A workshop titled “ Sustainable Urban Development and Human Rights” held at the Centre for European Studies of Yerevan State University was organized in cooperation with the Faculty of Geography and Geology and the Center for Sustainable Development, within the frames of “Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in European Studies: Democracy, Human Rights and Security (DeHuRiS)” project.
The idea of the workshop was presented by DeHuRiS Project coordinator, Kristine Gevorgyan who highlighted that it was essential to view urban development not only as a technical or environmental issue, but through an interdisciplinary and human-rights-based perspective. Hence the event brought together experts from law, geography, geology, sociology, environmental sciences.
Gor Aleksanyan, Deputy Dean and Office Head of the Faculty of Geography and Geology, emphasized that when a city is viewed not merely as a place of residence but as an "organism", it is important to consider its development through the three dimensions of sustainable development: social, economic, and environmental.
European perspective was presented by Dr Anna Bruce, Raoul Wallenberg scholar who presented the Swedish experience, explaining how urban planning can support equality and human rights, particularly for persons with disabilities, by designing accessible and inclusive environments. She stressed that discrimination often stems from poorly designed spaces and that sustainable cities require new attitudes, skills, and knowledge to ensure everyone can use what is created.
Tigran Sargsyan, Associate Professor at the YSU Faculty of Geography and Geology, spoke on "Experience and Challenges of Sustainable Urban Governance in Armenia", while Artak Piloyan, Acting Head of the Chair of Cartography and Geomorphology, presented "Digital Country and Spatial Justice: The Role of Geoinformation Technologies in Sustainable and People-Centered Urban Governance".
Dr. Lilit Sahakyan, Director of the Center for Ecological-Noosphere Studies at the NAS RA spoke about the role of on Environmental Sciences when speaking about Sustainable cities during her presentation on "Environmental Sciences for Sustainable Cities: Examples and Evidence". Dr Shushanik Asmaryan, Deputy Director for Science Center for Ecological-Noosphere Studies at the NAS RA and Head of the Remote Sensing and GIS Department spoke about more practical applications through her presentation on "Remote Sensing Capabilities for Studying Environmental Issues in Urban Areas".
The last presenter, Dr Aram Vartikyan who spoke about the "Right to the City: Reinterpreting Sustainable Development of Post-Industrial Cities in Armenia".
The event concluded with Q&A session between the audience and experts.