Pashinyan on Policy for Involving Persons with Disabilities in the Labor Market

The meeting of the National Commission on the Issues of Persons with Disabilities, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, has taken place, with the participation of representatives from civil society. This information was provided by the government.

At the start of the meeting, the Prime Minister noted that it has become traditional to meet on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. He emphasized that revolutionary changes in this sector have not been carried out in recent years, sometimes for objective reasons and sometimes for subjective ones. Pashinyan raised the question of what the strategy is, answering that it is necessary to continuously revisit the topic and work consistently on it.

The Prime Minister stated that the government fully understands the importance of the issue and views it from the perspective of Armenia's national interests, noting that there is significant potential among persons with disabilities that has not yet been sufficiently integrated into the country's development agenda. According to him, such an approach will contribute both to serving state interests and to the improvement of the well-being of these individuals.

Pashinyan added that the political message of meetings in this format is that issues should be continuously addressed, progress summarized, and future actions defined.

The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Arsen Torosyan, presented the political vision and initiatives in the sector. He noted that the National Assembly has adopted laws on the “Rights of Persons with Disabilities” and “Assessment of an Individual’s Functionality,” which have transitioned the model from a medical model to a rights and inclusion model. As of November 1, a total of 197,046 persons with disabilities are included in both the old and new systems, including 9,356 children. Of these, 48,211 individuals, including 4,600 children, have already been evaluated under the functionality assessment system.

Starting from 2025, home care will also be provided for children with disabilities, calculated for 170 children monthly. In total, 1,325 citizens benefit from home care, of which 624 are persons with disabilities. Over the last three years, the budget for supportive measures has increased. In 2025, expenditures are expected to reach approximately 2.5 billion drams, and more than 3 billion drams are planned for 2026. In 2025, 33,000 supportive measures are expected to be provided to more than 15,000 citizens. Torosyan noted that these are not separate programs but part of a comprehensive transformation strategy for services aimed at delivering services to citizens.

Summarizing the meeting, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the importance of involving persons with disabilities in the labor market and highlighted the role of education. The Prime Minister tasked the creation of an interagency commission to ensure systematic and effective solutions to sectoral issues, which will also include representatives from civil society.