The relevance of promoting public dialogue on healthcare issues was demonstrated during the public health crisis created by COVID-19 in 2020, when challenges on ethics and human rights in the field of health were various. Promoting such dialogue contributes to develop trust between the members of the society on the one hand and the decision makers in the field of health on the other hand. The Council of Europe continues to actively work with the national counterparts and stakeholders in the field to promote the public dialogue on healthcare issues.
On 22-23 March 2025, the Council of Europe in close collaboration with the National Institute of Health of RA organised a two-day workshop on public debate for the participants of the Council of Europe HELP training sessions. Around 25 healthcare and legal professionals raised their awareness on importance of public debate and strengthened their public speaking, and discussion skills to promote the dialogue between professionals and with the public on the challenges and policy developments in the field of healthcare in Armenia.
The capacity-building was organised based on the Council of Europe Guide to “Public Debate on Human Rights and Biomedicine” adopted by the Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health in November 2019.
The opening remarks of the workshop were delivered by Meri Katvalyan, Senior Project Officer of the Council of Europe and Karine Abrahamyan, Advisor to the Director of the National Institute of Health and HELP certified tutor. Speakers emphasized that everyone shares responsibility in promoting public dialogue on health and highlighted the importance of a dialogue not only between the public and the policy makers in the field of health, but also between professionals themselves, including healthcare and legal professionals in building trust and helping informed decision making.
The need for this capacity-building is also dictated by the upcoming ratification of the Oviedo Convention by the Republic of Armenia, which is the only internationally legally binding instrument for the protection of human rights in the field of health. Thus, participants of the workshop were debating around the principles of the Oviedo Convention, such as the right to information, medical secret and confidentiality, challenges of artificial intelligence, right to private life, as well as around organ transplantation, reproductive health rights and sex selection, access to healthcare services, etc. which aimed at advancing discussions and dialogue about the Convention among stakeholders and the broader public.
The capacity-building workshop was organised by the Council of Europe as part of its Project on “Protection of Human Rights in Biomedicine III” implemented within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026.
