On 11 June, the European Union launched three new projects in Armenia with a total budget of €1.7 million designed to protect the labour and social rights of the country's residents, reported arka.am.

The projects are being carried out by three consortia uniting 14 civil society organizations from all over Armenia. The three projects in question are: 1) Decent Work now!; 2) For Work: An Accountable and Inclusive Labour Market Initiative; and 3) the Civil Rights Strengthening Project.

The goal of the first project is to promote the development and application of personal, collective, and state mechanisms for the protection of labour and social rights in Armenia. This will be done through strengthening workers’ rights and trade unions aimed at reforming the legislative field. It is planned to improve and apply mechanisms for the protection of labour and social rights of citizens, strengthen mechanisms for the collective protection of labour rights and ensure a law-based approach to unemployment. The project is being implemented by the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly, the Transparency International anti-corruption centre, the Advanced Public Research Group, the Factor information centre in conjunction with the Education and Solidarity trade union. 

The second project foresees a creation of an online platform where the so-called “passports” of the employees of the Union of Employers of Information and Communication Technologies, the Armavir Development Centre and the Revival Development Fund would be made visible. The platform will have 2 main functions: the first is automated risk analysis and the creation of a smart risk map. The second is the installation of a system for collecting and tracking complaints on the site. 

The goal of the third project is to deliver consultations to stimulate the creation and implementation of state policy aimed at protecting labour rights, as well as exchange of experience and knowledge for participants of the open platform for dialogue "Voice of a Citizen" with the involvement of social colleagues and civil society organizations active in Europe. The project is launching a public awareness campaign to empower particularly vulnerable groups in society to exercise their labour and social rights. The focus of the awareness campaign will be on the rights of youth and women. The project is being implemented by OxYGen Foundation, Socioscope NGO, Asparez Journalists Club, Advanced Armenian Youth NGO, Institute of Multilateral Information - Armenia in cooperation with Defence of Rights Without Borders NGO and the Eurasia Partnership Foundation.