The Steering Committee Meeting of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2019-2022 took place on 2 March 2022 in Yerevan in a hybrid format, with participants connecting from Strasbourg and Yerevan.

The Steering Committee meeting brought together over 70 participants including high-ranking officials of the Armenian authorities and professional organisations involved in the programmatic activities of the Action Plan, as well as representatives from the Council of Europe Secretariat and the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan.

The meeting was co-chaired by Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Verena Taylor, Director of the Office of the Directorate General of Programmes of the Council of Europe who joined the meeting via remote connection from Strasbourg.

In his welcoming address, Mr. Hovhannisyan referred to the support provided by the Council of Europe in dealing with the situation following the outbreak of hostilities in the area of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He also praised the wide range of co-operation activities carried out in cooperation with the Council of Europe in the area of rule of law, democracy and human rights and expressed his gratitude to the Council of Europe and to all the donors that contributed to fund the implementation of the Action Plan for their much appreciated and very beneficial support in strengthening democracy in Armenia.

Verena Taylor thanked the national partners for the fruitful co-operation over the past years and their commitment and ongoing engagement to further enhance human rights, rule of law and democracy in Armenia.

Participants of the Steering Committee took stock of the implementation of the Action Plan so far and positively assessed its results in the area of, protecting human rights, promoting human rights and dignity, ensuring justice, countering threats to the rule of law, strengthening democratic governance and fostering innovation as well as promoting participation and diversity”

The Armenian counterparts reiterated their full commitment and their readiness to continue close co-operation with the Council of Europe through the implementation of the Action Plan.

The participants also exchanged views on the priority topics to be included in the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026.

In closing the meeting, Martina Schmidt, the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, thanked the national partners for their dedication noting that the Steering Committee meeting marks the long-standing partnership of the Council of Europe with Armenia and joint efforts towards reforms in Armenia through co-operation programmes.

The Council of Europe 2019-2022 Action Plan for Armenia was adopted and officially launched in Yerevan in 2019. The Action Plan is implemented through the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan in co-operation with the relevant national stakeholders.

It is a strategic programming instrument that aims to bring Armenia’s legislation, institutions and practice further into line with European standards in the areas of human rights, the rule of law and democracy.

The Action Plan also contributes to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 5 - on gender equality; 10 - on reduced inequalities; 11 - on inclusiveness of cities and human settlements; and 16 - on peace, justice and strong institutions.

 ODGP webpage on Armenia