A Council for the Protection of the Rights of Individuals from National Minorities to be Established

The Office of the Human Rights Defender has issued a statement, which we present below:

"Aiming to consolidate efforts for the protection and promotion of the rights of individuals belonging to national minorities, it is planned to establish a Council for the Protection of the Rights of Individuals from National Minorities under the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia.

The main objectives of the Council’s activities are the promotion and effective protection of the rights of individuals from national minorities, including through involvement in the adoption of relevant sectoral legislation, and the creation of an environment conducive to the preservation and promotion of essential elements of national minorities’ identity—religion, language, cultural heritage, and traditions.

The aforementioned goals imply active joint work with representatives of civil society, which can be best achieved through the format of a council under the Defender.

The council may include:

• Public organizations that have been active for at least 2 years in the field of protecting and promoting the rights of individuals from national minorities, and that exclusively or primarily work in this area according to their statutes and/or scope of activity.
• Experts who have participated in the implementation of projects and expert works related to the protection and promotion of the rights of individuals from national minorities, and who have at least 2 years of professional experience in the field.

Applications for membership in the council can be submitted to the Defender’s office until July 24, 2023, via email at [email protected], providing:

• For public organizations, the registration certificate, and for independent experts, a CV;
• A brief description of the public organization's activities, or for independent experts, a description of their expertise and specialization;
• Brief information about the projects, expert works, and other activities undertaken by the public organization in the last 2 years;
• A link to the official website of the public organization and links to social media pages (if available).

From the applications submitted to the Defender’s office, 5 to 20 applications that best meet the criteria will be selected.

For additional questions, you can contact the phone number (+374 10) 53-75-51," the statement said.