On 7-9 November 2018, Akaki Kukhaleishvili, Deputy Head of the National Prevention Mechanism (Department) of the Public Defender’s Office, participated in a workshop organised under the auspices of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) in Copenhagen, which was dedicated to strengthening the Recommendation Fulfilment Assessment System for NPMs. On 12-13 November 2018, Akaki Kukhaleishvili, Deputy Head of the National Prevention Mechanism (Department) of the Public Defender’s Office, participated as a speaker/trainer in a workshop organised under the auspices of the Turkish Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ankara. The workshop was dedicated to Enhancing the Capacities for the Effective Discharge of the Functions of the National Human Rights and Equality Institute (NHREI). On 27-30 November 2018, the Head of the National Prevention Mechanism (Department) of the Public Defender’s Office participated in a high-level international conference in Yerevan, dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the National Preventive Mechanism of Armenia. The Head of Georgia’s NPM acted as a moderator of the session on monitoring psychiatric establishments. On 2-6 December 2018, the Head of the National Prevention Mechanism (Department) of the Public Defender’s Office, representatives of national preventive mechanisms/NGOs and experts in the field participated in the second regional meeting in Milan on the challenges regarding the prevention of torture. 1.6.5. COOPERATION WITH NGOs AND DONOR ORGANISATIONS In 2018, the NPM actively cooperated with various local and international NGOs and donors. In the reporting period, the NPM continued active communication with the PRI South Caucasus office. Numerous meetings were held regarding the situation of human rights protection in the places of deprivation of liberty. Furthermore, the representatives of the NPM maintained regular communication with the APT regarding the improvement of the recommendation follow-up control system. The NPM actively cooperated with the European Union project, Combating All Forms of Discrimination in Georgia. For several years, the EU has been providing considerable financial and analytical support to the NPM, which is manifested in funding regular activities such as training sessions, monitoring visits, public presentations, etc. Based on the memorandum concluded in accordance with the Rules of Cooperation with NGOs,12 within the mandate of the NPM, a monitoring group composed of the representatives of the Human Rights Centre and staff members of the Public Defender’s Office, in March and April 2018, visited 12 Available at: http://www.ombudsman.ge/res/docs/2019041010484470943.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2xAJ51tZ-iZj-LxR-8hxpFirOX_S1nQkaPiZjSlUZ4YuxyBDoZ1uVcEc, (accessed 11.06.2019). 11