News
Unison Completes a Project Supported by the British Embassy Yerevan
From September 2007 till January 2008, Unison NGO implemented a project titled Citizens Campaign to Hold Decision-Makers Accountable. The project was funded by
the British Embassy Yerevan. Two public actions promoting accessibility of public places for wheelchair users were held. Unison also published a leaflet on UK best disability practices and produced 3 videos promoting disabled
people's rights. In particular, "Voice and Silence" promotes deaf voters' rights. This video was submitted to all of the 9 presidential candidates.
Unison urged them to supply their political ads with sign language translation and/or subtitles.
To download and view the video (3Mb), please click here. You can also
watch a video (4Mb) covering the major events of the project.
Report on the Implementation of Electoral Rights of Disabled Voters Released
On 21 June 2007, Unison NGO has released a report on the monitoring of physical accessibility of polling stations
in Yerevan for voters using wheelchairs and on the outcomes of the observation of the 2007
Parliamentary Elections in Armenia. The Armenian-language version of the report is available here.
Disability and New Realities
On 6 March 2007 within the framework of the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation Armenia and Netherlands Government-funded project, Unison NGO organized a press conference and round table in Congress Hotel on the topic “Disability and New Realities”.
Leaders of 14 disability and human rights NGOs, as well as journalists representing 9 Armenian
TV channels, several radio companies and newspapers participated in the event. The problem
of implementation of electoral rights for voters with various disabilities was one of the main
topics of the agenda. Executive Director of Unison Armen Alaverdyan answered numerous questions
of the journalists. Issues of the accessibility of polling stations for wheelchair users,
coverage of election campaign for hard of hearing citizens and opportunities of voting for
visually impaired voters were touched during the event.
NGOs' representatives discussed new methods of their collaboration and established an
Information Network by signing a Memorandum of Cooperation. Problems of public monitoring
of recently adopted disability-related legal acts and other actual issues concluded the discussion.
Armenian Photographer Wins a Prize at WHO Contest
The World Health Organization (WHO) has lately conducted an International Photo Contest “Images of Health and Disability 2005-2006”. A distinguished
Armenian photographer German Avagyan has participated in the Contest and has been awarded a special
mention prize in the Color Photos category. His photo presents Mary Mezhlumyan, a 21-year-old girl
from Kapan, Armenia. In 1993, this girl lost her leg and both of her arms because of a cassette bombing by an Azeri military plane.
Despite her severe disability, Mary is now a student at the Kapan branch of the Yerevan Polytechnic University and leads an independent, active life.
Photos by German Avagyan make an invaluable contribution to the raising awareness of disabilities in
Armenia and throughout the world.
OSI and Embassy of Netherlands in Tbilisi Announce the Winners of Human Rights Strengthening Program 2006
On October 18 in the Congress hotel, The Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation-Armenia and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tbilisi announced the outcome of the open tender of the “Human Rights Strengthenging through Capacity Building of Selected NGOs” program 2006. The aim of the program is to contribute to the improvement of the human rights situation in Armenia through supporting NGOs in building up their institutional capacity and supporting their activities targeted at promotion of fundamental rights and freedoms. Afteron the representative of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tbilisi Kamila Veerman took the floor. According to Ms. Veerman, the remarquable thing about the selected NGOs is their great success in the programs implementation. She stated that by according these grants they tend to eliminate the poverty, protect human rights in the country and strengthen the cooperation between government and the civil society.
Unison is one of the six Armenian non-profit, non-governmental organizations which were selected to recieve grant awards in the framework of this program. In the final stage, the pre-selected proposals were reviewed and approved by the OSIAF-Armenia Board. The OSIAFA will closely work with the Grant recipients throughout the project implementation to ensure that the objectives and the goals of the projects are met. All the six winning organizations presented themselves and their projects.
The executive director and project coordinator of the Unison NGO Mr. Alaverdyan presented the project, stating in particular the main directions of the project implementation and the areas of the activities.He explained that the project team aims to create a model Center of Independent Living where the disabled people would have the opportunity to learn skills of independent life, as well as recieve information concerning their daily needs. Project strategy is to strengthen the cooperation with other similar NGOs and public sector organizations. Project team intends to struggle against existing stereotypes in the society and protect the economical rights of disabled people, in particular by insuring their inclusion in the labor market.
“Our principle is the rights of people with disabilities are human rights and society concern. By implementing this project we continue the promotion of these rights beering in mind our goal - creating the accessible environment for all the members of the society,” concluded his speech Mr. Alaverdyan.
Roundtable on Tolerant Attitudes to Young Disabled People
On 23 May 2006, Pyunic NGO conducted a roundtable discussion on a topic of tolerant attitudes
towards young people with disabilities in the Armenian society.
Accessibility Legislative Package on Parliament's Agenda
In May 2006 draft laws on provision of accessibility of public places and transportation
for people with limited mobility and on administrative responsibility for violating accessibility
norms have been included in the agenda of the National Assembly of Armenia.
Street Poster Promotes Accessible Environment
Since 27 February 2006, Unison NGO has been conducting a unique action within the framework of a project supported by
Eurasia Foundation and USAID. A street poster promoting the creation of accessible environment for wheelchair users has been placed
in Baghramian Street, one of the central streets of Yerevan.
