Reliable, responsibly gathered data plays a crucial role in shaping effective and informed decision-making, especially in the complex context of displacement.

Acknowledging this need, from May 6 to 8 the Council of Europe orgaised a three-day “Research School”, bringing together civil society organisations working on protecting the rights of the displaced people.

More than just a training, the “Research School” served as a catalyst for lasting impact. Participants developed essential competencies in the entire research cycle—from formulating precise and policy-relevant research questions to applying qualitative and quantitative methodologies to ensure their findings can meaningfully support legislative advocacy, programme design, and human rights initiatives.

Nushik Ter-Movsisyan, representative of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor states, "Human rights advocacy often includes a research component. In this context, the training and the Research School have proven highly effective, as they significantly enhance our capacity to carry out future research in a more evidence-based and professional manner, for which we are truly grateful."

As a key outcome the school helped the participating civil society organisations strengthen their analytical skills and adopt ethical research practices in documenting and understanding the experiences of displaced individuals.

This event was organised by the Council of Europe Action Plan project “Strengthening human rights safeguards for the displaced population in Armenia”.

* The “Research School” is led by the Caucasus Research Resource Center-Armenia Foundation