The United Nations Working Group on discrimination against women and girls recently praised Armenia for its strides in gender equality. After a comprehensive 10-day evaluation, they noted the country’s significant achievements, particularly highlighting improvements in Armenia’s gender inequality index, which has decreased from 0.35 in 2010 to 0.22 in 2021. Similarly, Armenia’s rank in the global gender gap index improved markedly, climbing from 102nd in 2016 to 59th by 2025. These advancements serve as testament to the effectiveness of recent legal and policy reforms targeting gender-based issues (JURIST).
The progress is largely attributed to Armenia’s legal and institutional developments. Recent implementations include laws aimed at curbing gender-based violence and fostering gender-responsive public policies. The country has also embraced women-led grassroots movements and aligned more closely with international standards, actively participating in global gender-equality dialogues and committing to relevant treaties and conventions.
Despite these achievements, the UN experts emphasized the need for Armenia to transition from formal to substantive gender equality. They proposed the CREATE framework to dismantle lingering structural barriers and entrenched patriarchal stereotypes. This framework includes the establishment of a national institution focused on women’s rights, in alignment with international protocols. A crucial recommendation is for Armenia to enact a comprehensive anti-discrimination law, addressing gaps in the current legal framework and explicitly prohibiting specific discrimination forms.
The Armenian government has reportedly been working on a draft anti-discrimination law since June 2025, but the experts urge for a more definitive legal instrument that covers a broad spectrum of protected categories. The initiative to solidify these legal measures comes at a pivotal time, as the Working Group will present a full report to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2027.
Amid this backdrop, Armenian leaders now face the challenge of transforming policy momentum into lasting changes that can ensure gender equality is not only evident in legislation but also practically embedded within the societal fabric.