Women’s Leadership Forum was founded on March 3, 2006, at the founding forum. The purpose of the initiative is to reach the following goals through empowering and uniting the strong potential of women represented in political parties, non-governmental organizations, mass media, local government and other state institutions:

• Form an impartial environment for women’s participation;

• Provide links for exchange of experience between different sectors of the society;

• Support the level of women’s involvement in the public administration and political system of Armenia;

• Support complex solution of women’s issues;

• Overcome the main obstacles hindering women’s advancement in Armenia;

• Unite women representing different fields.

The current activities of the Women’s Leadership Forum are carried out by the Women's Coordination Board consisting of four representatives from each sector such as political parties, government, non-governmental organizations and business. The activities of the Board are coordinated by the Board president and secretary, who are elected every three months. The Board members are recruited on a voluntary basis and the activities are carried out through board sessions.

Board Members

Amalya Yengoyan

Amalya Yengoyan head of RA government department on relations with the National Assembly, representative of the Armenian government.

Amalya Yengoyan was born on March 22, 1959. She was appointed head of the government department on relations with the National Assembly in 1998. She had served as the deputy chief of the same department since 1995. In 1996-1999 she studied at the financial accounting and audit department of the Armenian Agricultural Academy. In 1992-1995 she served as an assistant to the prime-minister, and in 1990-1992 served as an expert at the National Assembly. In 1981-1990 she worked as a programmer at the machinery scientific institute. In 1976-1981 she studied at the faculty of applied mathematics of Yerevan State University. In 2004 the president granted her with a status of a second class adviser of civil Services, and in 2003 the prime minister gave her a gratitude letter for contributing to the development of state administration.

Anahit Sargsyan

Anahit Sargsyan president of the Businesswoman NGO.

Anahit Sargsyan was born on October 24, 1965. In 1982 she graduated from secondary school #31 of Yerevan. In 1982-86 she studied and graduated from the Yerevan State Institute of Economy with a first-class degree of economist. In 1991 she passed comprehensive examinations and was granted with Candidate's degree. She has worked at the Yerevan State Institute of Economy since 1986, where she started her career being a lecturer, and now is an associate professor at the faculty of management. In 1992-1995 she worked at the Supreme Council standing commission on healthcare and social affairs as a senior expert. Since 1996 she served as the head of the Supreme Council Deputies’ Club, and since 1997 up to now she has been the president of Businesswoman NGO.

In 2001 she worked at the UN Armenian office as a national expert of the UN. In 2007 she studied at the Euro Union Political Science School in Yerevan. She is married and has two children. She has published over 30 articles, an educational handbook, two textbooks and is a co-author of a book. In addition, she has coordinated and managed over 30 social surveys.

Anahit Aghoyan

Anahit Aghoyan NDU Board Member.

She is a graduate of Yerevan State Medical Institute. Currently she works at the Armenian Healthcare Ministry as the head of the state anti-epidemic department of Kotayk region. She is also an expert and Board member of the Association of Women with University Degrees. In 1999 she participated in the parliamentary elections under majoritarian and proportional lists. In 2003 she served as the manager of Vazgen Manukyan's pre-election campaign. In 2005 she ran for mayor in Nor-Hachn city of Armenia.

Araksya Melkonyan

Araksya Melkonyan IAB Center CJSC co-founder and managing director.

Araksya Melkonyan is a co-founder and managing director of IAB Center CJSC, a British-Armenian training and consulting company that was established in 2001. Her company provides a variety of training courses for the business community in Armenia as well as ACCA training for one of the “Big Four” accounting firm networks in Georgia.

In 2005 she was qualified as a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK) and, in addition to running her business she had been working as an Internal Auditor on part time basis. In 2007 she became a full member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (USA) and her interests in Financial Institutions Fraud led to a number of consultancy contracts in Ukraine and Armenia. In 2008 she became an Associate member of the Chartered Management Institute, UK.

She has been a member of National Democratic Institute’s Women Coordination Board for the past three years and in recent times became a board member of the Armenian Young Women Association NGO. She is the incumbent vice president/treasurer of American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia, and is actively involved in many projects, which are aimed at improving the overall business environment in Armenia.

Gayane Markosyan

Gayane Markosyan candidate of philology, associate professor of Yerevan State Linguistic University after V. Bryusov, dean of the department of Russian language, literature and foreign languages, president of the Free Forum for Civil Initiatives NGO.

