Armenia created first national digital platform for human rights  implementation and reporting - Robert Abisoghomonyan

ArmInfo. On February 24, in Geneva, on the margins of the 61st Session of the UN Human Rights Council Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Robert Abisoghomonyan participated and delivered remarks at the side event  entitled "Enhancing Coherence and Follow-Up in Human Rights  Implementation through Digital Tools". The event was organized at the initiative of Armenia, in collaboration with the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

The remarks delivered by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia  follows below.

"Excellences, 

Distinguished colleagues, 

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to address this panel and to reflect on how human  rights commitments move from paper to practice, and how institutions  ensure continuity between promise and delivery.

Allow me at the outset to thank our co-organizers. I wish to express  sincere appreciation to the Danish Institute for Human Rights for the  close and productive cooperation established, particularly following  the Memorandum of Understanding signed one year ago. One year later,  we are able to present concrete steps taken to improve coherence and  follow-up in human rights implementation. 

I also extend our gratitude to the Office of the High Commissioner  for Human Rights, whose role in advancing national implementation,  reporting and follow-up mechanisms has been central and whose  expertise continues to guide national efforts.

Armenia remains actively engaged with international human rights  monitoring processes at both the United Nations and regional levels.  Over the last few years, we have participated in unprecedented number  of treaty body dialogues, submitted periodic reports under regional  conventions, and hosted monitoring visits, while maintaining timely  cooperation with special procedures and other Human Rights Council  mechanisms. Last May, Armenia underwent its fourth cycle of the  Universal Periodic Review.

These engagements are not procedural formalities. They reflect an  ongoing dialogue with the international community. Reporting, review  and follow-up form a continuous cycle of reflection and reform. At  the same time, the increasing scope and frequency of monitoring  processes have placed considerable pressure on national reporting  capacities.

It was in this context that Armenia sought to strengthen efficiency,  coordination and institutional memory. The establishment of a  standing National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting and  Follow-up in 2024 marked a shift from fragmented reporting toward a  permanent and structured system. This step was informed by the  guidance of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Drawing on the experience of other states that have developed digital  tools, we concluded that our circumstances required a solution  tailored to our legal and administrative framework. This is why  Armenia identified the need for a complementary national instrument  capable of incorporating regional obligations and internal working  practices. 

For us, effective implementation means covering the full range of  monitoring obligations, including those stemming from the Council of  Europe system. It also means facilitating day-to-day coordination  among institutions, and maintaining internal working notes in the  national language. These considerations led us to the development of  a national digital tool within the broader framework of our  implementation mechanism.

I am pleased to note that this process progressed with notable  efficiency. It was made possible by strong governmental support for  the digitalization agenda and alignment with the Government's  Digitalization Strategy. Because the institutional infrastructure was  already in place, there was no need for lengthy procedures or  procurement processes. 

Thanks to our development team at the Armenia Information Systems  Agency Foundation, we were able to create our first national digital  platform for human rights implementation and reporting, Armenia's  Institutional Network for Monitoring and Reporting (AI-NEMRA). The  platform was designed and deployed in approximately three months, an  exceptionally short timeframe for a system of this scope. This  demonstrates how institutional ownership, technical expertise and  clear policy direction can significantly accelerate implementation. 

Excellences, distinguished colleagues,

Allow me now to turn to the demonstration of the platform. 

The public interface presents recommendations through a structured  system of filters.  Users can search by thematic clusters covering  ten key policy areas, as well as by treaty body, whether United  Nations mechanisms, the Universal Periodic Review or those under the  Council of Europe. The platform also allows searches by reporting  cycle, by year or by keywords, and additional drop-down menus will  soon be available to further simplify navigation.

We then move to the second interface, accessible to authorized users  within the national mechanism. This working space contains  implementation-tracking information, including implementation status  - planned, ongoing or completed, the responsible institution or  institutions, and internal comments allowing more detailed follow-up.  The platform therefore functions both as a transparency tool and as a  practical coordination instrument supporting day-to-day  implementation.

Built on the NewMoon framework powered by Directus, the system uses a  modular architecture that allows adaptation and further development.  New components can be added without altering the core structure,  enabling the platform to evolve alongside changing reporting  requirements and policy priorities. While tailored to Armenia's  needs, it carries clear potential for replication, as its structure  can be adjusted to different legal and administrative environments.  We stand ready to cooperate with interested national mechanisms  through exchange of experience and to share lessons learned from the  design process, approaches to inter-institutional coordination, and  practical aspects of integrating such tools into existing  administrative workflows.

Dear colleagues,

Human rights progress is gradual. It develops through dialogue,  openness and sustained commitment. In this context, technology and  innovation increasingly serve as enablers, helping institutions  manage complexity, improve transparency and strengthen  implementation. National mechanisms and digital tools are thus not  ends in themselves, but practical means to sustain trust both  domestically and between states and the international human rights  system. 

Armenia stands ready to continue exploring innovative approaches that  reinforce this objective.

I thank all participants for their engagement and wish you fruitful  deliberations."