On the Monday 29 April, Research Fellows with the RWI Armenia programme, Valentina Gevorgyan, Anna Melikyan and Srbuhi Michikyan were invited by RUCARR – Russia, Ukraine and the Caucasus Regional Research Group for a roundtable discussion with the title: Armenia’s Human Rights agenda: efforts amidst social and security challenges. Held at the Faculty of Culture and Society at Malmö University, the roundtable was moderated by Katrine Gotfredsen, senior lecturer in Caucasus Studies. The discussion was enriched by the attendance, on site and online, of RWI and MAU staff, researchers and students.
RWI Armenia Research Fellows shared some insights from their ongoing research projects, which were set as a point of departure for the discussion that followed.
More specifically, Valentina Gevorgyan, provided a comprehensive analysis of the role of civil society actors in Armenia as the primary defenders of human rights.
By tracing the evolution of civil society in Armenia, highlighted its pivotal role in driving democratization processes and advocating for fundamental rights. She emphasized the importance of empowering civil society organizations and fostering a conducive environment for their activism.
In connection to empowering civil society and supporting democratisation processes, Anna Melikyan examined the impact of anti-corruption efforts on human rights in Armenia since the transformative events of 2018.
Anna delved into the complexities of prosecuting corruption cases and the challenges of ensuring accountability and transparency in governance.
She explored the delicate balance between combating corruption and upholding human rights principles, emphasizing the need for robust institutional frameworks and judicial independence.
Lastly, Srbuhi Michikyan, shed light on the challenges of poverty analysis in conflict-affected regions, using the Syunik region in Armenia as a case study.
Srbuhi highlighted the methodological complexities of assessing poverty in contexts marked by violence and instability.
Additionally, she discussed the limitations of conventional poverty measures and advocated for holistic approaches that consider the diverse dimensions of deprivation experienced by vulnerable populations.
One focal point of discussion was the impact of recent political developments on human rights dynamics within Armenia and the Caucasus region, deliberating on the implications of democratic reforms, societal transformations, and geopolitical shifts, discerning both opportunities and challenges for advancing human rights agendas.
Moreover, the roundtable provided a platform to explore strategies for enhancing collaboration between academia, civil society, and governmental institutions in safeguarding and promoting human rights.
Drawing upon empirical research, firsthand experiences, and theoretical frameworks to deepen their analysis, discussants identified overlapping areas of research interest, that might prove to be fruitful in the near future.