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Expanding Our Engagement in Armenia
With Sida’s support in the coming three years, we will be able to expand our engagement with various stakeholders in Armenia.
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Armenia: Engaging in Collaborative Human Rights Research
As part of RWI’s Armenia Programme, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute provided support to representatives of academia and civil society in Armenia to engage in collaborative human rights research during 2021-22. Three groups focused on different topics.
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Exchanging Ideas on Human Rights Education
We work with universities in Armenia to support educational human rights programmes. Meet Philippa Mullins, Assistant Professor at the American University of Armenia who teaches on AUA’s MA programme in Human Rights and Social Justice, facilitating courses on social justice, power, knowledge, identity, and research methods.
Our work in Armenia
Our involvement in Armenia began in the early 2000s. Between 2006-2009, we collaborated with UNDP Armenia to implement a Sida-funded project to strengthen the capacity of Armenia’s Human Rights Defender’s Office to promote and protect human rights. In 2019 we re-engaged our cooperation in Armenia aiming to support the country’s democratic transition and since 2020 we are implementing a Sida-supported human rights programme.

We currently engage with our Armenian partners to increase the capacity of representatives from the judiciary, state agencies, academia, and civil society, to apply international human rights standards in ongoing and future reforms in the country. We work together with a range of local and international stakeholders.
Since August 2023, our cooperation in Armenia is managed from our office in Yerevan.
Within the justice sector we support the Ministry of Justice in the implementation of the Armenian National Action Plan for Human Rights and collaborate with the Academy of Justice on human rights training of justice sector professionals. In cooperation with the Centre for the Implementation of Legal Education and Rehabilitation Programs we support development of training for prison staff and other services in the justice sector.
Learn more about our work with the Armenian justice sector
Our cooperation with the Human Rights Defender’s Office aims to support them in their role as a National Human Rights Institution to promote and protect human rights. In addition to overall capacity activities, the cooperation is focused on developing tools and procedures aligned with international human rights standards for their National Preventive Mechanism Unit.
Within our academic and research cooperation we work with Yerevan State University and American University of Armenia to support human rights programmes and courses. Together with academic partners we are also exploring how Clinical Legal Education initiatives can be further developed at Armenian universities. Through research activities, fellowship programmes and the organisation of academic research conferences we are also supporting researchers from academic and the civil society to enhance collaboration, advance critical reflection and stimulate debate on human rights topics.
Learn more about our work with Academia and Research in Armenia
In 2023 we got engaged with UNDP Armenia to contribute to their project for Armenian parliamentarians by organising round tables and opportunities to discuss the role of parliamentarians in promoting and protecting human rights. Learn more about our cooperation with UNDP Parliament initiative
Since 2020, we also have been engaging with Armenian participants through the Swedish Institute Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP), developed in collaboration with Lund University. In this programme, we gather young policymakers, public servants, and civil society actors, to develop their skills in governing, giving them the opportunity to network and exchange knowledge.
Learn more about our SAYP training

Programme Initiatives
The latest news and articles from The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Armenia Programme Staff
Hanna Johnsson

Hanna Johnsson
Director of Armenia Office (Country Director) / Board Member
E-mail: hanna.johnsson@rwi.lu.se
Hanna Johnsson joined the RWI in 2005 and has more than 20 years’ experience in policy dialogue and development cooperation in Human Rights and Rule of Law. She holds a Masters degree in Political Science from Lund University.
In 2011, she established RWI’s regional office in Amman, Jordan, and between 2018 and 2020, she held the position of Director of RWI’s office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Hanna also served as Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Advisor at RWI.
Previous experience includes working for the International Legal Assistance Consortium, the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights in Cambodia, and the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
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Arman Gasparian

Arman Gasparian joined the RWI Armenia Office in August 2023. He has a solid track record in the international development field, most notably with the UN and the Council of Europe, and has experience with project and team management, event organisation, fundraising and advocacy, and data collection and analysis. Alongside his work at RWI, Arman is also pursuing a PhD focusing on Public Governance from KU Leuven. Arman has authored close to ten academic articles, the most recent being “From paperwork to pixels: Workload and digital governance in Armenian local authorities” published by Frontiers in Political Science.
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Aida Muradyan

Aida Muradyan
Senior Programme Officer & Deputy Chief of Party, Armenia Office
E-mail: aida.muradyan@rwi.lu.se
Aida Muradyan joined the RWI Armenia office as Senior Programme Officer in January 2025 and is simultaneously serving as Deputy Chief of Party for the USAID-funded “Promoting Human Rights in Armenia” (PHRA), a five-year initiative focused on advancing and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms in Armenia, with the East-West Management Institute as lead organisation. She previously served as Chief of Party for the USAID-funded “Community Level Access to Social Services” at World Vision Armenia and as Programs Manager at People in Need, where she led various child protection and education initiatives, introducing innovative models and scaling them across Armenia. Aida is also a licensed advocate with the Advocates Chamber of Armenia.
With over 15 years of experience in human rights, child protection, social services, and legal advocacy, Aida has held key roles, including President of the Child Protection Network in Armenia, Head of the Vulnerable Groups and Child Protection Department at the Armenia Ombudsman’s Office, and legal consultant for the Red Cross and UNHCR.
Nona Galstyan

Nona Galstyan joins RWI as Senior Programme Associate at the RWI Armenia Office.
Nona has an experience in Programme Management with a demonstrated history of work with international NGOs, coordinating Human Resources section, managing and assisting different programmes. Nona is skilled in human recourses, public administration, governmental networking, data collection and analysing, youth participation, community development and more. Her latest work experience with UNICEF Armenia office, expanded her experience in Climate Change and resilience actions.
Nona can be reached at: nona.galstyan@rwi.lu.se
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Nvard Minasyan

Nvard Minasyan joined the RWI Armenia office as Programme Officer in December 2024. Nvard holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Democratization from Yerevan State University and a second Master’s degree from the Management Department of the London School of Economics, with a focus on Responsible Management, Corporate Social Responsibility and International Labour Standards.
Nvard has extensive experience in fundraising, project management, public-private partnerships, and advocacy. Her specialization is in human rights and gender equality, with a primary focus on anti-discrimination and promoting equal opportunities. She also has significant experience in consulting, research, and training facilitation in these areas. Furthermore, Nvard has served as a trainer and mentor for local NGOs and social enterprises, helping them build institutional capacity in research, advocacy, and financial sustainability.
Meline Avagyan

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Contact the Yerevan Office
Address
106/1 Nalbandyan Street
Yerevan, Armenia
Email: office.yerevan@rwi.lu.se