The Central Election Commission of Georgia (CEC) and the Centre for Electoral Systems Development, Reforms and Training (Training Center) continue the cycle of trainings for the members of District Election Commissions and the staff of the CEC office.

Within the framework of the policy of continuous professional training of Election Administration employees, the participants subsequently undergo thematic informational training programs.

On the first stage, in the period of September 19-20, the employees of the Training Centre and the Legal Department of the CEC conduct training on the topic "Ethics Mentoring and Refraining from Participation in Pre-Election Agitation". The participants will get acquainted with the ethical standards of the election administration official, among them the essence of the principles of legality, integrity, independence, impartiality and objectivity, professionalism, incompatibility of interests, collegiality and communication, freedom of expression, transparency and openness and the importance of their protection in the activities of the Election Administration official. When discussing the principle of political neutrality, attention will also be focused on the restrictions on the participation of Election Administration employees in pre-election campaigning.

On the next stage, on September 21 – 22, in partnership with the Gender Equality Council of the CEC, an information course "Elections and Gender Equality" will be held, in the framework of which the representatives of the Council and the Training Centre discuss the professional activity standards of Election Administration officials, aimed at protecting the principles of gender equality and strengthening the non-discriminatory environment. Participants will get aquatinted in detail about the local legal framework and international instruments for ensuring gender equality; Gender Equality Policy of Georgian Election Administration and in this regard important aspects of the regulations determined by the order of the Chairman of the CEC dated May 23, 2022 N01-85 regarding the prevention and response mechanisms of sexual harassment in the Election Administration.

The extensive training cycle also provides for familiarization of the main aspects/news of the Labour Code for the heads of the District Election Commissions. In this part, in the period of September 23-26, the training center will discuss such important issues with the representatives of the managerial staff of all 73 District Election Commissions, such as: legislative regulations regarding the labour relations and incompatibility of the elected members of the District Election Commissions; practical aspects of the usage of labour legislation in the activities of the District Election Commission (including judicial practice, international experience) and issues of prohibition of employees’ discrimination.

The training cycle is carried out remotely, through the Zoom platform. The complex program intended for the members of the District Election Commissions and the employees of the CEC office aims to strengthen the organizational culture and professional skills.