes that eliminated entire sets of rules protecting workers and the environment, aimed at attracting foreign investments and improving the country’s score in the ease of doing business. This included, in 2006, a dramatic reduction of worker protections in the Labour Code and the abolishment of the Labour Inspectorate, leaving workers, especially those performing hazardous work, without adequate protection for almost a decade. The Working Group was encouraged by the ongoing efforts to address remaining gaps in the labour rights and occupational health and safety regimes, including strengthening the Labour Inspectorate mandate. However, numerous challenges remain in addressing the systematic human rights abuses against workers, particularly in the mining and infrastructure sectors. The Working Group welcomed the adoption of a business and human rights chapter in the 2018–2020 National Action Plan on Human Rights. However, it expressed concern at the level of implementation of the chapter and suggested that measures be taken to strengthen its content and institutional framework for implementation. The Working Group notes the efforts of the Government to find a balanced approach towards attracting foreign investments, gaining energy independence, and discharging State duties to protect against business-related human rights abuses. However, it remains concerned that the current regulatory and oversight frameworks remain * The summary of the report is being circulated in all official languages. The report itself, which is annexed to the summary, is being circulated in the language of submission only. ** Agreement was reached to publish the present report after the standard publication date owing to circumstances beyond the submitter’s control. GE.20-05993(E) 