A R A Z A

NON-GOVERNMENTAL  ORGANIZATION

1.    Relevant Institutional Capacity of Organization

(e.g.: human and material resources)

Araza’s staff  includes specialists from various areas, lawyers,  licensed attorneyes, economists, pedagogues, psychologists, engineers and journalists, who participated in "Human Rights”, "Evaluation of Organizational Capacity and Development” (NGOC), "Civil Rights” (Armenian Young Lawyers Association), "Democratic Set of Values and Development of Civil society in Armenia” (IDHR and OXFAM), "Organization of Legal Consulting Service” (Armenian Young Lawyers Association and Chemonics International Inc), "Advocacy, Coalition Building, Network Creation”, "Advocacy, Coalition Building, Network Creation and Development of Relations with Mass Media”, "Evaluation and Monitoring” (World Learning), "NGO Capacity Building” (European Regional Academy in the Caucasus) trainings.

During 2001-2007 Araza has participated in 8 individual consulting meetings on organization capacity building and advocacy, attended by World Learning advocacy and fundraising experts.

The organization  has a Strategic Plan of Activities in accordance with its mission and Institutional Capacity Building and Alternative Financial Sources Creation Strategic Program (CESO), elaborated in cooperation with Canadian volunteer consultant.

"Araza” has a free legal consulting and information dissemination offices in Yerevan, Tavush and Gegharkunik regions and representatives in Shirak, Kotayk and Aragatsotn regions (marz).

The organization  has 35 members, 75 volunteers, and 5 full time employees.

The equipment (computer, printer, UPS,   copier, Binder machine, digital recorder, office suplies), library, IRTEC data base of  laws and  stakeholders. Organization’s  property  allocated between all offices.

Adress:

 Armenia Yerevan 0028 Arabkir st. Kievyan 7 apt. 94

Armenia  Yerevan 0033 Arabkir  st. H Hakobyan 3. building 3. room 213

Phone: (374-10) 222-968;  227-097; Mobil: (077) 690-467

E-mail:  araza@arminco.com; araza.ngo@gmail.com

Web: http://hanraincanc.ucoz.org;

Gate way ID 9084 8339 8582

Account number:  193000024430104  EU

Who we are

 Our mission is  to support  establishment of  legal, democratic country with  developed economy and high living standards.      

The purpose - labour rights protection  and employment of citizens, overcoming of unemployment and  life standard increase.     

Activity Strategic goals

1)  Participation  in creation of  the legal and  state reform  processes for  raising the work, employment and social rights protection level, as well as high level of social involvement in the process of political reforms as stated in the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia.

2)  Providing free services on work, employment and social protection to the vulnerable groups of the society and assistance in  new jobs creation.

3)  Creation of guarantees on social protection of vulnerable groups of the society as well as community development policies projects’ implementation.   

Membership

Araza is a member of OXFAM, Civil Society Cooperation, Dashink ecological and CRINGO network, and cooperates with the Southern Block network.

In 2000 Araza initiated founding of "Work and Law” coalition of NGOs occupied with employment and social issues, which participates actively and efficiently in the development of legislation and policies regulating employment area and labor market, as well as in processes of elaboration and realization of Poverty Reduction Strategic Program, and has seriously succeed in it.

Since 2004 Araza is a member of Monitoring, Legal, Judicial and Financial Groups of the Anti-Corruption Committee under the RA President, PRSP Work-Group.

In 2007 Araza established the Public Network, which, starting from May 2008, actively participates in law-making in the Government and the National Assembly, thus assisting in presenting and protection of public interests. At the same time Public Network pursues in  the process of formation of legal base and culture of cooperation between the Government and civil society, and NGOs in particular.

Main Continuous Projects

The first 3-5 years of NGO strategy plan is aimed at contribution to poverty reduction.

In order to reach this aim, the organization pursues the following objectives;

To reach it’s goals the organization has put forward the following problems:

üReinforcement of pro-poor approaches to the state policies

ü Increasing the effectiveness of  public participation in the processes of reinforcement of pro-poor approaches to the state policies and  adoption of laws guarantying the implementation of the policies, as well as monitoring of their implementation 

ü Legal, information, consultation ree of charge services provision  in the area of labor and employment, as well as professional orientation, vocational trainings services to the vulnerable groups of population.  

