Human Rights

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© Chris Stowers, Panos

Human rights are the foundation of a democracy in which every person counts. The Netherlands strives to protect and promote human rights all over the world.

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Image: ©Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Embassy Yerevan

The Human Rights Fund therefore supports organizations and individuals, that work for human rights worldwide. Promoting and protecting human rights worldwide is a priority of the Dutch Government foreign policy.

 

For 2024, the Dutch human rights policy focuses on certain priorities: 

1. Equal rights for women and girls

  • Decreased occurrence of all forms of violence against women and girls in public and private life.
  • Strengthened women’s voice, agency, leadership and representative participation in decision-making processes in public, private and civic sphere.
  • Reinforced women’s economic rights and empowerment and female entrepreneurship encouraged.
  • Women’s and girls’ rights protected in crisis and conflict situations and women’s meaningful participation and leadership in peace- and state-building promoted.
  • Equal rights for women and girls is a cross-cutting theme and should preferably be integrated in all project proposals.

2. Equal rights for LGBTI people, with a focus on:

  • Decreased criminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity worldwide;
  • Decreased occurrence of violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity;
  • Increased levels of social acceptance of LGBTI people;
  • Better legislation in place for LGBTI community.

3. Freedom of expression and internet freedom, with a focus on:

  • Increased access to information, through a free, open and secure Internet.
  • Enhanced safety of journalists worldwide, with a particular focus on female journalists.
  • Press freedom, including a diverse and open media landscape;
  • Better reader-education, critical thinking and fight against fake news.

Initiatives in Armenia

The opening of the educations center of the Lusashogh community, which will create equal opportunities for girls.

Human Rights Tulip

The Netherlands supports human rights defenders. Every year the Dutch government presents an award called the Human Rights Tulip. In In 2020, Armenian women’s human rights defender Lilith Martirosyan was nominated and won the Human Right Tulip for her work with transgender community. The price of EUR 100.000 has been invested in a creating own space for transgender people which has been opened in 2021.
 

Projects LGTB

 In Armenia, the embassy has cooperated with several Human Rights organizations, such as the LGBT organization New Generation, for the drafting and developing Law on gender recognition, supported LGBT parents for the establishment of their NGO.  

 

Projects Woman’s rights 

Embassy is supporting the enhancement of the mobile application called SafeYou, which is directed to the prevention of the gender based violence. Embassy also support the legislations suggestions for the equal opportunities for working mothers, educational opportunities for the women and girl in Lusashogh community, for the preventing yezidi community girls early marriages and others.
 

Projects Media/Journalists

 Currently Embassy supports the project for the open media as well.