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Empowering the Human Rights Defender’s Office to protect the social rights of displaced persons

From 31 October to 1 November 2025 the Council of Europe in co-operation with the Human Rights Defender’s Office of Armenia, organised a two-day capacity-building workshop on the topic “Protecting social rights in times of displacement: effective collection and processing of information concerning social rights violations with a focus on refugees”.

The event brought together representatives of the Human Rights Defender’s Office to strengthen their knowledge and practical skills in documenting, analysing, and addressing violations of social rights affecting particularly displaced persons and refugees.

The capacity building programme put strong emphasis on the European Social Charter and key provisions related to the rights to health, social and medical assistance, housing, and protection against poverty and social exclusion. Participants engaged in interactive discussions, case studies, and exchanges of European good practices, exploring effective ways to improve data collection and identify mechanisms for enhanced co-operation with state and non-state institutions.

The event underscored the Human Rights Defender’s commitment to upholding international human rights standards and to advancing the protection of vulnerable groups across the country. A special session was therefore held to highlight the work carried out and the challenges faced in recent years.

This event marked another step towards strengthening Armenia’s institutional capacity to ensure that the social rights of all individuals, including refugees and displaced persons, are respected, protected, and fulfilled in line with the rights set out by the European Social Charter.

The workshop was held within the framework of the Council of Europe Project “Enhancing Social Human Rights in Armenia”, implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023–2026.

YEREVAN, ARMENIA 31 OCTOBER-1 NOVEMBER 2025
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What is the goal and objective of the project?

The project “Enhancing social human rights in Armenia” is part of the comprehensive response package launched by the Council of Europe to address the refugee influx in Armenia. The project is designed to support the Armenian authorities in addressing pressing social and economic rights challenges. As an integral part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia for 2023- 2026, it aims at enhancing the protection of social rights in Armenia in line with international standards to respond to crisis situations.

 Start Date: 01 January 2024

 Duration: 36 months

 Funding: EUR 950 000, Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026

Contact person: Mariam ALEKSANYAN, Senior Project Officer

Who benefits from the project?
How does the project work?

The cooperation project will be carried out in line with the priorities laid down in the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia for 2023- 2026 .

What do we expect to achieve?

The project underscores the foundational role of social rights in democracy building and will focus on accomplishing the following outcomes:

  • Provide expert support for aligning national legislation on housing, employment, vocational training, and labour rights with European standards, adopting a comprehensive, gender-sensitive approach.
  • Empowering national authorities to harmonise policies and practices with European standards, ensuring proper protection and implementation of social rights.
  • Strengthening the decision-makers' awareness of the procedure for accepting new provisions of the European Social Charter and the Collective Complaints procedure.
  • Capacity development for staff from the Human Rights Defender's Office, civil society organisations and legal professionals to effectively implement and monitor adherence to social rights in line with the European Social Charter and the case-law of the European Committee of Social Rights.
  • Enhancing awareness among displaced individuals and people from vulnerable groups about their rights and entitlements, emphasising their social rights and the availability of social services. Simultaneously, it seeks to elevate the understanding of national and local authorities concerning their roles, responsibilities, and the provision of social services at both national and local levels.”
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