The Democracy Defender Award has been granted since 2016 upon the initiative of eight OSCE delegations, and in 2019, 36 countries including Germany supported it. The prize honors a person or group of civil society for outstanding contributions to the promotion of democracy and the defense of human rights in the spirit of the Helsinki Final Act and other OSCE principles and commitments. The aim of the award is to recognize the achievements of civil society in defending and promoting democracy in the OSCE region.

Recipient of the 2019 Democracy Defender Award is the Armenian civil society organization “Union of Informed Citizens” (UIC). The UIC received the award for promoting independent journalism and informed decision-making, as well as for strengthening election monitoring in the ongoing democratic process in Armenia.  

We acknowledge the role of civil society in the process of democratic transition which started in Armenia in 2018. Furthermore, we express our appreciation to the Armenian Delegation for their continuous support of the role of civil society in their country’s democratic transition.