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On February 23 the meeting of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Education, Culture and Civil Society of the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly continued the work presided over by the MEP Ms Laima Liucija Andrikiene.

Karine Harutyunyan, RA Deputy Minister of Education and Science, delivered a speech on the role of the youth in the country. She introduced the educational reforms designed by the Bologna programme, investment of the educational two-degree and credit systems, procedure of implementation of the RA national qualification programmes and emphasized the high level of involvement of the youth in those works.

The representatives of the Youth Parliament fucntioning in the National Assembly also expressed their views. They highlighted the creation of the Youth Parliament with respect of having better picture about the existing challenges, and they feel responsible for the future of the country.

Jatiner Cheema, Director of the USAID Mission to Armenia, delivered a speech on social inclusion policies and poverty reduction strategies. She has noted that their organization fulfils different social programmes, and their task is to support the procedure of pension reforms in Armenia, inform the citizens about the features of the law. The organization is also engaged with integration of the citizens with invalidity problems in the labour market and employment issues, cooperating with different structures of the civil society.

Artur Grigoryan, RA Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, has delivered a speech about the processes of the social sphere and existing problems in Armenia, noting that the reforms of the social sphere are consonant with the provisions touched upon in the report. According to him, one of the most important problems is the improvement of the pensioners’ social situation through radical reforms of the pension system.

The Minister also touched upon the activities of the national, regional and community three-degree system created for the children’s protection.

Artak Zakaryan, Co-Chair of the Committee, and the MEP Inese Vaidere presented the main direction of the draft report “Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion in the Eastern Partner Countries.”

Trian Hristea, Head of the EU Delegation in Armenia, gave a speech within the framework of the theme “Mobility as a catalyst for cultural, education, social exchanges and promotion of integration between the EU and the EaP.” According to him, the mobility is a catalyst of exchanges, and it is a factor facilitating the inter-cultural initiatives. The speaker noted that the process of the mobility facilitation between Armenia and the EU began in October 2011, and the process started earlier with Moldova and Georgia. As to the speaker, the partnership in the sphere of mobility assists the people’s effective return and organisation of re-integration, by which the migration has a positive impact on the economic development of the country and enables to fight against the illegal migrants. Mr Hristea has expressed conviction that the EURONEST PA is the best platform for elaboration of general and united approaches of the Eastern Partner Countries and for presenting new initiatives.

Tatjana Zdanoka, from the Greens Group of the European Parliament, Rovshan Rzaev, representative of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Borys Tarasyuk, representative of the Ukrainian Parliament, Harutiun Azgaldyan, member of the Armenian Youth Parliament, Inese Vaidere, from the European People’s Party of the European Parliament, presented their views, proposals and remarks on the theme.

Michael Murphy, representative of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) Armenia Office and Jemma Hasratyan, Chairwoman of the Association of Women with University Education, delivered speeches “On Empowering Women in Parliaments and Civil Society.”

Michael Murphy has noted that their organisation functions in Armenia from 1995. According to him, Armenia has a rich resource of women with university education. A campaign council of women’s leadership was created by the NDI in 2005, where representatives of different layers of society are involved. The Head of the NDI Armenia Office said that in 2010-2011 schools of women and youth leaders were set up: 150 young people have already finished schools of women’s leadership, and 80 the schools of youth leaders.

Jemma Hasratyan touched upon the problem of women’s representation in the management system and in the issue of making political decisions. In the rapporteur’s opinion, by the final adoption of the bill “On Women’s and Men’s Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities” an opportunity will be created to balance the women’s and men’s participation in all the spheres.

Artak Zakaryan, Co-Chair of the Committee, RA NA deputies Larisa Alaverdyan, Karine Achemyan, Lilit Galstyan, Hovhannes Sahakyan, Naira Zohrabyan, the Ukrainian deputy Volodymyr Lemza, Tatjana Zdanoka from the Greens Group of the European Parliament, Rovshan Rzaev, representative of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Margarita Hakobyan and Hayk Konjoryan, members of the Armenian Youth Parliament presented their views and experience of the countries on the issue under discussion and touched upon the events being implemented.

Vahan Hovhannesyan, Head of the RA NA Delegation to the EURONEST PA, Deputy Chairman of the EURONEST PA, Member of Bureau, in his concluding word highlighted the participation of the representatives of the international organisations in the works of the Committee. In the upcoming meeting of the Committee he proposed to discuss the problems concerning the gender equality. Mr Hovhannesyan thanked the participants of the meeting for visiting Armenia. ”This first event, which was held outside the European Parliament premises, proved that the Eastern Partner Countries are absolutely able to hold such events,” Mr Hovhannesyan stressed.

Borys Tarasyuk, Co-Chair of the EURONEST PA, the representative of the Ukrainian Parliament, expressed a word of gratitude to his Armenian counterparts for excellently organising the meeting.

At the end of the meeting Co-Chairs of the Committee Artak Zakaryan and Laima Liucija Andriekene delivered final speeches.

Mr Zakaryan thanked the delegations of the parliaments of the Partner Countries for participation and effective work, and the European Parliament for support. He expressed his gratitude to the NA Speaker Samvel Nikoyan for organizing the meeting of the Committee in Yerevan.

Laima Liucija Andriekene also expressed her gratitude to the Armenian side for good oragnisation of the meeting. She said that the next meeting will take place in Baku on April 2, 2012.

The meeting of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Education, Culture and Civil Society of the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly of the Eastern Partnership ended the work.