As part of the awareness raising activities dedicated to the promotion of rights and benefits guaranteed by the ratification of the Oviedo Convention by Armenia, the Council of Europe, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia organised a capacity-building workshop for journalists on 6-7 June 2025. The event aimed at highlighting the improved provisions for informing the population on the significance of organ and tissue transplantation, prerequisites for donation and other issues related to transplantation, as well as the right to non-consent to be becoming a cadaver donor, and the right of the cadaver donor's family members to give consent. These provisions were developed with the technical support of the Council of Europe, as part of efforts to support Armenia in harmonising its domestic legal framework with European standards enshrined in the Oviedo Convention.
The workshop was opened by Maxime Longangué, Head of Council of Europe Office in Yerevan and Anahit Avanesyan, Minister of Health of the Republic of Armenia. The speakers emphasized the significance of the event in terms of properly informing the public about their rights regarding organ and tissue transplantation, while also fostering public dialogue and literacy on these issues.
Laurence Lwoff, Head of Human Rights and Biomedicine Division of the Council of Europe presented the work of the Council of Europe in the field of transplantation of organs and tissues. The national and European standards in the field of transplantation of organs and tissues, provisions related to prerequisites for donation, the right to non-consent to become a cadaver donor, as well as the role of the media in protecting the rights of donors and recipients in the process of transplantation of organs and tissues were covered by national consultants through substantial presentations and simulation games.
The workshop strengthened the knowledge and skills of journalists covering health issues, enabling them to better inform the population about the provisions regarding organ and tissue transplantation, and contributed to the protection of the right to make informed decisions about their health.
The event was organised by the Council of Europe as part of its Project “Protection of Human Rights in Biomedicine III” implemented within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026.
The Council of Europe Oviedo Convention and its Additional Protocol concerning Transplantation of Organs and Tissues of Human Origin are protecting human dignity and integrity, as well as rights and fundamental freedoms regarding the transplantation of organs and tissues of human origin for therapeutic purposes.