On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the International Declaration of Human Rights with the purpose of raising awareness of the Parliamentarians and the staff of the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, a two-days capacity-building training session was organized on 14-15 December 2023 addressing the key human rights principles enshrined in the Convention on Human rights and Biomedicine (Oviedo Convention) and its Additional Protocols.
The discussions were framed within the human rights and ethical standards in the field of biomedicine set by the Council of Europe, preparing a background for the possible ratification of the Oviedo Convention by the Republic of Armenia.
Mr Maxime Longangué, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, Mr Rustam Bakoyan Acting Chair of the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs and Nicola-Daniele Cangemi, Head of Human Rights, Justice, Legal Co-Operation Standard Setting Activities Department of the Council of Europe, opened the expert discussion.
“Legislative reforms of the healthcare sphere have the crucial role in the reform agenda of the Government of RA. And the strong involvement of the Parliament in legislative reforms is more than important to align the legal norms and law-enforcement practices with the European Standards in the field”, highlighted Mr Maxime Longangué, mentioning that this capacity-building is the unique opportunity for the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan as the first one organized for the National Assembly aimed at raising awareness of relevant Parliamentarians and the staff on the international standards set by the Council of Europe in the field of human rights in biomedicine and healthcare.
Mr Rustam Bakoyan, has emphasized such capacity building training sessions in terms of strengthening the capacities and skills of MPs and the staff of the the Standing Committee on European standards in the field of biomedicine and healthcare and contributing to the law-making activities of the Standing Committee.
“Ensuring human rights protection is a requirement which all Council of Europe member states had committed to. The ratification of the Oviedo Convention by Armenia would be an important political sign of the commitment of Armenia to ensure protection of human rights in the health field contributing thereby also to building trust within the general population”, mentioned Mr Daniele Cangemi, highlighting the determinant role of the Parliament in this process.
During the sessions, participants have explored the international and national standards in the fields of medical secret and confidentiality, informed consent, reproductive health rights, human Rights and ethical challenges with regards to application of Artificial Intelligence in the field of healthcare, health-related rights during emergency situations, as well as health literacy related topics.
The capacity-building session marks a critical step towards strengthening the collaboration with the National Assembly and reflects a strong commitment to promote the European standards in the field of healthcare and biomedicine in Armenia.
The capacity-building was organized within the framework of the Council of Europe Project on “Protection of Human Rights in Biomedicine II” which is implemented within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026.
