26 States Urge Armenia to Explicitly Include Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Its Anti-Discrimination (Equality) Legislation

On May 1, 2025, Armenia participated in the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) under the UN Human Rights Council, presenting the country’s progress and ongoing challenges in the field of human rights protection.

The Armenian delegation was composed of high-level representatives from several key ministries, including the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Health. In its opening statement, the delegation emphasized that Armenia views the UPR not merely as a platform for international dialogue, but as a powerful tool for advancing national reforms and institutional development.

During the interactive dialogue, 26 states unequivocally called on Armenia to adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that explicitly includes sexual orientation and gender identity as protected grounds. These widespread recommendations reflect a global commitment to upholding universal human rights principles and ensuring equal opportunities for all individuals in Armenia.

The recommendations were put forward by the following states: Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Chile, Norway, the Netherlands, and Portugal.

Iceland and Colombia specifically highlighted the importance of legal gender recognition for trans individuals, recommending that Armenia establish a self-determination-based, accessible, and non-discriminatory administrative process for changing gender markers in identity documents and other official records.

In addition, numerous states made further recommendations, including:

• Ratifying the Istanbul Convention to combat and prevent violence against women and domestic violence.
• Strengthening judicial independence.
• Enhancing legal protections for LGBTIՔ+ persons, particularly in the context of hate speech and hate-motivated crimes.
• Guaranteeing the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.

In its concluding remarks, the Armenian delegation welcomed the constructive nature of the dialogue and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to advancing human rights reforms based on inclusivity, transparency, and respect for international standards. Armenia also stated that it would carefully consider the recommendations received, while emphasizing that proposals that are politicized or inconsistent with the principles of objectivity and universality under UN mechanisms would not be accepted.

It should be noted that Lilit Martirosyan, founder and president of the “Right Side” Human Rights Defender NGO, participated in the 49th session of the UPR held in Geneva on February 18–21, 2025. Ms. Martirosyan delivered a public statement highlighting the urgent need for legislative and policy changes to protect the rights of trans and LGBTIQ+ people in Armenia. In her speech, she stressed the lack of clear legal mechanisms to prevent and punish hate crimes, discrimination, and hate speech targeting trans and queer individuals. She also drew attention to the absence of legal gender recognition procedures and the lack of accessible, inclusive healthcare services for trans persons. She emphasized the necessity of adopting a comprehensive anti-discrimination law that explicitly protects individuals on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and called for public awareness campaigns and educational reforms to challenge stereotypes and promote inclusion. Ms. Martirosyan further highlighted the importance of ensuring access to justice for trans people and proposed concrete steps, including the legal recognition of gender identity and peaceful assembly rights as part of Armenia’s legal framework.