As part of the ongoing healthcare reforms in Armenia and Armenia-Council of Europe cooperation, a high-level delegation from the National Assembly of Armenia, led by Chair of the Standing Committee on Healthcare Narek Zeynalyan, visited the Council of Europe institutions in Strasbourg and the World Health Organisation (WHO) collaborative centre for research and training in mental health and a mental health facility in Lille, France.
The delegation included members from the Standing Committees on Healthcare, Human Rights and Public Affairs, and State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly.
The visit aimed at fostering dialogue and collaboration on human rights challenges in mental health and facilitating exchange of knowledge and best practices between the Republic of Armenia and the key institutions of the Council of Europe.
In Strasbourg, the delegation met with the officials from the Department of Human Rights, Justice and Legal Co-operation Standard-Setting Activities, Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and the register of the European Court of Human Rights. The discussions focused on the current strategies for promoting the autonomy of persons with mental health issues.
Armenian officials explored how the lessons learned from the implementation of the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights on mental health could be incorporated into the legislation of Armenia for the benefit of its citizens.
On World Mental Health Day, members of the delegation visited the WHO reference centre on mental health and Lille-Est mental health centre and discussed key principles of human rights-based approaches in mental health services in France, as well as the WHO best practices which can be applied in the healthcare services of Armenia.
The visit not only strengthened and explored new directions of collaboration in human rights and biomedicine, but also fostered a rich exchange of knowledge between the Council of Europe representatives and Armenian Parliamentary officials and enriched understanding of the Armenian delegation on effective institutional and practical approaches.
This visit marks a step forward in the implementation of the national mental healthcare programme with the aim of enhancing the protection of human rights for persons with mental health issues as part of Armenia-Council of Europe cooperation and 2023-2026 Action Plan.
The Council of Europe remains committed to strengthening human rights, rule of law and democracy in Armenia and supporting in promoting human rights framework and enhancing institutional capacities.The study visit was organised within the project “Protection of Human Rights in Biomedicine II” implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026.
