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22 November 1999
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HR/ESC/99/38
22 November 1999
COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS CONTINUES REVIEW OF ARMENIA'S REPORT ON COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL COVENANT
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this afternoon continued its consideration of the initial report of Armenia on that country’s performance to implement the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
During the discussion, the Armenian delegation told the Committee that the absence of laws governing the activities of trade unions under free market conditions had complicated their work. Bills on trade unions, occupational safety and collective labour disputes had been before the Supreme Council of Armenia since 1992, the delegation said. However, none of those bills had yet been passed.
Some Committee members expressed the view that the report of Armenia did not reflect the actual situation of the country, and a remark was made saying that the problem with regard to the International Covenant was not only the lack of legislation but the implementation of the laws once they entered into force.
A four-member Armenian delegation was on hand to answer questions raised by Committee experts who started their consideration of the Armenian report this morning.
Armenia is one of the 142 states parties to the International Covenant, and as such it is obliged to present periodic reports to the Committee on its efforts to implement the provisions of the treaty.
When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 23 November, it will continue to consider the report of Armenia.
Discussion
In response to pending questions raised by Committee experts during the morning meeting, the members of the Armenia delegation said that during the Soviet era, the number of female representatives in the Government was higher than today. At present, their numbers were less because of the modality of representation. Although the number of women at the top governmental positions was lower, they occupied about 70 per cent of positions at the middle level. Nevertheless, the actual Constitution guaranteed equality between women and men.
A Committee expert asked the delegation if there was a cultural dimension in the Armenian society that resulted in women not being sufficiently represented in the country's parliament. Another expert asked if women had the same social security and retirement benefits as men. Referring to the report of International Women's Rights Action Watch (IWRAW), a Committee member said that women enjoyed equality with men under the Armenian law, however, the Government had been slow to begin establishing the mechanisms designed to effectively deal with problems affecting the status of women, to protect them from discrimination, and to ensure equal opportunities for them.
Women prisoners were not provided separate rooms which would allow for a conjugal visit with their husbands, while male prisoners were allowed to stay with their wives for several days, an expert said quoting a report of a non-governmental organization dealing with Armenia. The delegation refuted this, saying that such a situation did not exist in the Armenian prison system.
The new employment act which entered into force at the beginning of January 1997 granted all Armenian citizens the right to choose their profession or occupation with further opportunities of basic and advanced professional training, the delegation said. Foreign nationals or stateless persons residing in Armenia also enjoyed those rights. The Government of Armenia had also adopted additional measures to make women more competitive in a free market economy.
The situation of poverty in Armenia was aggravated following the closure of factories after independence from the Soviet system, the earthquake and the blockade of the transportation routes to and from Azerbaijan and Turkey, the delegation said. Because of the tight closure of boundaries between Armenia and Turkey, trade between the two countries was conducted through Georgia. The income or the minimum wage of an Armenian was not enough to sustain decent living conditions. However, since all families in Armenia had a relative or a friend outside the country, many of them were helped financially.
Last September, a conference on "Armenians in Diaspora" had been held in Yerevan, the capital city, which encouraged Armenians in the diaspora to do business with their country of origin and to bring capital into the country to enhance employment, the delegation said.
A question was asked about the slow procedures of the parliament in enacting a law, to which the delegation said that it was usual for parliament to do so in order to produce a good law which could serve its purpose for a reasonable time.
A new marriage and family code was currently being drafted in order to fully protect the interests and rights of spouses and children, including the right to individual property, the delegation said. In order to solve the problems related to child adoption, the Government had proposed new approaches in view of updating legislation on the issue.
The problems and issues pertaining to the work of children and adolescents had not as yet been adequately studied, the delegation said. There were no statistical or other data on the working conditions of minors that would clarify the present situation in that regard. The only figure available was the number of registered unemployed persons under 18 years of age, which was 5,000 as of March 1998.
Bills on trade unions, on occupational safety and on collective labour disputes had been before the Supreme Council of Armenia since 1992, said the delegation in response to a question on trade union rights. Those bills had been considered in the relevant commissions of the Council with the participation of trade union representatives; however, none of those bills had yet been passed. The absence of laws to govern the activities of trade unions under free market conditions had complicated the work, the delegation added.
Following the responses given by the members of the delegation, the Committee put additional queries on such issues as adequate housing and the application of seismic norms to new buildings; the level of poverty and the number of persons affected by extreme poverty; the specific problem of food and cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); and restitution of houses confiscated by the former communist system, among other things.
