Back Launch of the Council of Europe package of measures in response to the refugee influx in Armenia

Launch of the Council of Europe package of measures in response to the refugee influx in Armenia

The Council of Europe launched today a comprehensive response package to the refugee influx in Armenia of € 2.8 million.

As part of the package, the Council of Europe has launched four new initiatives and incorporated additional components into two ongoing projects. “The response package aims at protecting the human rights of refugees, resilience of the local communities, social rights, children and women, and support to human rights institutions”, underlined Claus Neukirch, Director of Programme Coordination of the Council of Europe. “The response package supports authorities with addressing capacity constraints in many areas that are critical not only to refugees but to all people with vulnerabilities”, said David Best, Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees of the Council of Europe.

“Following the influx of refugees in September 2023, the Government of Armenia did its best to provide a quick response to the refugee. The response includes short-, mid-, and long-term measures of support. Now we are in the stage of long-term measures.  Cooperation with the Council of Europe is very important to us, and we highly value the support of the Council of Europe and its response package to the refugees’ influx", said the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Armenia Narek Mkrtchyan. 

New projects to be launched as part of the package:

  • Strengthening Human Rights Safeguards
  • Enhancing Social Human Rights
  • Protecting Children’s Rights 
  • Support to Host Communities

Ongoing projects with new components added:

  • Promoting Gender Equality and Ending Violence against Women
  • Protection of Human Rights in Biomedicine

The package of measures is a result of the visit by the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees (SRSG) in October 2023, during which specific areas for support were jointly identified with the national authorities. The package is in line with the Council of Europe's Action Plan for Armenia (2023-2026) and the Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons within the context of migration and asylum (2021-25).




 Council of Europe launches a package of measures in response to the refugee influx in Armenia

 Download the overview of the Council of Europe comprehensive response package to the refugee influx in Armenia in the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan 2023-2026 for Armenia

 Visit the Directorate of Programme Co-ordination of the Council of Europe web page on Armenia

 Visit the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan website

 Press release

 
 
YEREVAN, ARMENIA 11 April 2024
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Start date: December 2022

Duration: 37 months

Budget: 1 100 000 EUR

Donor: Austrian Development Cooperation

Partners: RoA Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, local authorities in Armenia, local government associations, civil society organisations

Contact Person: Ms Ani Dallakyan, Senior Project Officer

The Project “Democratic Development, Decentralisation and Good Governance in Armenia – Phase II” aims to support the adoption of revised legislative framework for local self-government in line with European standards to reflect the new territorial-administrative map of Armenia and develop the capacities of local authorities of newly enlarged communities to ensure they can assume new responsibilities and competences. It also seeks to further raise awareness of good governance principles and promote cross-border co-operation (CBC), inter-municipal co-operation (IMC) and economic development at local level.

Thanks to the project, Armenian citizens will benefit from more inclusive, effective, and resilient institutional structures at local level, which are capable of delivering improved public service and promoting sustainable economic development as a result of an improved legislative framework. 

It is expected that as a result of the Project:

  • Active and substantive participation of communities and civil society in policy development and local governance processes is ensured.
  • Local economic development policy is adopted to support financial decentralisation and deliver increased fiscal autonomy at local level.
  • Revised Law on Local Self-Government and relevant constitutional amendments is adopted in light of stakeholder contribution and in line with European standards.
  • Improved accessibility to and provision of public service at local level support equal access to resources for women, youth, and vulnerable people.
  • Start-up grants support the completion of feasibility studies into inter-community cooperation and the establishment of intercommunity arrangements to support shared service delivery.
  • Start-up grants on cross-border cooperation support the establishment of cross-border economic development initiatives.
  • Platform for exchange of experience and best practice in inter-municipal cooperation, cross-border cooperation and economic development is established to facilitate peer learning among Communities.