On May 30, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Anahit
Manasyan, presented the report on staff expenditures and revenues for 2023
during the joint sittings of the Standing Committees on Human Rights Protection
and Public Affairs and Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs in the National
Assembly.
The Defender first noted that five events and one program
were implemented in 2023, with most planned indicators exceeded. For instance,
if within the scope of the project on Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms was planned to conduct 900 public awareness-raising
activities and their dissemination, then that indicator has actually reached to
3966, 513 visits were conducted, including the regional visits. The number of applications
also increased, rising to 15,889 in 2023 from 15,473 in 2022, and the number of
resolved cases grew from 1,282 to 1,922.
Anahit Manasyan noted that the institution actively
worked from the perspective of international cooperation. This year, for the
first time in history, the HRD institution was included in the Board of the
European Network of National Human Rights Institutions. In this context, the
Defender emphasized that international business trips are primarily organized
in cooperation with international partners, and only when that is not possible,
they are funded by the state budget. For example, the Defender personally
undertook only two business trips over the course of one year, which were
funded by the state budget.
The Defender also touched upon other ongoing programs,
specifically those aimed at promoting gender equality in Armenia's law
enforcement system, developing the capacities of the staff, and enhancing the
protection of children's and youth rights while promoting their participation.
Anahit Manasyan emphasized that the savings received
within the framework of all conducted programs were returned to the state
budget.
In response to questions from the members of the
Parliament, the Human Rights Defender also addressed issues related to the
freedom of assembly, various manifestations of hate speech and discrimination,
the protection of children's rights, challenges associated with the functioning
of guardianship and custody bodies, the adoption system, efforts to combat
bullying, the situation created by the disaster in the Lori and Tavush regions,
and several other agenda items.
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