Alternative Reports on the Realization of Social Rights in Armenia Have Been Submitted

The Human Rights Research Center, both individually and jointly with sectoral non-governmental organizations, meticulously prepared and submitted three alternative reports to the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. These reports comprehensively address various challenges concerning the protection of social rights in Armenia and offer recommendations to tackle them.

During its forthcoming 74th, the Committee will review Armenia’s progress pertaining to fulfillment of its obligations under the UN Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.

Ahead of the session, HRRC worked on the submission of the following alternative reports to the Committee:

• N1. Alternative report on the realization of the right to adequate housing by citizens left homeless as a result of the earthquake in Armenia in 1988 (individual submission).

With this report, we express our concerns regarding the protection of the right to adequate housing of the citizens who became homeless as a result of the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, which contradicts the commitments undertaken by Armenia under Articles 2 and 11.1 of the Covenant. The report particularly focuses on the Shirak region (Marz) of Armenia. The data presented in the report show that the current policy presented by the State contradicts the obligation of the State to ensure adequate housing conditions for the target group and to refrain from subjecting the latter to forced evictions without provision of the type of protection required to ensure respect for the relevant provisions of the Covenant.

• N2. Alternative report on the realization of the right to just and favourable conditions of work in Armenia (joint submission, co-authorship with the Law Development and Protection Foundation).

In particular, this report addresses the issue of discrimination in employment, trade union membership restrictions, restrictions on the right to strike, assessment of occupational risks to pregnant, breastfeeding women and women who have recently given birth and the lack of factor-based occupational risk assessment system for pregnant and breastfeeding women. It pertains to the violation of Armenia’s obligations under Articles 2 and 7 of the Covenant.

• N3. Alternative report on the State of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Armenia: A Joint Civil Society Report on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (collective submission by the initiative of Eurasia Partnership Foundation).

In particular, this report addresses the issue of eliminating discrimination, protection of the right to work, the right to health (focus on the right to clean air) and the right to education. The report also focuses on a regression in terms of the protection regime of a number of constitutional guarantees for economic, social and cultural rights, and as well as removal of some of guarantees of protection of those rights as a result of the Constitutional Reforms of 2015.

Co-authors of this collective submission are Eurasia Partnership Foundation, Human Rights Research Center, Disability Rights Agenda NGO, Law Development and Protection Foundation, and Child Protection Network.

HRRC expresses gratitude to all affiliated entities for their collaborative efforts.

The full versions of the reports will soon be made available on the HRRC’s website, as well as on the Committee's website.

Armenia ratified the UN Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1993, assuming the obligation to protect a comprehensive range of rights, in connection with which the State presents Periodic Reports for the consideration of the Committee every 4 years.

The Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights shall conduct a review of Armenia's consecutive - 4th Periodic Report from October 3-4 in Geneva. The 4th Periodic Report was presented to the Committee by the Government of the Republic of Armenia in 2020.