Kato Mikeladze Award for the Women Human Rights Defenders has been established by the Women's Fund in Georgia (WFG) in 2013 to honor women's rights activists and to celebrate International Women Human Rights Defenders Day.
Each year Women's Fund in Georgia names one woman activist as winner of Kato Mikeladze Award.
Kato Mikeladze was a feminist, women's rights activist and publicist in 20th century Georgia.
The goal of the Kato Mikeladze Award is to build a safe environment in which WHRDs work is acknowledged and recognized, where the public is made aware of the important work that WHRDs do in Georgia and where WHRDs can become role models for a younger generation of women. WFG believes that this award will help to encourage women's rights defenders in their struggle for justice.
The first Award ceremony was held on 29th November 2013, where the first winner of the Kato Mikeladze Award was announced to beEkaterine Aghdgomelashvili, a distinguished women's rights defender and queer activist in Georgia. The winner of 2014 Kato Mikeladze Award became Marina Tabukashvili, director of “Taso – Women's Fund and Memory Research Center”. The winner of 2015 Kato Mikeladze Award became feminist artist and activist - Lia Ukleba.
Feminist activist Mariam Kajaia has been awarded with Kato Mikeladze Award 2020.
Journalist Khatia Ghoghoberidze has been awarded with Kato Mikeladze Award for women human rights defenders.
Ida Bakhturidze became new winner of Kato Mikeladze Award for women human rights defenders and Nata Talikishvili received special prize this year.
The winner of 2017 Kato Mikeladze Award became Ketevan Khidasheli from Guria region.
2016 award winner Ekaterine Skhiladze named new owner of the Kato Mikeladze Award. International women’s fund Mama Cash provided cash award for Ketevan Khidasheli and UNDP will ensure her participation in the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) session in New York, USA, in March 2018.
The annual Kato Mikeladze Award established by the Women’s Fund in Georgia in 2013 was given to Ekaterine Skhiladze, Deputy Public Defender of Georgia.
Niels Scott, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Georgia awarded Ekaterine Skhiladze with a special gift assigned by the UNDP. The event was held on November 29 in the frames 16 days campaign against gender based violence.
Lia Ukleba, Georgian feminist artist-activist became winner of Kato Mikeladze Award 2015. Its been years that Lia actively works on women's rights.Her paintings and instalations represent a protest against gender based violence and discrimination with the name of religion.
The winner of 2014 Kato Mikeladze Award became Marina Tabukashvili, General Director of Women's Fund Taso.
Ms. Ekaterine Agdgomelashvili, the winner of 2013 Kato MIkeladze Award together with other noted speakers, including Mr. Hans Horbach, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ms. Erika Kvapilova, UN Women Representative in Georgia, Paata Beltadze, Deputy Public Defender, and Nana Pantsulaia, WFGs ED, made speeches at the ceremony.
The very first Kato MIkeladze Award ceremony was held at on November 29, 2013. The winner of the Award became Ekaterine Aghdgomelashvili - distinguished women's rights defender, devoted feminist, and queer activist in Georgia.