ÖRMÉNY SZERVEZET MAGYAR PARTNERT KERES VISEGRÁDI PÁLÁYZATÁHOZ
2008-01-21

Armenian NGO seeks Hungarian partner for IVF application

The Armenian Young Lawyers Association Non-Governmental Organization
(AYLA), which operates in Armenia since 1995, and carries out activities
in the spheres of Human Rights, development of Judiciary and Legal
System, establishment of democracy and civil society.

AYLA intends to apply to the International Visegrad Fund with a standard
grant project proposal. One of the pre-conditions (criteria) of IVF for
funding the project is the number of co-organizing partners (applicant
and at least 2 partners from Contracting Parties, with the exception of
cross-border projects applications). We already have the initial
agreement of the Management of Fund referring to the concept of the
project to be submitted for funding.

As you probably know the IVF (www.visegradfund.org) is an international
organization based in Bratislava, founded by the governments of the
countries of the Visegrad Group (V4) - the Czech Republic, the Republic
of Hungary, the Republic of Poland, and the Slovak Republic. The Fund
supports projects of different directions including cross-border
cooperation. The AYLA project foresees this sphere.

It aims to study the progressive experience of V4 countries in the
sphere of human rights on the way to European Integration and further to
implement this in the Republic of Armenia. As it is well known currently
the level of ensuring the human rights is the main precondition and
guarantee, which the countries need on the way to the European
Integration. Armenia is already included in the European Union's
Neighborhood program, and the governmental, as well as non-governmental
sectors undertake serious steps to promote the proceeding activities.

It is planned to organize in the bounds of the project an international
workshop in Armenia, which is aimed at introducing the progressive
experience and achievements of V4 countries in the sphere of human
rights to the representatives of governmental, private, and
non-governmental institutions. This will be done by a group of experts
that are invited from the V4 countries. A representative group of 7 or 8
members, which will be formed in result of the Workshop, will visit the
V4 countries and get acquainted with the introduced experience in
practice, as well as carry out research and observations in certain
institutions, which work and/or have influence in the sphere of human
rights in these countries. The choice of these institute(s) will depend
from the mutual interests and joint agreement between your and our
structures. The list of potential structures (institutes) includes the
Government of the country, the Ombudsman Institute, the Public
Defender's Office, the Advocate's Institute; NGO's working in Human
Rights sphere, the state legal entities, etc. The group will carry out
research in certain establishments and later (further) through certain
projects, introduce the obtained experience in the Republic of Armenia.

AYLA's 13 years practice in human rights sphere shows that the study of
progressive experience and achievements of V4 countries in the sphere of
human rights and their localization and adaptation to the conditions of
the Republic of Armenia may be rather constructive and have (lead to)
the desired results. We have already had the practice of such
cooperation and assume in practice the possible course and results of
such project.

If your organizations are interested in such possible cooperation and
willing to participate in the project as a partner, the AYLA is open to
carry out discussions and in the result prepare a mutually acceptable
project proposal, and will start working in this direction. Also please
note that the deadlines for submission of the project proposal are
already set and we anticipate submitting it to the IVF by 15 March 2008.

You may find more information on the AYLA from our website at www.ayla.am.

Further information:
Mr. Karen Zadoyan, President, Armenian Young Lawyers Association
Address: 7/2 Nalbandyan Street, 0010 Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (37410) 540199,
E-mail: zadoyan@ayla.am
Internet : www.ayla.am