Miss Beauty 2006
Unison NGO is proud to announce the Third National Beauty Photo
Contest for Women with Disabilities. Deadline for submitting applications is 31 March.
For additional information, please visit our office at 36 Demirchyan or call 522170.
Draft Law on Accessibility Officially Put
into Circulation
On 27 February 2006 the draft law on accessibility
of public places and public transportation for people with limited mobility elaborated by
Unison NGO has been officially put into circulation. The full text of the draft law (in Armenian)
has been placed on the official site of the National Assembly of Armenia.
Photo Exhibition by German Avagyan
On 27 December 2005 Unison NGO conducted an exhibition of
photos by a renowned photographer German Avagyan. The exhibition was aimed at
demonstrating disability as is. This project was supported by the U.S. Embassy to Armenia.
Government of Armenia Adopts Regulation on Accessibility
On 16 February 2006, the Government of the Republic of Armenia passed a decree on adoption of a
Regulation on Provision for Accessible Public Buildings and Other Infrastructure for Disabled People.
Accessible Environment for All
On 1 December 2005 Unison NGO held a national conference
on disabilities. Representatives of international organizations, regional
and Yerevan governmental agencies and NGOs, various mass media attended the
conference. The participants discussed and approved a draft law on accessibility.
On 3 December, Executive Director of Unison Armen Alaverdyan submitted the draft law
to the Disability Council at the Chairman
of the National Assembly.
Chairman Arthur Baghdasaryan approved this initiative and
instructed the relevant standing parliamentary commissions to elaborate on the draft
and put it on agenda in due course.
Concert Tour of the Paros Chamber Choir in France
On 10-20 October 2005
Paros Chamber Choir, the only wheelchair choir
in the world, toured in Paris and Bordeaux,
France. In Bordeaux, Paros together with Unison
NGO also participated in an international
congress of disabled people. Paros and Unison
became part of the Parliament without Borders.
On 18 October Paros had a recital in the Paris Rossini Concert Hall. Numerous representatives of
the Armenian community attended the concert. The Paros performance in Paris was a great success.
The tour was supported by the principal sponsor of Paros, the Strauch Kulhanjian Family (U.S.),
President Kocharyan and the Armenian Social Aid Association (France). Assistance was also provided
by Chairman of the National Assembly Arthur Baghdasaryan, Chairman of the Armenian Red Cross Society Mkhitar Mnatsakanyan, Defence Minister of Nagorno Karabakh Seyran Ohanyan, Yerevan Mayor Yervand Zakharyan, Armen Gevorgyan, the 1st Assistant of President Kocharyan, member of the National Academy of Sciences Tina Asatiani and the French Embassy to Armenia.
On 2 November, at 9:30pm the Second Armenian TV Channel will broadcast a film covering Paros
trip to France. The film was shot by the renowned TV journalist Gayane Paytyan and cameraman
Sergey Avagyan.
Civil Society: The Right for All
Since July 1, 2005,
with support of the Eurasia Foundation, Unison NGO
has been implementing a project entitled “Civil Society: the Right for All”.
The project is aimed at elaboration of a draft law on accessibility for physically challenged
people and its submission to the National Assembly of Armenia. Within the project framework,
a massive PR campaign will be held with the aim of changing the existing attitudes of the
community and state authorities towards the problem of physical accessibility.
Accessible Environment for People with Disabilities
27 July, 2005. Since May 1, Unison NGO has been
implementing a project titled “Accessible Environment for People with
Disabilities”. This project is supported by a grant from the World Bank
and OSIAF Armenia. A monitoring of physical accessibility of 202
educational, cultural, service-providing and other establishments was
held. According to the monitoring outcomes, only 37 out of the 202
establishments are fully accessible for wheelchair users. Today a
Brainstorming Session was held in Metropol Hotel. About 40 leaders of
NGOs, the Human Rights Defender of RA Larisa Alaverdyan, representatives
from Ministries, the Yerevan Municipality, international organizations and
various mass media were present. The participants discussed the
possibilities and ways of making Yerevan a more wheelchair-friendly city.
Beauty Contest for Disabled Women
06 April, 2005. The prize-giving ceremony of the
Second National Beauty Photo Contest for Women with Disabilities and the
First National Contest-Exhibition of Artworks by People with Disabilities
was held today at Naregatsi Art Union. Both contests were organized by Unison NGO.
10 winners of the photo contest were awarded prizes. The Grand-Prix and the title of Miss Beauty was awarded to 17-year-old Svetlana Grigoryan. The jury consisted of the prominent figures of Armenian art and culture: composer, Artistic Director of the Armenian Variety-Symphony Orchestra Yervand Yerzinkyan (chairman), singer Forsh and photographer Ruben Mangasaryan.
The winners of the second contest are David Babayan, David Gabrielyan and Hasmik Mnatsakanyan.
6 distinguished art figures were included in the jury (chairman: Director of the Folk Art Museum of Armenia Saro Sarukhanyan).
The prizes were provided by: Naregatsi Art Union (3 DVD-players for the winners of the art contest), Zigzag Electronics (Musical Center for the winner of the beauty contest), Noyan Tapan Bookshop (albums for 4 winners of the beauty contest), Swatch (a watch for the holder of the 1st prize), Brabion Flora Service (flowers for 10 prize-winners), Club (hair-dryer for the holder of the 2nd prize), Human Rights Defender of Armenia and Unison NGO.