Subdivisions

Administrative (Mr. Eduard Simonyan)

Legal (Mr. Arthur Atabekyan)

Social (Mrs. Gayaneh Kanayan)

External affairs (Mrs. Luiza Simonyan)

Educational-cultural (Mrs. Violeta Gulkanyan)

Information analysis and programs elaborating (Mr. Gurgen Karapetyan)

Strategic programs and legislative improvements process

Discussions of the RA State Strategic programs

Elaboration of the package of proposals and presentation to the certain

 Population Migration situation improvement Plan

Ø   Poverty reduction strategic program (PRSP)

Ø   "Improvement of women’s status and increase of their position in the society in Republic of Armenia for 2004-2010” national program Plan

Participation in legislative process

Ø   "About Refugees”,

Ø   "About Non-Governmental Organizations”

Ø   "About the Additional Price”

Ø   "About Education”

Ø   "About social security of the unable”

Ø   "About necessary medical insurance”

Ø   "About rights of a patients”

Ø   Project of  "Employment Codex”

Ø   "About dwellings, built for the refugees to the refugees with owner rights”

Ø   "About social assistance rendering”

Ø   "About charity and sponsorship”

Ø   "About conscription”

Ø   The labour code

Ø   Population’s employment and social security in case of unemployment”

Public education and awareness

1. Publications

 Information newsletters, brochures, booklets, directories with the description of laws

Ø  The Conclusions about sociological and statistical data

Ø  Informational brochures based on discussions and professional analysis of employment area laws

Ø  Calendar-poster disseminating "Work and Law” coalition activity

Ø  "Social network"  information directory

2. Press-publications, Radio and TV programs

 Representation  of population’s vulnerable groups rights protection during reforms: a state policy and laws

Presenting the public opinion concerning democratic process in social and

The organization effectively collaborates with NGOs, the National Assembly, local self-governing entities, government structures, businessmen, mass media and international organizations. It has lasting experience in mobilization and consolidation of the mentioned entities for the solution of their target problems. 

Projects accomplished

Ø  Seminars to disseminate the new "Family Codex” with purpose to increase public awareness about their rights in NA and LGI elections as well as to increase social activity in Yerevan, Gyumri, Ashtarak, Abovyan and Hrazdan Cities.

Ø   "The independent expert’s mission and strategy” institution formation with purpose to increase public involvement in " Jobless Refugees Database” creation

Ø   Of democracy development Activity and assistance

Ø   Creation of free legal clinics and network for legal consultation services.

Coalition program with "Center for legal and social assistance to the youth”, "Family and New world”, "Yerevak” BNGO-s.

Ø  For the first time in Armenia "Small-sized bronze sculpture” symposium, dedicated to the 1700 Anniversary of Christianity adoption in Armenia and National Gallery exhibition.

Ø  Active participation in discussions and development of Poverty reduction strategic program (PRSP)

Ø  Araza promoted process of involving citizens  in "Improvement of the status of women and their role in society in RA 2001-2010” National program’s Concept development and discussions around "About employment ” and "Labour code” State laws.

Ø  Improve community awareness rising and information availability. ("Involvement of people in decision making process”)  Training for NGOs Regional hearings, organized in the frames of the revised Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP)  Public  participatory process:

Ø  "Find yourself in the Labour market”  Publication

Ø  Protection of Employment Rights”  - development of the project of the departmental certificate on laws distribution

Ø  Public Participation in National Assambly’s "Lawmaking Process” - to strengthen transparency, oversight and accountability of decision making process through the participants approach.

Ø  "Protection of Employment Right”,

Ø  Public Participation in National Assembly Lawmaking Process, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Ø  Assistance in Enrollment of Youth in the Process of Civil Society Formation in RA

Ø  Public Participation in the National Assembly Legitimate Process

Ø  Problems of Armenian women presented through stories of their private life.

Ø  Araza performed the study of youth involvement in participatory governance structures (Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs).