On April 18, ahead of the Republic of Armenia’s Fourth Cycle under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process of the United Nations, a presentation of Armenia’s national report was held.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Robert Abisoghomonyan, and the UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia, Françoise Jacob, delivered opening remarks.

The meeting was attended by representatives of Armenian state institutions, heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia, and civil society.

In the first part of the meeting, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Robert Abisoghomonyan presented Armenia’s national report for the fourth UPR cycle, providing a detailed overview of measures taken to strengthen human rights in Armenia.

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia touched upon the legal and institutional reforms implemented during the reporting period, emphasizing, among other priorities, the protection of vulnerable groups, the rights of forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh, the fight against corruption, and efforts to eliminate discrimination. Robert Abisoghomonyan also drew attention to the challenges confronting Armenia in the fulfillment of its international obligations.

In the second part of the meeting, Karine Sujayan, the Head of Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, introduced Armenia’s new framework—the National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting, and Follow-up—designed to strengthen the fulfillment and accountability of the country’s international human rights commitments.

Touching upon the advantages of the mechanism, she highlighted that it aims to enhance the implementation of Armenia’s international human rights commitments, ensure the timely preparation of reports submitted to monitoring bodies, and strengthen follow-up on recommendations addressed to the state. It was emphasized that, with effective implementation, the mechanism could become an integral part of Armenia’s national human rights protection system, bridging international and regional human rights norms with national priorities.

***

Background: The Universal Periodic Review is a mechanism established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2006, under which all 193 UN Member States undergo a review of their human rights record approximately every 4.5 to 5 years. Armenia’s third cycle UPR was held in 2020, during which it received 252 recommendations, accepting 239 of them.

On 1 May 2025, within the framework of the current cycle, the delegation of Armenia will present in Geneva the progress achieved, measures undertaken since 2020, and the ongoing challenges in the field of human rights.