Background: The ARCW, founded in 1987 to protect the rights of women, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization. The Women's Council has 48 civic and regional sub-divisions throughout Armenia, each with its own elected board of directors.



Objectives: ARCW strives to improve the social, economic and political situation of women in Armenia.



Activities: ARCW engages in advocacy and political acation, in research and information, and in education. Its advocacy for the rights of women, children and families led the government to ratify the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. To increase the participation of women in government, it has undertaken a democracy reform project to train and assist women to campaign for office. The Council publishes a women's weekly newspaper with a distribution of 10,000 copies.The Council also runs a school offering training to 60 young women on the history of the women's movement, women's issues and conditions in Armenia. It also sponsors seminars and conferences to inform Armenian women about the findings and developments of international women's conferences.