A two-day training on Diversity, Inclusion and Gender Equality in Defence and Security Institutions was held for the staff of Georgia’s defence and security institutions at the Defence Institution Building School of the Ministry of Defence on 19-20 April 2022. The training course was conducted with support from the Embassy of the Netherlands in Georgia and the Civil Council on Defence and Security. The course was led by Ms Shorena Lortkipanidze, founder and board member of CCDS.

The course aimed to raise awareness on the relevance of gender, diversity and equity in the defence and security sector and identify key challenges of diversity and inclusion strategies in Georgia. Discussions included reflection on organizational culture and organizational diversity, development of suitable skills for supporting diverse and inclusive environment, importance of gender equality for organizational diversity, etc.

Ambassador of the Netherlands in Georgia HE Maaike van Koldam spoke about Netherlands’ cooperation with Georgian institutions in this area since 2019, when a pilot project on diversity and inclusion was implemented in close cooperation with the Defence Institution Building School.

The organizers of the event express their strong belief that following the training course the participants will be able to lead by example in applying the concept of diversity and inclusion to its fullest potential in their respective institutions.

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