Opening speech by Rafael Benitez, Director of Social Rights, Health and Environment
Distinguished Speaker Mr Simonyan,
Dear Minister Avanesyan and Minister Torosyan,
Dear Mr Bakoyan,
Esteemed Members of Parliament,
Dear guests, national and international partners, dear colleagues,
It is my great pleasure, on behalf of the Council of Europe, to welcome you to this High-Level International Conference on Patients’ Rights, jointly organised with the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.
This conference takes place within the framework of the project “Protection of Human Rights in Biomedicine”, under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026.
Today marks an important milestone: Armenia’s ratification of the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine - the Oviedo Convention - the only legally binding international instrument dedicated specifically to human rights in the fields of biomedicine and health.
This achievement was made possible thanks to the strong commitment of the authorities and institutions of the Republic of Armenia. I would like to acknowledge in particular the engagement of the National Assembly and the Ministry of Health throughout this process.
Allow me to thank you personally, Distinguished Speaker Mr Simonyan, Mr Bakoyan, Minister Avanesyan, and your respective teams.
The unanimous adoption of the Law on the Ratification of the Oviedo Convention in April 2025, followed by the formal ratification on 15 October 2025, reaffirms the strong political and public consensus in Armenia on the protection of human rights in the biomedical and health fields.
The forthcoming Action Plan will allow us to continue and deepen this fruitful cooperation.
The protection of health is a fundamental human right, reaffirmed under Article 11 of the European Social Charter.
We sincerely hope that, following the ratification of the Oviedo Convention, Armenia will further confirm its commitment by accepting this provision of the Charter.
Today, health protection is no longer merely a sectoral policy choice. It is a human imperative and a core condition for the enjoyment of human rights, social cohesion, economic prosperity, and democratic stability across Europe.
Public health systems are influenced by rapid scientific, technological, environmental and societal developments. At the same time, they face the consequences of pandemics and armed conflict -challenges that Armenia has experienced directly.
Despite progress, major and evolving challenges remain:
- persistent inequalities in access to healthcare, particularly affecting vulnerable groups;
- concerns regarding the safety, quality and availability of medical products and services, including the risks of trafficking;
- misinformation and disinformation undermining trust in public institutions and science;
- and the growing recognition that health systems are central to societal security and crisis preparedness.
In this context, the efforts undertaken by the Armenian authorities to address these challenges are particularly commendable.
Through its human-rights-based and holistic approach, the Council of Europe places the protection of human rights in healthcare at the heart of its mandate.
Our priorities include:
- strengthening the implementation of legal standards;
- ensuring equitable access to healthcare of appropriate quality, with special attention to persons in vulnerable situations;
- safeguarding patients’ rights;
- enhancing quality and safety in healthcare;
- promoting both physical and mental health;
- integrating environmental and ethical dimensions into health policy;
- combating misinformation and promoting health literacy.
Health literacy will be at the core of several initiatives in 2026. An event dedicated to this topic will be organised during the High-Level Conference on Social Rights in Chișinău on 18-19 March 2026. In addition, Italy will host the Council of Europe’s High-Level Conference on Health Literacy this December in Rome.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Italy for its strong support for the Council of Europe’s work in this field, notably following the launch of the Coalition for Health Literacy in December 2025.
As underlined by the Secretary General during the Council of Europe Conference on Health Protection held on 15 October 2025:
“The protection of health, as laid down in Article 11 of the Social Charter, is our shared responsibility.”
And further:
“Through the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, we demonstrate that progress -including artificial intelligence - must always serve people.”
Distinguished Speaker, Ministers, Members of Parliament, Dear guests,
The Council of Europe will continue to stand ready to support the Armenian authorities in their efforts to promote and ensure respect for human rights, including the right to health protection.
We also look forward to sharing the lessons learned and the achievements of Armenian legislators and policymakers with other member States.
Your continued commitment, reflected in today’s conference, helps show the way forward.
Thank you for your attention.