HR/ESC/99/38
22 November 1999
COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS CONTINUES REVIEW OF ARMENIA'S REPORT ON COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL COVENANT
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this afternoon continued its consideration of the initial report of Armenia on that country’s performance to implement the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
During the discussion, the Armenian delegation told the Committee that the absence of laws governing the activities of trade unions under free market conditions had complicated their work. Bills on trade unions, occupational safety and collective labour disputes had been before the Supreme Council of Armenia since 1992, the delegation said. However, none of those bills had yet been passed.
Some Committee members expressed the view that the report of Armenia did not reflect the actual situation of the country, and a remark was made saying that the problem with regard to the International Covenant was not only the lack of legislation but the implementation of the laws once they entered into force.
A four-member Armenian delegation was on hand to answer questions raised by Committee experts who started their consideration of the Armenian report this morning.
Armenia is one of the 142 states parties to the International Covenant, and as such it is obliged to present periodic reports to the Committee on its efforts to implement the provisions of the treaty.
When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 23 November, it will continue to consider the report of Armenia.
Discussion
In response to pending questions raised by Committee experts during the morning meeting, the members of the Armenia delegation said that during the Soviet era, the number of female representatives in the Government was higher than today. At present, their numbers were less because of the modality of representation. Although the number of women at the top governmental positions was lower, they occupied about 70 per cent of positions at the middle level. Nevertheless, the actual Constitution guaranteed equality between women and men.
A Committee expert asked the delegation if there was a cultural dimension in the Armenian society that resulted in women not being sufficiently represented in the country's parliament. Another expert asked if women had the same social security and retirement benefits as men. Referring to the report of International Women's Rights Action Watch (IWRAW), a Committee member said that women enjoyed equality with men under the Armenian law, however, the Government had been slow to begin establishing the mechanisms designed to effectively deal with problems affecting the status of women, to protect them from discrimination, and to ensure equal opportunities for them.
Women prisoners were not provided separate rooms which would allow for a conjugal visit with their husbands, while male prisoners were allowed to stay with their wives for several days, an expert said quoting a report of a non-governmental organization dealing with Armenia. The delegation refuted this, saying that such a situation did not exist in the Armenian prison system.
The new employment act which entered into force at the beginning of January 1997 granted all Armenian citizens the right to choose their profession or occupation with further opportunities of basic and advanced professional training, the delegation said. Foreign nationals or stateless persons residing in Armenia also enjoyed those rights. The Government of Armenia had also adopted additional measures to make women more competitive in a free market economy.
The situation of poverty in Armenia was aggravated following the closure of factories after independence from the Soviet system, the earthquake and the blockade of the transportation routes to and from Azerbaijan and Turkey, the delegation said. Because of the tight closure of boundaries between Armenia and Turkey, trade between the two countries was conducted through Georgia. The income or the minimum wage of an Armenian was not enough to sustain decent living conditions. However, since all families in Armenia had a relative or a friend outside the country, many of them were helped financially.
Last September, a conference on "Armenians in Diaspora" had been held in Yerevan, the capital city, which encouraged Armenians in the diaspora to do business with their country of origin and to bring capital into the country to enhance employment, the delegation said.
A question was asked about the slow procedures of the parliament in enacting a law, to which the delegation said that it was usual for parliament to do so in order to produce a good law which could serve its purpose for a reasonable time.
A new marriage and family code was currently being drafted in order to fully protect the interests and rights of spouses and children, including the right to individual property, the delegation said. In order to solve the problems related to child adoption, the Government had proposed new approaches in view of updating legislation on the issue.
The problems and issues pertaining to the work of children and adolescents had not as yet been adequately studied, the delegation said. There were no statistical or other data on the working conditions of minors that would clarify the present situation in that regard. The only figure available was the number of registered unemployed persons under 18 years of age, which was 5,000 as of March 1998.
Bills on trade unions, on occupational safety and on collective labour disputes had been before the Supreme Council of Armenia since 1992, said the delegation in response to a question on trade union rights. Those bills had been considered in the relevant commissions of the Council with the participation of trade union representatives; however, none of those bills had yet been passed. The absence of laws to govern the activities of trade unions under free market conditions had complicated the work, the delegation added.
Following the responses given by the members of the delegation, the Committee put additional queries on such issues as adequate housing and the application of seismic norms to new buildings; the level of poverty and the number of persons affected by extreme poverty; the specific problem of food and cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); and restitution of houses confiscated by the former communist system, among other things.