On December 2, ahead of International Human Rights Day, the presentation of Armenia’s Institutional Network for Monitoring and Reporting (AI-NEMRA), the digital tool of Armenia for strengthening international human rights accountability, took place. The event brought together representatives of state institutions, heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia and members of civil society. Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Robert Abisoghomonyan delivered opening remarks, noting that the launch of the digital monitoring platform of Armenia is an important step toward a more modern, efficient, and participatory monitoring system, fully aligned with the priorities set out in the digitization strategy and the vision of Armenia of making public administration more open, transparent, and accessible to the public. The importance of the “AI-NEMRA” platform was emphasized as a reflection of the synergy between human rights, innovative technologies and diplomacy. The opening segment also featured remarks by United Nations Resident Coordinator in Armenia Françoise Jacob, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Armenia Maxime Longangue and Director of the Information Systems Agency of Armenia Nerses Yeritsyan. Karine Sujayan, Head of Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presented the structure and functions of the National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting, and Follow-up, which operates under the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She outlined the mechanism’s work plans and highlighted the main features and functions of its digital component, the AI-NEMRA platform. The event featured a panel discussion titled “A Whole-of-Government Approach to the Protection of Human Rights: Integrating International, Regional, and National Monitoring and Accountability Mechanisms.” The panel brought together the Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Tatevik Stepanyan, Deputy Minister of Environment Aram Meimaryan, and Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Siraksya Svajyan, and member of the Statistical Committee Vardan Arevshatyan, who discussed ongoing sectoral reforms and steps aimed at strengthening Armenia’s human rights accountability framework. Video messages were delivered by Mahamane Cissé-Gouro, Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanism Division at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Mette Thygesen, Director for International Cooperation at the Danish Institute for Human Rights, who commended Armenia’s cooperation in the field of human rights and the country’s consistent efforts to reinforce international accountability, including the establishment of the national mechanism and the launch of its digital tool. The discussion emphasized that the development of the digital tool provides a new impetus for enhancing the engagement of Armenia within international organizations, particularly monitoring bodies, thereby contributing to the strengthening of human rights and democracy in the country. In the closing segment of the event, Armenia’s human rights monitoring platform AI-NEMRA was formally presented, highlighting its main functions and operational framework.

On May 1, in Geneva, within the framework of the 49th Session of the Working Group on the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the discussion on Armenia’s National Report for the Fourth Cycle was held. The report touched upon the developments, challenges, and prospects in the field of human rights in Armenia over the past four and a half years. Its preparation was coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, with the active involvement of all relevant government agencies and through public consultations. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Robert Abisoghomonyan headed the delegation of Armenia to the 49th UPR session. The delegation also included Anna Karapetyan, the Deputy Minister of Justice, Tatevik Stepanyan, the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Artur Martirosyan, the Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Lena Nanushyan, the Deputy Minister of Health, Aram Meymaryan, the Deputy Minister of Environment, along with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During the session, the delegation of Armenia presented a comprehensive report of the implementation of recommendations received during the previous review cycle. In his opening remarks, head of the delegation of Armenia Robert Abisoghomonyan presented progress achieved in Armenia in realizing economic, social, cultural, political, and civil rights over recent years. Deputy Foreign Minister drew attention to the challenges faced by Armenia during the reporting period, including the issues of forcible displacement of 115,000 people from Nagorno-Karabakh, the release of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages illegally detained in Azerbaijan and the revealing of the fate of missing persons and  enforced disappearances. The review of Armenia’s National Report for the Fourth Cycle garnered significant interest from the international community. Representatives from nearly 100 member states delivered statements, largely emphasizing the progress of Armenia in human rights and acknowledging the legislative and systemic reforms undertaken in recent years. The delegation of Armenia reiterated the Government’s strong commitment to advancing its reform agenda, guided by the principles of transparency, accountability, participation, and inclusivity.

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.

On 14 April, a meeting with the Working Group on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and the delegation of the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. The GRETA delegation on a monitoring visit to Armenia comprises the representative of Moldova Tatiana Catana, the representative of Portugal Rita Peneda, and the representative of the GRETA Secretariat of the Council of Europe Parvin Ghadami. The meeting was launched  by the opening remarks of Karine Sujayan, the Head of the Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Together with the experts from the Council of Europe, the current policies and priorities in the fight against human trafficking were discussed. Views were also exchanged on the activities of the Council on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and reviewed progress on the implementation of the Republic of Armenia’s 2023–2025 National Action Plan. As part of the GRETA delegation’s visit, further meetings are planned with representatives of relevant Armenian state institutions, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders engaged in anti-trafficking efforts.

From February 17 to 20, at the invitation of the Danish Institute for Human Rights, Karine Sujayan, the Head of the Human rights and Humanitarian Issues Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia paid a working visit to Copenhagen. The purpose of the visit was to establish cooperation within the framework of the National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting and Follow up (NMIRF), recently established by Armenia. The establishment of such a National Mechanism will enable Armenia to ensure a more coordinated approach in its work with international monitoring bodies, particularly in submitting reports on ratified documents, implementing received recommendations and monitoring the follow-up actions arising from them. During the visit, the Armenian delegation also met with representatives of the Human Rights and International Law Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, where the discussions focused on the experiences of Armenia and Denmark in the field of human rights protection. The international human rights priorities of the Republic of Armenia, the ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening human rights within the country were also presented. Additionally, there was an exchange of views on a wide range of issues related to Armenian-Danish bilateral relations. As a result of the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, which envisages continued cooperation on strengthening the National Mechanism and exchanging best practices in the field of human rights.

Դեկտեմբերի 2-ից 3-ը Հայաստանի Հանրապետության պատվիրակությունը՝ ԱԳ նախարարի տեղակալ Վահան Կոստանյանի գլխավորությամբ, մասնակցել է ՄԱԿ-ի Ռասայական խտրականության վերացման կոմիտեի 114-րդ նստաշրջանի ընթացքում տեղի ունեցած Ռասայական խտրականության բոլոր ձևերի վերացման մասին կոնվենցիայի դրույթների իրականացման վերաբերյալ ՀՀ 12-14-րդ համատեղ պարբերական զեկույցների քննարկմանը: Հայաստանի Հանրապետության պատվիրակությունը պատասխանել է Կոմիտեի անդամների կողմից բարձրացված բազմաթիվ հարցերի, ներկայացրել է իրավահավասարության և խտրականության բացառման ուղղությամբ օրենսդրական բարեփոխումների իրականացման ընթացքը, ազգային փոքրամասնությունների կրթական և մշակութային իրավունքների ապահովմանն ուղղված քայլերը, երկրի քաղաքականությունը օտարերկրացիների, միգրանտների, ապաստան հայցողների և տարբեր խոցելի խմբերի նկատմամբ: Կոմիտեի անդամները տեղեկացվել են Լեռնային Ղարաբաղից բռնի տեղահանված բնակչության կարիքների, մասնավորապես, կայուն կենսապայմանների ստեղծման ուղղությամբ Հայաստանի կառավարության կողմից իրականացվող քայլերի վերաբերյալ: Հայկական պատվիրակությունը վերահաստատել է Հայաստանի Հանրապետության կառավարության հանձնառությունը շարունակել երկրում ժողովրդավարական բարեփոխումները՝ ապահովելով տնտեսական, սոցիալական և մշակութային իրավունքների իրականացումը հասարակության բոլոր շերտերի համար: