Founder and First
President of IDHR
Ms.
Armineh Arakelian
Ms. Armineh Arakelian was born on
21.03.1962 in Teheran, Iran. She is an International Lawyer and Political
Scientist, as well as, human rights and civic activist. She is the Founder of
IDHR.
Armineh has two MA and one DESS degrees from
Sorbonne-Paris I University and Rene Descartes University in Paris, France. She
has over 20 years experience as an activist and expert of human rights promotion
and protection, international development and humanitarian assistance, democracy
development,State-building and civil society development, and gender issues. She
has worked extensively with non- governmental organizations (NGOs) and
international inter-governmental organizations including the United Nations
Organization (UNO) and the European Union in the Middle East, Europe and
Africa. Armineh
has experience working as a lawyer and senior consultant for program policies
at the headquarters of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugeesin
Geneva and Great Lakes region. She has cooperated for many years with
International IDEA (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral
Assistance), an intergovernmental organization, as the regional representative
and head of programme for Europe-South Caucasus, and later as International
IDEA’s Resident Representative and Head of Diplomatic Office in Armenia. As
the Head of the Human Rights Promotion Section, she cooperated with the
European Union and UNHCHR (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) in Rwanda and
Great Lakes region for a number of years following the 1994 genocide in Rwanda
(Africa). Recently she has cooperated with the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights and brought her expertise and advisory
contribution for the improvement and enhancement of human rights operations and
interventions at national and international levels.
In 1999 she founded the Institute for
Democracy and Human Rights independent NGO in Armenia by her own means and
knowledge, and acted as the President of IDHR from August 1999 to April 2006 on
a voluntary basis. Armineh Arakelian
remains IDHR’s Founder and Honorable Member on a voluntary basis. She actively
supports IDHR and its young leadership in the realization
of the organization’s mission and goals according to its founding principles.
As an activist, Armineh Arakelian continues her voluntary work in
Armenia and in international civic and human rights networks and movements.
