Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues Department

The protection and promotion of human rights is one of the priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy. Attaching importance to human rights issues, Armenia highlights it as a fundamental part of its multilateral diplomacy. Such approach is anchored in the perception that ensuring the protection of human rights is an essential means for the formation of the economic stability and social development of the country. At the same time, respect for human rights is an imperative for ensuring peace and international security.

Functions of the Department: A brief outline

Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues Department ensures drafting and implementation of a foreign policy in the field of human rights, as well as carries out practical cooperation with respective international structures and humanitarian organizations. The Department is responsible for representing the priorities of the Republic of Armenia on international platforms within the framework of the genocide prevention agenda.

Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues Department ensures the accountability of the Republic of Armenia through cooperation with international monitoring institutions, organizing visits of inspection bodies and implementation of the recommendations issued as a result of those visists.

It also organizes the participation of observation missions in electoral processes in different countries, as well as carries out works with international observation missions when elections are held in the Republic of Armenia.

The Department consists of three divisions:

The Division of International Cooperation on Human Rights assures cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Human Rights Council, the Third Committee of the General Assembly.

The Division of Cooperation with Monitoring Bodies ensures the coordination of the implementation of international obligations and accountability of the Republic of Armenia in the field of human rights.

The Department of Humanitarian Issues is responsible for ensuring cooperation with international organizations operating in the field of humanitarian issues: the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), etc.