A working group has been established in Parliament of Georgia to prepare the nomination of the traditional beer-brewing methods of the Georgian highlands for inscription on the UNESCO list.

Today’s Bureau session duly noted the Agriculture Committee’s request to establish a working group and approve its composition.

“We take note of the Agriculture Committee’s request concerning the establishment of a working group and the approval of its composition, tasked with preparing the nomination of Georgia’s highland beer-brewing traditions for UNESCO recognition. I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere gratitude to the Agriculture Committee for establishing this working group. It was precisely the Agriculture Committee that previously led the working group’s efforts to nominate wheat cultivation and bread-baking traditions for the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, an endeavour that concluded in success.

Today, not only is it recognised as a cultural heritage, but the most recent research has confirmed that Georgia is the homeland of wheat, just as it is of the vine. This has been fully corroborated by recent studies published in international scientific journals. It is important that Parliament also plays its part in raising awareness that Georgia is the birthplace not only of wine, but of bread as well. It was precisely this UNESCO success that inspired the idea to nominate traditional beer-brewing methods for recognition in turn. Drawing on that previous experience, Parliament has proven itself a valuable platform for this kind of endeavour, bringing together both the executive branch and the scientific community.

The Agriculture Committee and its Chairman, Gela Samkharauli, took ownership of this matter, and a working group has been duly formed. I invite all those with an interest to collaborate with this working group. We hope to succeed in securing UNESCO intangible cultural heritage status for yet another Georgian tradition during the current parliamentary convocation. With that, I wish the working group every success,” said the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili.