| Tamar Chugoshvili | |
| Office: | First Deputy Chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia |
| President: | Giorgi Margvelashvili Salome Zourabichvili |
| Primeminister: | Giorgi Kvirikashvili Mamuka Bakhtadze Giorgi Gakharia |
| Term Start: | November 18, 2016 |
| Term End: | November 18, 2019 |
| Predecessor: | Manana Kobakhidze |
| Successor: | Gia Volski |
| Office1: | Chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia |
| President1: | Salome Zourabichvili |
| Primeminister1: | Mamuka Bakhtadze |
| Term Start1: | June 21, 2019 |
| Term End1: | June 25, 2019 |
| Predecessor1: | Irakli Kobakhidze |
| Successor1: | Archil Talakvadze |
| Office2: | Member of the Parliament of Georgia |
| Term Start2: | November 18, 2016 |
| Term End2: | 11 December, 2020 |
| Office3: | International Secretary of Georgian Dream |
| Term Start3: | 2016 |
| Term End3: | November 14, 2019 |
| Office4: | Member of the political council of Georgian Dream |
| Term Start4: | 2016 |
| Term End4: | November 14, 2019 |
| Birth Date: | 11 August 1984 |
| Birth Place: | Gurjaani, Georgian SSR |
| Spouse: | Giorgi Mikhanashvili |
| Nationality: | Georgian |
| Party: | Independent (2019-present) Georgian Dream (until 2019) |
| Alma Mater: | Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (2006) Harvard University (2015) |
| Parliamentarygroup2: | Georgian Dream, No.4 |
| Native Name Lang: | ka |
Tamar Chugoshvili (Georgian: თამარ ჩუგოშვილი; born August 11, 1984) is a Georgian politician, who has served as the First Vice-Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia from November 2016 to November 2019. She was the Foreign Secretary and the Member of the Political Council of the Party “Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia”.[1]
In 2006, Chugoshvili obtained master's degree in law from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. In 2014-2015 she studied at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, graduating with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.
She also participated in several fellowships and special courses including: Women’s Participation in Politics, “From Harvard Square to Oval Office” (October, 2014-May, 2015), while at Harvard and a US Department of State Professional Fellows Program at the Law Library of Congress, in Washington DC, Spring 2010.
From 2010 until 2012, Chugoshvili was the Chairperson of Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association. During the same period, she was the Chairperson of the Coalition for Independent and Transparent Judiciary composed of 32 NGOs, and the member of the Managing Board of the Civil Society National Platform composed of more than 100 NGOs.
In 2013-2014, Chugoshvili was the assistant to the prime minister of Georgia on human rights and gender equality issues. During the same period, she served as the government's focal point for the EU Special Representative to Georgia on Legal and Constitutional Reforms and Human Rights – Thomas Hammarberg. Chugoshvili is the author of the first human rights policy document, human rights strategy and action plan of Georgia. Since 2016, Chugoshvili has been the foreign secretary of the Party “Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia”. She was elected as a member and the first vice-speaker of the Parliament of Georgia in November 2016 and since then has served as the chair of the Gender Equality Council of the Parliament, the chair of the US and Israeli caucuses at the Parliament,[2] the chair of the board of treasurers, the head of the Permanent Parliamentary Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the vice-chairperson of Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group in the PACE, and as the ambassador of Women Political Leaders Global Forum (WPL).[3]
Chugoshvili led the development of the first national strategy and the action plan on human rights protection in Georgia. In April 2014, the Parliament of Georgia adopted the first-ever National Strategy on Human Rights for 2014–2020, which was quickly followed by the Georgian government's adoption of a human rights action plan for 2014–2015.
According to the recent Constitutional amendments, adopted in 2018, Georgia can be considered a fully Parliamentary Republic and human rights are protected on high standards.
Under her leadership the Gender Equality Council:
Draft legislative amendments on women's political and economic empowerment have been prepared. Furthermore, a draft legislative package on regulating sexual harassment, prepared by the Council, was approved by the Parliament of Georgia in 2019 and, therefore, sexual harassment has become punishable offense in Georgia. According to the new Rules of Procedure of the Parliament and within the framework of the increased oversight function of the Gender Equality Council, the Council has started to implement new oversight tool – thematic inquiries, which are intended to systematically study an important issue and develop proper draft decisions and recommendations for relevant state agencies. Chugoshvili is an active supporter of women's increased political participation, women's economic empowerment, prevention of the violence against women and domestic violence, and within the framework of the Gender Equality Council's activities, she is involved in many local and international awareness-raising campaigns.[10]
Chugoshvili is the author of the following publications: Justice in Georgia (2010);[13] Concept of the Supreme Audit in Georgia (2008); Monitoring of the Fulfillment of the Georgian National and International Anticorruption Obligations of Georgia (2008) ; Monitoring of the Reserve Funds of the President and Government of Georgia; Freedom of Information in Georgia (2007).
Transparency International Georgia — Chugoshvili was recognized for her contribution towards improvement of gender equality in Georgia by Transparency International – Georgia in 2018.[14]
USAID — Chugoshvili received a Certificate of Recognition for outstanding contribution towards gender equality initiatives in Georgia from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in March 2019.[15]