On October 2, 2026, at the 30th General Assembly of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC) held in Barcelona, ​​Spain, Irine Chikhladze, Deputy Public Defender of Georgia, was elected the network's Chair-elect.

Over the coming year, Irine Chikhladze will participate in the activities of the ENOC Bureau in the capacity of Chair-elect, and in 2027, following the General Assembly, she will assume the role of Chair of the network.

The election of the Deputy Public Defender of Georgia to this position marks a significant milestone in the long-standing cooperation between the Georgian Public Defender’s Office and ENOC. It will help strengthen the Public Defender’s role in European cooperation on child rights protection and create additional opportunities to define the network's strategic priorities, develop joint initiatives, and actively participate in discussions regarding pressing child rights challenges at the international level.

The Public Defender of Georgia has been a full member of ENOC since 2018 and actively participates in the network's activities – as a Bureau member and in thematic working groups, sharing professional expertise, and engaging in initiatives aimed at fostering the participation of children and young people. The election of Irine Chikhladze as the incoming Chair marks a significant continuation of this long-standing and consistent cooperation.

The European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC) brings together independent children’s rights institutions across Europe and promotes the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, joint responses to common challenges, the sharing of best practices, and the participation of children and young people. The network’s seven-member Bureau coordinates the organization’s activities and facilitates the implementation of the General Assembly’s decisions. For the 2026–2027 term, the Bureau includes representatives from independent children’s rights institutions of Georgia, Spain (Catalonia), Moldova, Northern Ireland, Wales, Cyprus, and Luxembourg.