On 26 May, 2020 Steering Committee meeting of the Council of Europe project “Human Rights and Women in the Armed Forces of Armenia” concluded a year-long successful cooperation with the Armenian state authorities working in the field of defense.
The main aim of the Project was to contribute to better human rights protection in the armed forces, in particular the rights of female officers, by helping to guarantee equal service conditions for women and empowering them to champion positive change.
It was officially launched in July 2019 by a High-level Trilateral Meeting between the Ministry of Defence of Armenia, the Council of Europe and the UK Embassy in Armenia. For 12 months of its implementation, the Project contributed to important policy, institutional, legal changes. The National Human Rights Protection Strategy and respective Action Plan for 2020-2022 incorporated specific activities with respect to human rights and gender promotion in the armed forces based on the Project’s expert recommendations.
Important institutional changes were performed within the Ministry of Defense, namely, a Unit of the Work with Women Servicepersons was established with the General Staff, with a servicewoman appointed as its head, previously trained under the Project. A number of expert legal analysis, including on the whistle-blower system, of legal acts on women in the armed forces, research of the public perception of human rights protection mechanisms and those on reporting on violations and misconduct in the armed forces etc, – all resulted in public and/or expert discussions on the matters concerned, and are currently considered by the national authorities for further changes in the policy, legal and practical implementation frameworks to be made.
Project enhanced the knowledge, skills and awareness of the armed forces personnel and legal professionals. Around 15 events were successfully organised for its direct beneficiaries, particularly, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, as well as together with other state authorities and institutions, such as Human Rights Defender’s Office, Armenian judges, prosecutors, investigators, and police representatives.
More than 238 specialists attended the Project events, within the framework of which several thematic expert consultations, round-table discussions, trainings and a study visit of the Armenian delegation to the United Kingdom. Project substantially benefited from a fruitful cooperation with international and national experts, who worked closely with the national authorities to bring the most positive change into the Armenian army and secure successful, non-discriminatory and transparent involvement of women into military service.
Summarising main achievements and objectives met by the Project, Ms Natalia Voutova, Head of the Council of Europe Yerevan Office, stated that “the work done in the past year has led to a broader foundation for better embedding the European human rights standards in the armed forces”. In his turn, Ambassador David Moran, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the UK to the Republic of Armenia, expressed his satisfaction and gratitude for all results achieved within the framework of the Project by the Council of Europe in partnership with the Armenian state authorities. “The current element of focusing on gender equality in the armed forces of Armenia is incredibly important, as more women in Armenia serve in the armed forces, including in combat positions,” said Mr Moran, affirming that “by opening all combat roles to women we will maximise the talents available to our military and, further, make the armed forces a more modern employer.”
Referring to the impact of the Project, Mr Arman Tatoyan, Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, underlined that the Project “produced very good results because of everyone’s professionalism and dedication. This Project created a very important platform for our own capacity building, to bring together civil society organisations, representatives of different government agencies”. “We consider the Project to be a mark of success of good and reliable cooperation”, said Mr Balayan, Deputy Minister of Defence, affirming that “the Project has made a valuable contribution in assisting the Ministry of Defence, in promoting human rights through raising awareness, educating military personnel on their rights and the mechanisms of protection of those rights”.
Following the consultations, positive assessment of the Project results and of the joint work expressed by the Ministry of Defence of Armenia, based on the agreement reached previously with the national stakeholders, it was announced that the Council of Europe will start the II Phase of the Project from 1 June 2020.
The Project “Human rights and Women in the armed forces of Armenia” was implemented by the Council of Europe within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2019-2022 and funded by the United Kingdom. Action Plan level funding is provided by Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Sweden.
