UN Forum on Minority Issues, Geneva, 2013 Intervention Bishop Rusudan Gotsiridze Evangelical Baptist church of Georgia Agenda Item: 2 Legal Framework and . Key Concepts Thank you Madam Chair, Thank you for the opportunity to speak at the UN Minority Forum. My name is Rusudan Gotsiridze, Bishop of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia. But I will not only talk on behalf of my religious community but also The Religious Council of Georgia. As it is mentioned in the Draft Recommendations 820 major Human Rights Conventions and Declarations have been ratified'and signed by Georgia and translated into dornestic legislation. • But as it has been addressed in UPR recommendations in 2011 minority rights, especially religious minority rights need to be better protected and promoted. In Recommendation A 105.62 it says in particular: Ensure equal enjoyment of the right of freedom of religion or belief, both de jure and de facto2. Georgian state has accepted the recommendation, but we would like to raise awareness in the Forum the shortcomings of its implementation. For the last 13 months different minority communities have been the subject of religious extremism. Since last October 5 local Muslim Communities have been attacked, incidents of violence against Jehovah's Witnesses have increased. We have witnessed intolerance and aggression from the population. But there have not been adequate measures taken by the authorities who hold responsibility to protect the right of the religious minority communities. Unfortunately the state had little action to convert national educational environment into inclusive and nondiscriminatory system for those belonging to religious minorities. All these hostility against religious minorities is rooted into poor education and lack of awareness. 2 UPR Recommendations