The Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia today hosted a meeting with representatives of non-governmental organizations dealing with the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, reports the news service of the Office of the Human Rights Defender.

Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan presented the role of the Human Rights Defender in the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities and the new powers reserved to the Division for Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the Office of the Human Rights Defender by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Human Rights Defender attached special importance to respect towards the dignity of persons with disabilities, the creation of an environment that will ensure their full participation in all spheres of life and their independence and their active participation in the decision-making process on the path to becoming an inclusive society. He added that the Office of the Human Rights Defender will set up a council for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities in order to solve the problems in the sector.

The representatives of the NGOs welcomed the idea of creating the council, discussed with the Ombudsman the issues in the field of protection of the rights of persons with disabilities and presented their visions for the solutions to those issues.