The Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026 has been officially launched today in Yerevan by Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan.
The Action Plan aims to bring Armenia’s legislation, institutions and practices further closer in line with European standards in the areas of human rights, the rule of law and democracy.
“This joint Action Plan we are launching today, is another step in the positive journey that Armenia and the Council of Europe are taking together,” Deputy Secretary General Bjorn Berge said, underlining that the Action Plan would help enhancing the effectiveness of the European Convention on Human Rights system, promoting good governance and local government reforms, and protecting privacy, social and labour rights, and the environment seen from the lens of a human rights perspective.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan mentioned in his speech: “The positive feedback of all stakeholders regarding the previous Action Plans is promising and, at the same time, challenging in terms of setting higher benchmarks for the implementation of the new Action Plan. In this regard, I can only reiterate the strong commitment of Armenia's authorities to the principles and values of the Council of Europe enshrined in the Action Plan of the Government.”
Under this third Action Plan for the country, the Council of Europe and the Armenian authorities have agreed to jointly carry forward co-operation programmes and projects aimed at supporting the national reform processes in the protection of human rights in the biomedical field as well as the freedom of the media, to ensure respect for social rights, combat violence against women and improving children’s rights. Other areas of co-operation include enhancing the independence and efficiency of justice, fighting corruption and cybercrime, and improving healthcare conditions in prisons and enhancing the role of probation in the judicial system.
Press release
New Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia launched in Yerevan
Speech by Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge
Armenian version of the Action Plan
More information on the co-operation between the Council of Europe and Armenia