After the collapse of the Soviet Union,Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia experienced a sharp declinein economic output, prolonged regional conflicts resultingin great numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) andrefugees, the deterioration of social protection systems,and devastating natural disasters. These circumstancesresulted in a dramatic increase in poverty and a decline inthe human development index. Poverty has greatly affectedwomen and introduced numerous obstacles and challenges inthe promotion of gender equality and advancement ofwomen's rights. Furthermore, women face new challengeswith regard to issues such as human trafficking, rights ofIDPs, and peacekeeping initiatives. Regional cooperation isnecessary to address these issues. This project set out toassess the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) tomeet the pressing needs for legal literacy, legal aid, andimproved access to justice and legal services for poor womenin Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The primary objectiveswere as follows: identify laws and institutions that promotewomen's rights; identify and disseminate successfulinitiatives that promote women's legal rights and legalliteracy and facilitate their access to legal services; andstrengthen collaboration among groups working on genderissues in prioritizing women's legal rights. Thisreport is organized around three key dimensions of genderequality: the status of women as far as human capitaldevelopment is concerned, their status in terms of access toproductive resources, and their status and protection underthe law.
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