“In a world where democracy faces stiff competition from autocracy, too few countries are moving in the right direction. In this short list, Armenia is among the champions. Admittedly, its democratic progress is incomplete, fragile and reversible. But this is precisely why the support of well-established democracies is necessary.”
– Special Envoy for Armenia H.E. Stéphane Dion, April 2022 report to the Minister of Foreign Affairs on “Supporting Armenian Democracy”
The first phase of the ‘Support to the Parliament of Armenia’ project was launched in 2019 by the Parliamentary Centre with the support of the Pro-Dem Fund of Global Affairs Canada. It was completed in March 2024. The project provided strategic support to the National Assembly of Armenia to enhance inclusive and responsible internal governance. In 2023, it also added support to the Human Rights Defender of Armenia and the National Assembly to initiate legislative amendments related to the rights of people with disabilities.
The project’s ultimate objective was to enhance levels of democracy and equality for Armenian citizens, particularly those from marginalized and vulnerable communities, including diverse groups of women, youth and persons with disabilities.
The project has achieved substantial progress and in many cases exceeded the expected results despite the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and the challenges presented by COVID-19. The high motivation and engagement of the National Assembly interlocutors and the flexibility and commitment of the project team played a major role for the success. Two successive Speakers and several successive Secretary Generals of the Administration of the National Assembly remained committed to the project throughout its implementation.
The project’s centerpiece was support to the National Assembly to develop a five-year (2022-2027) Corporate Strategic Plan for the Administration of the National Assembly and a several one-year Operational Plans to guide the implementation of the Corporate Strategic Plan.
In his report “Supporting Armenian Democracy” Canada’s Special Envoy for Armenia H.E. Stéphane Dion acknowledged that “All interlocutors, including those at the highest levels of the Armenian government and parliament, have expressed to me their great satisfaction with the Parliamentary Centre collaboration to date, as well as their hope that this support will continue, notably with the heavy task of implementing the Corporate Strategic Plan.”


Key Achievements of the Project:
- Enhanced communication and cooperation between the parliamentary administration and Armenian civil society organizations on career prospects for young people, women, and persons with disabilities
- The National Assembly is leading meetings of development partners and using the Strategic Plan as a tool for efficiently coordinating international support to the institution.
- Launch of the Canada-Armenia Parliamentary Internship Program, providing opportunities for Armenian parliamentary staff to acquire in-depth knowledge of relevant policies and practices of the Canadian Parliament while assisting the National Assembly in it work.
- Framework established for ongoing dialogue and collaboration of Armenian CSOs and the National Assembly in implementing reforms to increase the opportunities for women, youth, and people with disabilities to pursue a career in parliament.
- Training and continuous expert support to the National Assembly’s administration in key areas identified in its Strategic Plan: human resource management, parliament-media relations, civic education on parliamentary democracy and more.
- Peer-to-peer exchanges between parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from Canada and Armenia on equipping elected members for international diplomacy efforts.
- Expert support for the Office of the Human Rights Defender to conduct a review of selected legislation and regulatory acts, including a comparison to international standards and instruments, and identifying legislative gaps in protecting the rights of people with disabilities.


Armenia
Active
Focus: Parliamentary Institution; Parliaments and Gender; Needs Assessment and Project Design
Funder: Global Affairs Canada
For more information about Support to the Parliament of Armenia, please contact us at europeandasia@parlcent.org