On
July 16, the Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan participated as a speaker in
the working discussion of the drafts of the "Law on National
Minorities" and the "Law on Ensuring Equality and Protection from
Discrimination" of Armenia.
During
the discussion, reference was made to the tools for combating discrimination,
intolerance, and hate speech. The interlocuters exchanged opinions on the draft
laws, and made proposals.
The
discussion of the drafts took place within the framework of the UNDP program
" Fostering Responsiveness, Effectiveness, Transparency, and Inclusiveness
of Armenian Parliament" in cooperation with the Standing Committee on
Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs of the National Assembly of
Armenia. Representatives of state bodies and international organizations participated.
As
part of the event, Sweden's experience regarding national minorities was
presented, as well as the opinion of the Venice Commission, the resolution of
the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the implementation of
the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities by the
Republic of Armenia. The norms related to the formation and powers of the
council of National Minorities, the establishment of organizations of national
minorities, their powers, and other regulations in the draft law were also
discussed.
Welcoming
the participants, Ms. Anahit Manasyan noted that one of the reasons for the
existing issues in the field of equality and non-discrimination in Armenia is
stereotypical approaches.
According
to the provisions on draft Law on Ensuring Equality and Protection from
Discrimination, the Human Rights Defender will assume the role of the equality
body, receiving broader capabilities in terms of protecting rights in this
field.
"Currently,
we perform this function, but the powers provided for by the law are more
limited. Unlike previous years, over the past year, we have significantly
increased and developed our activities in the sphere of equality. There are
many misconceptions in our society about this sphere, including in important
fields such as the protection and promotion of the rights of national
minorities, persons with disabilities, gender equality, and discrimination
based on religious beliefs. I believe that the sphere in our country needs to
be fundamentally transformed," noted Ms. Manasyan.
According
to her, one of the most effective ways to overcome the aforementioned issues is
the adoption and proper implementation of this law.
In
this context, the next important step is the transformation of the education
system, and this applies to education at all levels. The Defender particularly
emphasized that the current human rights education does not correspond to the
modern standards concerning equality and non-discrimination, which is also a
serious issue. At the same time, Ms. Anahit Manasyan noted that active
cooperation has been established with both state bodies and international
partners to address the existing problems.
Concluding
her speech, the Defender mentioned that the issues of equality and anti-discrimination
were addressed in detail with a new approach in the 2023 annual report of the
Human Rights Defender.
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