We are excited to announce the successful visit of the Executive Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI) to Yerevan, which was filled with impactful discussions and meetings aimed at expanding cooperation and advancing human rights efforts across Armenia.
Throughout this visit, the Executive Director engaged with key partners from various sectors to further RWI’s ongoing initiatives. Discussions with UNDP Armenia focused on the “Fostering Responsiveness, Effectiveness, Transparency and Inclusiveness of Armenian Parliament (FORSETI)” project, where RWI continues to contribute to human rights research and parliamentary oversight. At the Academy of Justice, the dialogue centered on integrating human rights into judicial training on pre-trial proceedings and anti-discrimination.
The Executive Director also explored potential collaboration with the EU Delegation, Embassy of the Netherlands, the Embassy of Switzerland, and the Council of Europe Office (focusing on justice reforms and protecting the rights of detainees and displaced persons).
A roundtable discussion with Armenian civil society organisations provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities in areas such as access to justice and non-discrimination.
During the visit, the Executive Director reinforced RWI’s commitment to enhancing penitentiary and probation staff training through ongoing collaboration with the Center for Implementation of Legal Education and Rehabilitation Programmes (CILERP). Additionally, a productive meeting with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Rights explored future initiatives to support human rights protection within Armenia’s legislative framework.
A key highlight of the visit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Yerevan State University (YSU), which will deepen our collaboration on human rights education through joint conferences, legal clinics, and training workshops. A very productive meeting was also held with our partners at the American University of Armenia when the future collaboration areas were discussed.
During the week, RWI also held fruitful discussions with other international and national partners and organisations, such as UNODC, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Defender’s Office, as well as with the Swedish Embassy in Yerevan, who through Swedish Development Cooperation is the main financial donor for RWI in Armenia.
RWI remains dedicated to advancing human rights and strengthening partnerships in Armenia through these meaningful collaborations.
