On 15 November, the EU Ambassador to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin participated in the “Challenges and Reform: Human Rights in Closed Institutions” Conference, which was organised within the framework of the EU-supported “A Public Glimpse into a Closed World: Increasing Awareness on the Human Rights Situation in Closed Institutions” project. The Conferen...
The closing ceremony of the "First Inclusive Bakery and Coffee Shop in Gyumri" project, which was co-funded by the European Union, Caritas Austria, and the Austrian Development Agency, was held on 19 July in Gyumri. EU Ambassador to Armenia Piotr Świtalski, Governor of Shirak marz Tigran Petrosyan, Gyumri Mayor Samvel Balasanyan, Caritas Austria Pr...
On 14 March "Havat" hard hearing children’s mothers’ NGOpresented the‘Online school for parents’ project. The project was funded through a sub-grant under the European Union's ‘BRIDGE for CSOs’ programme. This three-year programme, launched in December 2016, is being funded by the European Union and implemented by the Armenian General Benevolent Un...
On 23 March, EU Ambassador Piotr Świtalski inaugurated the EU-funded “Pilot initiative to promote inclusive approaches to engaging children with disabilities in society”. The event took place at Ashotsk Ski Centre, established within the frames another EU-funded project in the beginning of this year. The EU is strongly committed to promoting inclus...
On 20 February, the representatives of the European Union, the United Nations, the Embassies of the U.S., the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Sweden, the Council of Europe in Armenia honored individuals working to promote human rights, freedom of expression, diversity, democracy, transparency, legal reform and equal ri...
On 14 September, “Aregak” bakery and coffee shop opened its doors, the product of the “First Inclusive Bakery and Coffee Shop in Gyumri” project. Co-financed by the European Union, the Austrian Development Cooperation, and Caritas Austria, the project has been implemented by the Emili Aregak Centre of Armenian Caritas.
On 11 December Matenadaran in Yerevan hosted the Universal Rights Award Ceremony. This ceremony has existed since 2012, and was the first initiative of the international community to highlight the contributions of Armenia’s civil and political rights activists, government officials, media and civil society representatives to promoting human rights....
On 27 November the campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence” (GBV) was officially launched in Matenadaran, Yerevan, to raise public awareness of and hold different events on GBV across Armenia. The campaign takes place from November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) to December 10 (Human Rights ...
On 20 October the Yerevan-Etchmiadzin Marathon for people with disabilities took place. 122 participants (including 7 children and 44 girls and women) started the race in the morning at Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall and ran all the way to Etchmiadzin, where they were hosted by Father Mkrtich Karapetyan of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The He...
From 30 November to 5 December 2016, the "ARTerial Road" cultural project held events in Gyumri, Shirak marz to promote the European values of equality, freedom of speech, tolerance and democracy through art.
On 25 November the world stood together against gender-based violence (GBV) by launching the '16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence' international campaign. This is an annual event which invites individuals and organisations to hold events aiming to draw public attention to this issue.
For many years civil society organisations, activists, individuals have been fighting for having Law on Gender-Based Violence in Armenia.
Twenty-two trainers from the Justice Academy of Armenia received certificates on 4 October 2016 for successfully passing training-of-trainers courses.
On 13 July 2016, the Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Świtalski, met with the Chairman of the Civil Service Council (CSC)
Every year, the EU Delegation to Armenia, the US embassy, the OSCE, Council of Europe and the UN Armenia offices in Yerevan, honour individuals working to promote human rights
On 1 June 2016, the Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Świtalski, attended the “Voices for Children” open air event
This year, International Women’s Days on 8 March, has been devoted to parity.
To mark International Women’s Day the EU-funded “Combating Gender-Biased Sex Selection in Armenia” project organised an event to discuss sex-biased abortions in Armenia
On 22 February 2016, the EU and UNICEF launched a joint Child Rights Toolkit in Armenia.
16-23-year-old 60 parentless children from childcare centres have become beneficiaries of the EU-funded "Equal personal development opportunity for parentless children" project.
On 22 January 2016, the “IDEAS: Inclusive decisions for equal and accountable society” project celebrated the achievements reached over the past three years of efforts to support people with disabilities in Armenia
On December 22, the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, together with the project "Your future looks great"
A working meeting entitled “Possibilities and challenges of establishing an independent institutional system for fighting against corruption in the Republic of Armenia” took place on 15 December 2015
On 10 December, International Human Rights Day, the international community in Armenia jointly organised “HuRiCamp’ unconference dedicated to human rights.
