The EU Advisory Group organized an international seminar on the Role of the National Parliaments in Protection and Promotion of Human Rights on 10 April 2014, in the National Assembly. The main goal of this seminar was to convey a strong message to members of the National Assembly that protection of human rights is not an exclusive responsibility of the executive and the judiciary. It was opened by Ambassador Traian Hristea, Head of EU Delegation to Armenia and Elinar Vardanyan, Chair of the NA Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs

 

All branches of state power are required to ensure respect for human rights. However, the role of the national parliaments is often understated in this context. Ambassador Traian Hristea said, “It is fundamentally important that human rights guaranteed by core international human rights treaties are effectively protected and implemented domestically. National parliaments have a number of instruments to ensure this through regular scrutiny of the draft and existing legislation against international human rights standards, oversight of the Government, monitoring of the implementation of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and of the recommendations of the international human rights treaty bodies.”

 

Dalia Zukauskiene, EUAG Policy Advisor on Human Rights, Vladimir Shkolnikov, OHCHR Senior Human Rights Advisor for the South Caucasus, Stanisława Przadka, Chair of the Justice and Human Rights Committee of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland and Oskars Kastens, Former Chair of the Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia delivered their presentations on the international human rights framework and parliamentary instruments for human rights protection in Latvia and Poland. The seminar was attended by the staff of the National Assembly, representatives of state entities and NGOs, as well as international organizations.  

 

 

 

 

 

  -   Human Rights