After graduating from the faculty of the Russian language and literature of Yerevan State University in 1981 Gayane Markosyan has worked as a lecturer. Meanwhile she has been involved in scientific works and has over 40 scientific and methodological works, especially in the field of linguistic education. Since 1998 Gayane Markosyan has been involved in civic activities in two main directions: formation of a new type of civic culture in Armenia, as well as reconsideration of the regional conflicts for the purpose of forming new civic and psychological, political and geopolitical realities in the region.

She has participated in numerous meetings, events, conferences and forums aimed at developing democracy. Gayane Markosyan has also published articles in the Armenian print media. Due to Gayane Markosyan’s initiative the Free Forum for Civil Initiatives was founded in 2004. She became the president of the Free Forum for Civic Initiatives and implemented her professional activities more actively. During the past four years due to cooperation with other NGOs and international organizations the FFCI implemented numerous projects aimed at encouraging democracy in Yerevan and different regions of Armenia. Since 2006 she is a member of the Women’s Leadership Forum under the umbrella of the US National Democratic Institute.

Doustrik Mkhitaryan

Doustrik Mkhitaryan PPA party Board member.

Doustrik Mkhitaryan was born on December 20, 1955. In 1973-1978 she studied at the faculty of applied mathematics of Yerevan State University, and in parallel with studying she also graduated from the law department of the University. In 1978-1992 she worked at Mergelyan Institute as a programmer and worked in other positions as well. In 1992-2000 she worked at Diamond CJSC in different administrative positions. Since 2000 she has worked as director of SAGHGOLD LLC and since 2006 as executive director of SAGHDIAMOND LLC on part-time basis. She has been involved in civic activities since 1973.

Yekatirina Simonyan

Yekatirina Simonyan President of Cooperation women’s NGO.

In 2002 – 2004 she participated in the process of implementation of the Armenian National project. In 2004 – 2005 she took part in a roundtable in participation of all the ministries of Armenia and NGOs to discuss issues concerning equal rights provided by the Constitution of Armenia, the resolution of the Women’s Fourth Convention (Beijing 1995), UN resolutions and Armenia’s international obligations for the purpose of adopting a national project on fostering women’s participation and improving women’s conditions in 2004-2010. In 2005 – 2007 she took part in the establishment of the Women’s Alliance by involving different political parties and NGOs. The Alliance has implemented a number of projects aimed at protection of women’s rights, providing 15% quota of women in the parliament.

She has also participated in exhibitions, presentations of books and other events. In 2008 she participated in a number of benevolent projects in schools and kindergartens in the regions of Armenia.

She has participated in international conferences in different cities such as Madrid (2003), Minsk (2004), Geneva, Dushanbe, Saint Petersburg, Paris.

Tamara Gevorgyan

Tamara Gevorgyan Human Development International Center, Trainer

Tamara Gevorgyan was born on September 6, 1975, in Yerevan. She has been involved in civic activities for a long time and started her career in the civic sector as a member of Huys NGO and now is a board member of the same organization. She has been involved in political activities since 2002 and is a member of the political board of the United Labor Party. In 2006-2007 she served as a deputy minister of Labor and Social Affairs.

She has also worked as head of the political analysis department of Kentron TV, adviser to the RA military prosecutor, adviser to the mayor of Yerevan, assistant to the prime-minister, and attaché of the Foreign Affairs ministry department on CIS. In 1992-96 she studied at the North-Western Academy of State Services in Saint Petersburg and was qualified as manager in the field of state and municipal management. In 2001 she participated in trainings on negotiation and leadership skills at Cambridge of the United States. She is involved in scientific works in the political sector. She is a co-author of the Management Basis handbook.

Lilit Asatryan

Lilit Asatryan President of the Armenian Young Women’s Association.

Lilit Asatryan was born on January 28, 1976. She has been involved in active civic life since the school. In 2004 she founded the Young Women’s Association of Armenia and is the president of the organization since that time. In 2003-2005 Lilit Asatryan served as deputy minister of Culture and Youth Affairs. She has also served as adviser to the executive director of the pan-Armenian foundation. In 2006-2007 Lilit Asatryan worked as the chief editor of the New Vision youth weekly. Lilit Asatryan is the representative of the CoE Committee on Youth Affairs in Armenia.