Within the framework of the EU-funded “Multi-faceted anti-corruption promotion” project, the Annual Anti-corruption Award Ceremony took place on 9 December 2015.
On 25 November 2015 the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence” campaign was launched.
An award ceremony for 23 participants of the mediator skills training was held on 9 October 2015, where they were presented with accreditation and foundation certificates.
The EU and the Council of Europe (CoE) have agreed to implement targeted cooperation activities in Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries (Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine).
The launch of a new project on criminal justice and fighting ill-treatment and impunity in Armenia took place on 30 September 2015.
Freedom of Information Centre announces the names of the recipients of the "Golden Key and Rusty Lock" awards on 28 September 2015.
Within the framework of the “Family Centre” concept, new play rooms were established in Charentsavan and Hrazdan hospitals, funded by the EU.
he Universal Rights Awards 2015 took place on 4 June 2015 in Yerevan.
The launch of the “Strengthening Healthcare and Human Rights Protection in Prisons in Armenia” project took place on 2 June 2015.
The National Integrity System Assessment Armenia 2014 report was released on 30 April 2015. It presents the findings and results of the “National Integrity System Assessments in the European Neighbourhood East Region” regional project.
A presentation of the project called “Advancing Gender Equality and the Rights of Survivors of Gender-based Violence in Armenia” and working discussion with project beneficiaries took place on 28 April in Spitak.
The start of the EU-funded project called “Promoting Integration of Syrian Armenians” was announced on 9 April 2015.
A press conference on the draft law on Public Organisations took place on 8 April 2015.
The “Hakastver” NGO invited guests and journalists to the closing ceremony on 31 March 2015 of the EU-funded project called “Support to the efforts of civil society to establish social dialogue in the sphere of labour and development of trade unions”. T
The launch of the “Advancing Gender Equality and the Rights of Survivors of Gender-based Violence in Armenia” was held.
A conference entitled “Fighting Impunity for Torture: from Words to Actions” took place on 22 January.
An annual anti-corruption award ceremony took place dedicated to International Anti-Corruption Day. Awards in three nominations were presented: citizen of the year, representatives of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and mass media.
The UN General Assembly proclaimed 10 December as Human Rights Day in 1950 to bring the attention ‘of the peoples of the world’ to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. The EU Delegation to Armenia organised on International Human Rights Day this year a public debate entitle...
On 4 November 2014 a closing ceremony was held for the EU’s twinning project named “Support to the State Migration Service for the Strengthening of Migration Management in Armenia”. High-ranking officials from Sweden and Poland (the implementing EU Member States), the Armenian government, the EU Delegation to Armenia, and other diplomatic organisat...
A workshop on the interrelations between public policies, migration and development in Armenia was organised on 28 October. The event was organised within the framework of an EU-funded project dedicated to these interrelations in partner countries. The project is implemented by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Develo...
On 26 June a forum entitled “Putting an End to Impunity for Torture 2014” was held in the Nairi Hall of the Ani Plaza hotel, organised by “Foundation Against the Violation of Law” NGO and “Civil Society Institute” NGO with the support of the Armenian Ombudsman’s Office. The aim of the forum was to raise awareness about the unacceptability of tortur...
On 19 June the Universal Rights Awards Ceremony took place at the Congress Hotel in Yerevan. This ceremony was set up by the US Embassy in Armenia, the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, the British Embassy in Armenia, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Office in Yerevan, the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan...
On 16 June the closing ceremony of the EU Twinning project “Strengthening the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in Armenia” took place in Yerevan at the Best Western Congress Hotel. This project was launched in February 2012 and was implemented by the Danish Patent and Trademark Office and the European Public Law Centre. Resident Twinn...
On 10 April, a media meeting took place within the framework of the “Social and Economic Empowerment of Women in Armenia” project in the Akhtala municipality. The meeting was aimed to inform mass media representatives about the current progress of the project. President of the Armenian Young Women’s Association (AYWA) Lilit Asatryan and Deputy Regi...
On 26 March the closing meeting of the “Cross-border Cooperation for HIV Prevention and Impact Mitigation in the South Caucasus and the Russian Federation” took place at the Armenian National Centre of AIDS Prevention. This EU-funded project has been implemented by World Vision Armenia, in cooperation with “Real World, Real People” NGO. The proje...
A Referral Centre for Reintegration was established with EU support on 11 March 2014 in Yerevan. The aim of this centre is to provide repatriated Armenians with a one-stop shop for information about reintegration possibilities and referrals to the most appropriate services for assistance.The Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Traian H...
