A/HRC/39/44 A. Main areas of technical assistance provided by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 7. Along with other United Nations entities, OHCHR assisted the Government of Georgia with the elaboration and implementation of its National Human Rights Action Plan 2018−2020, adopted in April 2018, including in the framework of the programme “Human rights for all”, a joint United Nations initiative funded by the European Union. Such support included updating the Action Plan with recommendations of United Nations and regional human rights bodies and building the capacity of various national counterparts such as members and staff of the parliament, staff of the National Human Rights Secretariat, representatives of local self-government bodies, judges and court staff, police officers, legal professionals, journalists, civil society organizations, university students and youth groups. Between 1 June 2017 and 31 May 2018, OHCHR conducted 44 capacitybuilding activities in Georgia, including seminars, workshops and lectures. Most of these activities were planned in close consultation with the National Human Rights Secretariat in the Administration of the Government of Georgia and were conducted in response to requests by, and in cooperation with, the Government. 8. With OHCHR support, the parliament of Georgia introduced amendments to its regulations and increased its oversight role in the implementation of the country’s human rights obligations. Since 2017, the relevant committees of the parliament 4 have held several hearings on the implementation by the executive branch of recommendations of international and regional human rights mechanisms and of the Public Defender as well as of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. 9. The Inter-Agency Council, established in 2014 to coordinate the implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan, has, however, still not convened. 10. In this section of the report key human rights areas which OHCHR aimed to address through its technical assistance during the reporting period are highlighted. 1. Administration of justice 11. OHCHR has continued to support the justice sector, focusing on building the awareness and capacity of judges and court staff, including the Supreme Court, the courts of appeal and first instance courts, to apply international human rights standards. In close cooperation with the High School of Justice, OHCHR trained judges, with an emphasis on the right to equality and combating discrimination and hate speech; on the freedoms of opinion, expression and religion or belief; on the right to private and family life; and on access to justice for persons with disabilities. OHCHR developed two training modules for judges, on the prohibition of torture and on the right to private and family life. OHCHR also conducted relevant training-of-trainers workshops. 12. OHCHR has continued its well-established cooperation with the Georgian Bar Association. The training provided by OHCHR has continued to be included on the list of professional courses for practising lawyers. 13. According to the Government of Georgia, the implementation of a fourth wave of judicial reforms was ongoing and a judicial strategy for the period 2017−2021 was developed during the reporting period. 14. At the same time, OHCHR takes note of the information provided in the submission of the Public Defender of Georgia that “the independence of the courts is problematic”. The Public Defender cited lack of internal checks and balances as well as the high number of lengthy proceedings in appeal courts, breaches of the principle of fairness and concerns related to the use of inadmissible evidence and reasoning of court decisions. 15. The Public Defender monitored the proceedings in the high-profile case of archpriest Giorgi Mamaladze (the so-called “cyanide case”), who was accused of plotting a murder. In her report, published in September 2017, she identified various procedural shortcomings in 4 4 The Committee on Legal Issues and the Committee on Human Rights and Civic Integration.