On 11 December 2024, partners marked the successful conclusion of the Council of Europe project Ending violence against women and promoting gender equality in Armenia. Around 50 representatives from Armenian state institutions, civil society, media, and international partners met to reflect on achievements since 2022.
The project helped to strengthen Armenia’s capacity to combat violence against women, protect victims, and advance gender equality. Legislation was aligned with the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention), which Armenia signed in 2018.
The project trained 700 front-line professionals on gender equality and on addressing violence against women and domestic violence. Awareness-raising campaigns challenging harmful gender stereotypes and promoting equality reached more than 300 000 people. In 2024, the project expanded to empower and protect refugee women and girls, supporting 21 civil society organisations and directly benefiting 206 refugee women.
Caterina Bolognese, Head of the Council of Europe's gender equality division, welcomed Armenia's achievements on its path towards ratification of the Istanbul Convention. She reaffirmed the Council of Europe's commitment to supporting Armenia's efforts to combat violence against women and promote gender equality.
Welcoming the results of joint work, Armen Mkrtchyan, the Deputy Minister of internal affairs, emphasised that: “Co-operation with the Council of Europe within this project has provided crucial support to the Ministry. This included enhancing police capacity and offering expert guidance. We are proud to celebrate the visible and substantive results achieved and are committed to continuing this collaboration”.
Tatevik Stepanyan, Deputy Minister of labour and social affairs, extended her greetings and highlighted the importance of this co-operation: "This project has significantly contributed to enhancing our national systems to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable. We look forward to continuing this co-operation in order to achieve sustainable reforms."
The actions initiated will continue in a new phase of the project to begin in early 2025, ensuring the long-term impact and sustainability of the progress achieved.
The project’s implementation was made possible with contributions from France, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden as part of the Council of Europe Action plan for Armenia 2023–2026.