A presentation on a local economic development (LED) model for Akhtala and the neighbouring communities of Shamlough, Ayrum and Chochkan was held on 7 March 2014 in Akhtala. The presentation was organised within the framework of the “Social and Economic Empowerment of Women in Armenia” project, which is implemented by the “Armenian Young Women’s As...
On 27 February 2014, a press conference on the “Get tested and live. Do Tell Your Neighbour” campaign was held in Yerevan. The EU funded project implemented one of its last awareness raising actions in Yerevan and Gavar with the aim to raise societal awareness, especially among young people, on HIV/AIDS and to promote HIV/AIDS testing. Ina Iankulo...
On 8 February 2014 human rights defenders and lawyers were presented with certificates for completing an EU-supported human rights training course in Yerevan. The Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Union (EU), in cooperation with the Armenian Chamber of Advocates (ACA), trained 30 Armenian lawyers and human rights defenders on how to teach Eu...
On 5 February 2014 the EU Delegation to Armenia and UNICEF, in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Issues and the Ministry of Territorial Administration, presented the first-year results of the three-year “Mitigating Social Consequences of Labour Migration and Maximising Migrants’ Involvement in Local Development” project. Funded by...
On 5 September 2012 the Ministry of Labour and Social issues (MLSI) of the Republic of Armenia, the International Centre for Human Development (ICHD) and the Delegation of International Organization for Migration (IOM) to Armenia, signed a declaration of collaboration under the auspices of EU assistance. This document was aimed at assisting in the ...
This Sunday is World Humanitarian Day. It marks the day – 19 August 2003 - on which Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Iraq, and his 21 colleagues were killed by a massive car bomb attack on the UN Headquarters in Baghdad. It is a day to pay tribute to all humanitarian personnel who have lost their lives ...
With EU support, the Human Rights Defender (HRD) is becoming more accessible to the population in the regions. The official opening of the HRD regional office in Lori, one of six overall regional offices, took place on 6 June in Vanadzor. The event was attended by Human rights defender Karen Andreasyan, the Head of EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambass...
To promote women’s roles in poor communities across the South Caucasus and to ensure their engagement in society, the EU is supporting a project on women's role in peacebuilding in the region. The "Strengthening Women’s Capacity for Peacebuilding in the South Caucasus" project is implemented by Care International and started activities in March 20...
The Regional Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation, a two-year interdisciplinary programme established with the financial support of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), officially started on 14 September at Yerevan State University (YSU). 12 of the 22 programme students are from Armenia and the other 1...
The Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Karen Andreasyan comments on some of the points of EU-Armenia cooperation in the sphere of human rights. What are the main areas of cooperation between the Defender’s office and the EU? - Within EU-Armenia cooperation I attach particular importance to the fact that European institutions are not only critica...
[caption id="attachment_1426" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Head of the EU Advisory Group Mr. Antti Hartikainen"][/caption] Cooperation between the EU and Armenia has visibly progressed over the last two years. The work of the EU Advisory Group is one of the contributing factors. The Team Leader of the EU Advisory Group to Armenia, Antti ...
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights…” The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article I. The importance of this statement becomes ever more acute when it refers to the vulnerable in society, in this instance the deaf and those hard of hearing. To be integrated in society and live a dignified life, they require assis...
“Human rights are at the centre of the EU’s external action and the work of the newly established European External Action Service. We defend and promote human rights in all aspects of our work”, said Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on 10 December, when the world celebrates Human Rights Da...
The results of an assessment on the child protection situation in Armenia, done within the framework of the EU funded “Unite for Children, Save Futures” project, were presented on 10 September in Yerevan. The goal of the three-year project is to identify, address and prevent child protection problems. The first assessments were conducted in the reg...
A Healthcare and Rehabilitation Centre financed by the EU will start functioning in Vayots Dzor on 16 September 2010. The centre was created to target one of the core aspects of the EU Poverty Reduction Strategy - improving health protection. The project was funded with € 330 000. Launched in 2009, the programme involved the construction of the bu...
For a society to develop and progress, women’s role needs to be respected within. Even though Armenian legislation refers to women’s rights, legal aspects and daily habits often clash. Today many women remain uninformed about their rights and find their activities constrained, particularly in the regions and rural communities. In order to promote ...
On the eve of the International Women’s Day, Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said: “International Women’s Day provides a great opportunity for each one of us to reflect on our responsibility for working towards the eradication of gender inequality.” Armenia dedicates to women more than...