Yerevan cascade - giant stairway made of limestone with fountains and modernist sculptures

The Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026 was adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 3 November 2022 and officially launched in Yerevan on 16 February 2023 by Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and Ararat Mirzoyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. This fourth Action Plan is a strategic programming instrument which aims to accompany, through co-operation, Armenia in its efforts to further bring legislation, institutions and practice in line with European standards in the areas of human rights, the rule of law and democracy, and, through this, to support the country in honouring its obligations as a Council of Europe member state. In meeting its objectives, the Action Plan will contribute to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Action Plan has been prepared in close consultation with the Armenian authorities. Its priorities take into account relevant judgements of the European Court of Human Rights, decisions, resolutions, recommendations, and opinions of the Council of Europe institutions, monitoring mechanisms and expert advisory bodies. They also reflect Armenia's reform priorities and needs, as defined by the authorities in relevant national strategic documents and commitments. Additionally, the Action Plan builds upon the results and achievements of the previous Action Plan for 2019-2022.

The main beneficiaries of Council of Europe co-operation with Armenia include state institutions, civil society and the general public.

Key areas of co-operation:

Human Rights

  • ECHR implementation at national level;
  • Criminal justice reform;
  • Human rights in the armed forces;
  • Human rights of displaced people;
  • Environment and human rights;
  • Human rights in the field of biomedicine;
  • Freedom of expression and information and media;
  • Data protection;
  • Gender equality, violence against women, domestic violence and women’s access to justice;
  • Children’s rights;
  • Anti-discrimination; 
  • Minorities and minority languages;
  • Social rights.

Rule of Law

  • Judicial reform;
  • Constitutional justice;
  • Corruption and money laundering;
  • Cybercrime;
  • Healthcare and human rights in prisons;
  • Probation;
  • Police and human rights.

Democracy

  • Good governance and local government reforms;
  • Electoral processes.

The implementation of this Action Plan will be jointly assessed by the Council of Europe and the Armenian authorities.

The Council of Europe Office in Yerevan and operational services in Strasbourg are responsible for the management and implementation of the Action Plan. In particular, the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan plays an important role in the overall management and co-ordination of the projects’ implementation in the field, including joint projects with the European Union.

Total Action Plan budget is €19 million.

Projects in the Action Plan are funded from multiple sources and co-ordinated with the international partners present in Armenia. Funding is provided from the Council of Europe’s ordinary budget, as well as voluntary contributions from donor countries and international organisations, including the European Union/Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance (PGG).

Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

          

Through the actions implemented in 2023, the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026 contributed to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 3 (target 8), SDG 4 (targets 4 and 7), SDG 5 (targets 1, 2, 5 and 5c), SDG 10 (targets 2 and 3), SDG 11 (target 3) and SDG 16 (targets 3, 5, and 6).

More information: Overview of the Council of Europe Contribution to the UN 2030 Agenda.