The first joint gathering of the Network of Persons with Disabilities of Georgia took place on October 3 and 4.

The network was formed over a number of years, and in 2020 it assumed an organised structure. Its primary goals are to protect the rights and freedoms of people with disabilities guaranteed by international and national law, to advance the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and to improve the standard of their independent living.

More than 100 organisations and activists working on the topic of representation of people with disabilities throughout Georgia are united by the Network of Persons with Disabilities of Georgia, an unregistered entity.

At the first joint meeting of the network, up to 100 people with disabilities from the regions and the capital, representative of an organization working on issues with disabilities, member of the Parliament of Georgia, Rati Ionatamishvili, Deputy Minister of IDPs from the occupied territories of Georgia, Labor, Health and Social Protection, Tamar Barkalaia, Public Defender of Georgia , Levan Ioseliani, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Human Rights Protection, Niko Tatulashvili, Head of the Department of Social Protection, IDPs and Labor Policy of Georgia, Tamar Kurtanidze, Vice President of the "European Forum of Persons with Disabilities", Gunta Anca, ""Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley"" in the USA CEO, Dennis Figueroa was present.

The Coalition for Independent Living welcomes the creation of the Georgian Network of Persons with Disabilities and believes that, as mentioned above, the network will provide us with a greater range of opportunities to lobby for disability issues.

We are confident that collaborative efforts will result in a society in Georgia that is inclusive of all people with disabilities, regardless of individual variations, and that values their autonomy in all facets of life.