One of our most important initiatives in December in 2023 was the two-day conference "Universal design: a new stage of development".

The purpose of the conference was to discuss the possibilities of introducing institutional mechanisms to ensure an accessible and inclusive environment in Armenia and the participatory design of solutions.

Representatives of state administration bodies, Human Rights Defender's Office, the National Assembly, RA Provinces and Yerevan Municipality, as well as representatives of NGOs, professors and students of architecture and design faculties of universities, persons with disabilities were participated in the conference.

Anna Barfyan, UNFPA Armenia Youth Analyst, Suren Maghakyan, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Basis and President of the NGO "Full Life" Promotion of an Inclusive Society, Tatevik Stepanyan, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, welcomed the participants.

The actions and further steps implemented in the field of urban development in the direction of providing an accessible and inclusive environment in Armenia were presented.

Also, the results of the one-week "Universal design, accessibility and smart adaptations" meetings held with students at the National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia, conducted by Suren Maghakyan and architect, universal design and smart adaptations consultant Narek Minasyan, were summarized.

The works and challenges in terms of the possibilities of introducing institutional mechanisms for universal design and inclusive environment were the topics of the panel discussion. And through group work, the gaps and needs of the legal framework, the educational system, the substantive repetitions and differences of the functions and powers of different departments in the process of ensuring accessibility were highlighted.

The conference participants also played boccia, a Paralympic sport played with balls filled with sand, trying to throw the balls as close as possible to the target white ball.

The conference was carried out with the financial support ofThe United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) Multi-Partner Trust Fund, within the framework of the project “Creating enabling environment and ecosystem for CRPD implementation and disability mainstreaming in Armenia”.