Armenia

Council of Europe Office in Yerevan

In June and July, as part of the "Strengthening Human Rights Safeguards for the Displaced Population in Armenia" project, a series of training sessions were organised for the staff members of the Migration and Citizenship Service (MCS).

Six sessions were conducted in Yerevan and various regions, inter alia covering the differences between citizenship and refugee status, specifics of "temporary protection" according to Armenian legislation, legal status of the displaced population in Armenia with a focus on the European Court of Human Rights judgments on, main principles of communication with the displaced population, and practical examples of misconceptions concerning the topic. The representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was given the floor to deliver sessions on the topic of "international protection of refugees". This contribution significantly enriched the training content, providing participants with a comprehensive understanding of international protection mechanisms.

‘’The series of training sessions organised with the support of the Council of Europe were extremely important for strengthening the capacities and skills of the Migration and Citizenship Service staff, particularly in the context of providing counselling to the refugees. The services provided to displaced persons differ in terms of administration, documentation, and communication skills. We tried to address the existing gaps in these areas; we will evaluate our success based on the feedback from the stakeholders’’, Nelly Davtyan Deputy Head of Migration and Citizenship service.

The successful completion of these training sessions marks a significant step in strengthening the capacity of the MCS staff to better address the needs and rights of the displaced population in Armenia.