© 2019. ILLUSTRATION BY PEACE DIALOGUE NGO
Dear reader,
On the following pages you will find the final report on activities implemented by the RA Ministry of Defense within the framework of its 2017-2019 Action Plan (hereinafter Action Plan) derived from the National Strategy for Human Rights Protection. The report has been compiled by the Monitoring Group created as part of Peace Dialogue NGO’s (PD’s) initiative: “Proactive Civil Society Participation in the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in the Armenian Armed Forces”.
Over the past 10 years, PD has implemented numerous programs and initiatives aimed at strengthening democratic values in Armenia, developing human rights as a common societal value, and protecting the rights and interests of various vulnerable groups. Since the organization’s founding, some of its strategic goals have included
- development of society’s proactive civic, human rights and peace-building potential;
- protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms;
- establishment of civil control over decision-making processes in state bodies, etc.
The organization pays close attention to issues concerning human rights protection in the Armed Forces, since the absence of control mechanisms by civil society actors in this field makes the potential danger for violating human rights and fundamental freedoms extremely high. A significant part of the organization’s initiatives in this area is aimed at increasing the role of civil society in the process of public policy-making through human rights monitoring.
In September 2018, PD initiated the project “Proactive Civil Society Participation in the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in the Armenian Armed Forces”. This project sought to develop effective mechanisms for monitoring RA MoD activities within the framework of the 2017-2019 Action Plan derived from the National Strategy for Human Rights Protection.
It envisaged realization of the following activities:
- establishing an independent Monitoring Group for carrying out continuous monitoring of MoD activities within the framework of the HRP Action Plan;
- providing continuous technical and methodological support for the effective work of the Monitoring Group;
- providing constant, consistent assistance to citizens whose rights had been violated during military service; and
- raising awareness among RA MoD officials, members of parliament, Armenian citizens and relevant international actors of the successes and failures of the HRP Action Plan and making recommendations for improving the human rights situation in the RA Armed Forces.
Study Results
Please download the full version of the report on the link below: The Final Report on the Monitoring of the Activities of the RA MoD Within the Framework of the HRAP 2017-2019 (English, PDF, 1 Mb)
Translation by Lusine Poghosyan.
Monitoring activities were implemented by Peace Dialogue NGO within the framework of the project “Proactive Civil Society Participation in the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in the Armenian Armed Forces”. The project is supported by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Armenia, with funds from the German Federal Foreign Office.
[!] Peace Dialogue NGO bears all responsibility for the content of this publication. Its content does not necessarily reflect the views of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Armenia or those of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