She has been a member of the Armenian Youth Council Board since 2008. She has been a member of the European youth magazine Coyote since 2007. In 2008 she was elected member of the board of trustees of the pan-Armenian foundation. She has received prizes and awards for civic activities and her contribution to the youth sector.

Lilit Avetisyan

Lilit Avetisyan President of Women’s Forum NGO, director of Al-Tandem Ltd Real Estate agency.

Lilit Avetisyan had active participation in developing and lobbying for 20 provisions in the new labor code, which concern relationships at work, sexual harassment, discovering and preventing violence, and gender issues in 2003-2005. Most of these provisions were adopted in the new labor code. In 2005 she received advanced trainings on Business and Real Estate Market Development. In 2003-2004 she headed the project on Preventing Sexual Harassment at Work Places in Armenia. In 2002 she founded the Women’s Forum non-governmental organization. In 2002 she participated in trainings such as Gender Analysis, Gender Budget, Women’s Leadership, Formation of Campaign Coalition, etc.

In 2001 she was trained by SABIT project in the US as a leader of an association and business. In 1998 she studied and was qualified by the Canadian Realtors’ and Evaluators’ Association. Since 1995 she is a founding member and board member of ROTARI international club. In 1995 she founded Al-Tandem real estate agency. In 1980-2000 she worked as a piano teacher. In 1983-86 she served as an independent secretary for Metsamor city and the Atomic station, as well as headed the culture department of the community. She is a graduate of the State Conservatory after Komitas.

Karine Tumanyan

Karine Tumanyan president of Mother Fatherland party.

Karine Tumanyan was born in 1954 in Yerevan. In 1971 she graduated from School #8 after Pushkin in Yerevan with a gold medal of excellence. In 1971-1976 she studied at the Polytechnic Institute of Yerevan and graduated with excellent grades. In 1976 she became a lecturer of architectural graphics at the State Architectural Institute of Yerevan. In 1982-1985 she took post-graduate courses at the same Institute, in 1987 protected the candidate's dissertation and in 1988 received a title of associate professor of the architectural graphics department of the Architectural Institute of Yerevan.

Since 1996 she serves as deputy head of the Architectural department of the State Polytechnic Institute of Yerevan. She has been involved in active civic life since 1973. In 2003 she participated in the parliamentary elections and was nominated under the proportional party ticket of the Industry and Women alliance. In 2005 her teammates and she founded the Mother Fatherland party and she was elected president of the party. Karine Tumanyan has two sons and three grandchildren.

Karine Hakobyan

Karine Hakobyan President of Reform NGO.

Karine Hakobyan graduated from the Faculty of Philology, Yerevan State University. From 1979 to 1991 she worked at the Department of Culture at National TV and from 1991 to 1999 at the Department of International Relations, as an editor, senior editor and broadcaster. From 1999 to 2000 she was a Director of Drama Studio for Children, National Center of Esthetics.

From 2000 to 2001- Project Coordinator, “Improving Conditions for Refugee Families, establishment of a social center and library” sponsored by the UNHCR. From 2001 to 2002 she was a Director of the project “Dialogue of Cultures”, sponsored by Eurasia Foundation, USAID.

She was a Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs from 2002-2005, responsible for the children, family and gender issues. From 2003 to 2005 - an expert of the Committee on Children and Families (CS-EF) as well as of the Committee for Equality Between Women an Men /CDEG/, at the Council of Europe.

In 2005 she was a Project director of “Child Labor Survey” in the framework of the Pilot project “Reforms of Child Care System in Armenia”/JSDF, WB and GA /.
She is a Founding Chairman of The Eng-Speaking Union Armenian Branch from 1993 to 2007 and a Vice President until nowadays.

She was a founder and president of “Reform” organization since 1993.

She is an art critic, publicist, her articles on political, social, artistic and cultural issues were published in Armenian newspapers and magazines.

Svetlana Aslanyan

Svetlana Aslanyan Secretary on international relations and head of the scientific group of the Armenian National Academy Linguistic Institute. Founding member of the Center for Development of Civil Society. Associate professor, invited professor for the associates of the US Fulbright scientific Research program, invited professor for IREX.

Republic of Armenia

Yerevan 0019, 1 Baghramyan St., Apt.24

Tel: (+374 10) 54 61 53 ; 58 20 64 ; 52 39 01

Fax: (+374 10) 58 05 60

E-mail : womanleader@info.am