Towards sustainable reform: promoting freedom of religion or belief in Armenia

The project addresses the issues of freedom of religion or belief in the Republic of Armenia with a focus on the new draft law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations, violations of FoRB of children and parents in public education as well as enhancing the implementation of the soon to be adopted law on Equality. As a part of the project an informal forum for discussions will be established for religious or belief communities, several conferences tackling FoRB issues in Armenia and Georgia will be conducted; trainings and annual media award for journalists will be performed, journalists and media outlets will be further sensitized on the issues of FoRB. EPF will work with the Office of Human Rights Defender and Equality body on concrete cases of violations of FoRB in Armenia in order to create positive precedents and encourage others to use this mechanism for better human rights protection. Stronger networks of religious organizations will be supported which will jointly advocate for improvements of the law. In the sphere of education, EPF will explore options for opt-outs and communicate these to the school councils and religious communities.