Non-Discrimination & Equal Opportunity Policy

1.1. Innovative and Equal (Նորարար ու Հավասար) is founded on the principle that equality and non-discrimination are indivisible from human dignity. This Policy establishes a strict, zero-tolerance framework against discrimination, harassment, and victimization in all of our activities. 1.2. This Policy applies to all staff, board members, volunteers, interns, beneficiaries, program participants, contractors, suppliers, and partner organizations, in every location and program where the Organization operates, without exception.

2.1. This Policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of: ethnicity and national or social origin, including with specific attention to Armenia's Yezidi, Assyrian, Kurdish, Russian, and Greek minority communities; religion or belief; disability, including physical, sensory, intellectual, and psychosocial disabilities; gender and gender identity; sexual orientation; age; displacement or refugee/IDP status; language; marital or family status; health status, including HIV status; political opinion; and socio-economic status. 2.2. This list is illustrative and non-exhaustive; the Organization prohibits discrimination on any ground not justified by a legitimate, proportionate, and lawful reason.

3.1. Direct discrimination: treating a person less favorably than another in a comparable situation because of a protected characteristic. 3.2. Indirect discrimination: applying a seemingly neutral policy, criterion, or practice that disadvantages persons with a protected characteristic, unless objectively justified by a legitimate aim achieved by proportionate means. 3.3. Harassment: unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic that has the purpose or effect of violating a person's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment, including sexual harassment. 3.4. Victimization: subjecting a person to detriment because they have made or supported a complaint of discrimination or harassment. 3.5. All such conduct is strictly prohibited and constitutes grounds for disciplinary action up to and including termination or removal from a program.

4.1. The Organization commits to positive action measures to redress historic disadvantage, including: targeted outreach to Yezidi, Assyrian, Kurdish, and other minority communities in program design; a target that at least 40% of governance and senior staff positions are held by women; dedicated recruitment channels for persons with disabilities, with a target of at least 5% representation across staff and volunteers; and mentorship and scholarship programs prioritizing displaced persons and IDPs. 4.2. Progress against these targets is reviewed annually by the Board and reported in our annual Impact Report.

5.1. The Organization maintains physically accessible offices and program venues in line with universal design principles, and provides reasonable accommodation to employees, volunteers, and beneficiaries with disabilities, including assistive technology, flexible scheduling, sign-language interpretation, and materials in accessible formats, unless doing so would impose a disproportionate burden. 5.2. Requests for accommodation should be directed to the Human Resources or Program Coordinator and will be assessed and responded to within 10 working days.

6.1. All recruitment, promotion, and remuneration decisions shall be based solely on merit, qualifications, and organizational need, using structured, bias-aware interview panels. 6.2. Job advertisements shall explicitly welcome applications from underrepresented groups. 6.3. Suppliers and contractors are required to attest compliance with equivalent non-discrimination standards as a condition of doing business with the Organization, and procurement decisions above program-defined thresholds must document equality considerations.

7.1. Any person may report a concern of discrimination, harassment, or victimization verbally or in writing to their supervisor, the Human Resources focal point, or directly to the Executive Director, or via a confidential channel at horvathtamas6554@gmail.com. 7.2. Complaints will be acknowledged within 3 working days. 7.3. An impartial investigator (internal or external, as appropriate to the severity and any conflict of interest) will be appointed within 5 working days, and the investigation will be concluded within 30 calendar days, extendable in complex cases with notice to the complainant. 7.4. Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent possible, and interim measures (e.g., separation of parties) will be applied where necessary to protect the complainant. 7.5. The complainant will be informed in writing of the outcome and any measures taken, subject to privacy constraints regarding the respondent. 7.6. Retaliation against a complainant or witness is strictly prohibited and will itself be treated as a serious disciplinary matter.

8.1. Substantiated violations of this Policy may result in disciplinary measures proportionate to severity, ranging from mandatory training and written warning to suspension, termination of employment or engagement, removal from a program, or termination of a partnership or supplier contract. 8.2. Where conduct may constitute a criminal offense, the matter will be referred to the competent Armenian authorities, with the consent of the survivor where required, and always with priority given to survivor safety.

9.1. The Organization collects anonymized equality-monitoring data on staff, volunteers, and where appropriate beneficiaries, to track representation and identify disparities. 9.2. An annual Equality and Inclusion Report is presented to the Board, summarizing complaints received and resolved, progress against positive-action targets, and planned improvements, and a public summary is included in our Impact Report.

10.1. All staff, board members, and volunteers must complete mandatory equality, diversity, and inclusion training within 30 days of joining the Organization and on a refresher basis at least every 2 years. 10.2. Managers and investigators receive additional specialized training on handling complaints of discrimination and harassment. 10.3. Training completion is tracked and reported as part of our annual Equality and Inclusion Report.