
02 May. 2026
Dignity team at the Council of Europe Office
Armenian civil society and non-governmental representatives working on the protection of vulnerable groups and communities met with Council of Europe officials in occasion of an official visit from Strasbourg.
Hosted in the local CoE Office, the meeting enabled discussion on the most pressing issues civil society face when dealing with equality, proposing collaboration within the remit of the Council of Europe’s engagement and mandate. Special attention was paid to strengthening the rights of minority groups through the local legislation, improved educational possibilities for schools and children in rural areas, preservation of cultural heritage, as well as enhancing capacities of national actors to co-ordinate anti-discrimination works and measures with civil society.
Claus Neukirch, Director of the Council of Europe Directorate of Programme Co-ordination, highlighted the importance of consistent co-operation and dialogue between Council of Europe and civil society, aimed at stronger response to human rights violations and the reform agenda proposed for Armenia under the new Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia - a comprehensive key instrument pursuing democratic reform agenda of the Government to further develop democratic institutions in compliance with European standards.
Thorsten Afflerbach, Head of Equal Rights and Hate Prevention Division, stated that the Council of Europe and civil society organisations are natural partners in promotion and protection of human rights, in combating discrimination and discrimination on different grounds. He confirmed that the part of our future efforts will be continuation of building trust between state institutions, law enforcement and civil society organisations, ensuring that that victims of violations obtain appropriate redress, while the protection and prevention mechanisms are in place.
Both representatives of the Council of Europe and civil society organisations acknowledged the significance of continued collaboration on this matter and confirmed their readiness to engage in future initiatives.
The event was organised in the framework of the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination in Armenia”, part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme Partnership for Good Governance, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe.
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