Today a presentation of a social integration concept for the disabled took place at the Marriott Tbilisi. The presentation was attended by Georgia's acting president Nino Burjanadze, U.S. Ambassador to Georgia John Tefft, USAID acting Mission Director Andrea Yates, Ombudsman of Georgia Sozar Subari and Chairman of the Healthcare and Social Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Georgia Giorgi Tsereteli.

"The development of a social integration concept for the disabled is of crucial importance and I think that the implementation of this concept should be one of the main priorities for us. How the government treats the disabled speaks of the country's democratic development and the development of the society itself. To my mind, those standards should be implemented in Georgia that would be in full compliance with international standards and that, despite of disabilities, will enable a person to use his or her skills, knowledge and intelligence for the benefit of the society.

Today Georgia can become a more socially oriented country. It is required to fully implement the existing programs after they are amended," said acting president Burjanadze, stressing that the disabled have to be integrated in every sphere of the social life because they have the mental capacity for that and the government should help them in every way to overcome all the problems associated with the physical disability. "I hope that this very concept and the related legislation that were presented here will be one of the first issues that the parliament will discuss after the elections," stated Nino Burjanadze.

At the presentation Nino Burjanadze thanked Georgia's American friends for their huge attention towards the disabled in Georgia and the related programs.

The given concept provides a unified approach towards the social integration of the disabled, analyses existing problems, and highlights the government's major priorities in the disability sphere. The given conceptual frame document lays out guidelines and an action plan that would serve as a basis for the government strategy and the activities to be undertaken.

press Office
of the President of Georgia