© 2020. ILLUSTRATION BY PEACE DIALOGUE NGO
Peace Dialogue will continue to monitor the activities of the RA Ministry of Defense within the framework of the Action Plan deriving from the National Strategy on the Protection of Human Rights.
Since 2015, Peace Dialogue NGO (PD) has implemented monitoring of especially human rights conditions in the Armed Forces and of the implementation of the activities of the RA Ministry of Defense in the scope of the Action Plans 2014-2016 and 2017-2019 deriving from the Armenia’s National Strategy on the Protection of Human Rights.
With its new project entitled Civil Society Support for Democratic Oversight Processes of Human Rights Conditions in the Armenian Army, starting from May 2020, Peace Dialogue plans to implement monitoring of the activities* of the Ministry of Defense within the Action Plan 2020-2022 deriving from the National Strategy on the Protection of Human Rights approved by the Government’s decree N1978-L (in Armenian).
In the course of the eight months of the project implementation, PD plans:
- To develop the capacities of representatives (in total 22 persons) of civil society organizations in the regions of Armenia and in Yerevan to identify army-related human rights issues, to document human rights violations as well as to monitor the human rights conditions in the Armed Forces.
- With the involvement of the representatives of the RA Ministries of Defense and Justice, the RA Human Rights Defender’s Office, the RA NA Standing Committee on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs, as well as the Standing Committee on Defense and Security, to develop an effective methodology for monitoring the activities of the Ministry of Defense within the framework of the Action Plan 2020-2022 deriving from the National Strategy on Human Rights Protection, taking into account the closed nature of the system, and in some cases the restrictions on access to information under the regulation of state and official secrets.
- To provide legal assistance to citizens on the army-related issues, as well as to implement the representation and protection of citizens in the courts related to human rights violations within the framework of criminal proceedings initiated in connection with incidents in the Armed Forces.
- On a regular basis to present the issues which will have been identified as a result of the monitoring, and to submit specific proposals on their solution to the above-mentioned state bodies, the Coordinating Council of the Action Plan 2020-2022 deriving from the National Strategy on the Protection of Human Rights, to the representatives of the National Assembly, the public, as well as to the international institutions involved in the field in order to develop and implement effective mechanisms for the joint solution of the issues.
* Taking into consideration the significance of taking steps to neutralize the consequences of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID 19) outbreak on a worldwide scale and of preventing further spread of the infection, special attention will be paid to the investigation of the actions aimed at preventing the spread of infection in the Armenian Armed Forces as well.
The total budget of the project is 37,342.86 Euros.
The project is supported by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Armenia with means from the German Federal Foreign Office.
For more information, please, contact us by email: [email protected].
