• Chapter I. Common Statements
• Chapter 2. Civil Defense Ways and Principles
• Chapter 3. Civil Defense activities
• Chapter 4. Civil Defence Management
• Chapter 5.The Competence of the RA Government, State and Local Authorities, Organizations in Civil Defence Sphere
• Chapter 6. The Rights and Obligations of the Citizens in Civil Defence Sphere
• Chapter 7. Civil Defence Forces
• Chapter 8. Civil Defence Logistics and Financing
• Chapter 9. Concluding statements

The present law defines civil defense principles, rights and obligations of stat and local authorities, organizations (irrespective of the organizational-legal type), the RA citizens, persons having no citizenship and foreign citizens (henceforth citizens) in civil defense sphere.
 

Chapter I
Common Statements

Article I: The main concepts used in the present law

The following main concepts are used in the present law:
Civil defense - a system of activities for the protection of population and material values or for the defense preparation in case of armed attack on the RA, existence of its direct danger or declaring war by the RA National Assembly:
Area belonging to civil defense group - residence, area including objects of top and historical-cultural importance:
Objects of top importance - objects having state and strategic importance, being highly dangerous and providing population activities:
Civil defense services - services established to provide the fulfillment of civil defense activities in state and local authorities, organizations within their competence:
Civil defense formations - formations established in communities, organizations, which are equipped with devices, equipment and property foreseen for rescue and emergency accident-restoration activities, and are not foreseen to fulfill civil defense activities, are not included in the structure of the RA armed forces or other forces:
Emergency accident-restoration activities - works of primary importance to eliminate the dangers of such factors, which threaten human life and health and which hinder the searching and salvation of people, fastening or collapse of buildings and constructions, emergency disconnection of liquid fuel, gas, water sources and electricity, reconstruction and repair of primary objects for population and rescuers activities by temporary scheme and sanitary reconnaissance of the area.

Article II: Civil defense legal base

The bases of civil defense legal provision are the RA Constitution, the RA international agreements, the present law, other laws of the RA and legal acts.

Article III: Civil defense system

The civil defense system includes state and local authorities, organizations.
 

Chapter II
Civil Defense Ways and Principles Article IV: Civil defense principles

Article IV: Civil defense principles

Civil defense organization and implementation is one of the State's most important functions and the constituent and indivisible part of the national security.
The State gets ready for civil defense problems beforehand and in peaceful conditions.
The principles of civil defense are:
a) the organization and implementation of civil defense on the whole territory of the RA:
b) the implementation of civil defense distinguished according to military, age, territorial, industrial-territorial peculiarities:
c) the organization of civil defense concentrated by Government principle.

Article V: Civil defense ways

Ways of civil defense are displacement, shelter and security by individual defense means, which are implemented by the RA Government defined order.
 

Chapter III
Civil Defense activities

Article VI: Civil defense activities

Civil defense activities are divided into preparatory and main activities.
Civil defense preparatory activities are implemented beforehand.
Civil defense main activities are implemented in case of military attack on the RA, existence of its direct danger or in case of declaring war by the RA National Assembly.

Article VII: Civil defense preparatory activities

Civil Defence preparatory activities are:
a) formation, training and constant readiness provision of civil Defence forces:
b) stability provision and purposeful distribution of top important objects activity in detailed plan drafts and in major plans of residencies and other functional areas from civil Defence point of view
c) provision of security and reliability of the construction of buildings, constructions, engineer nets, hydro technical structures, transport communication means and highways; provision of safe operation of dangerous objects.
d) establishment of management, contact and alarm systems and provision of their normal operation:
e) population training and preparation of state, state management and local authorities (henceforth management bodies) and organizations:
f) establishment of a permanent monitoring system of radiation, chemical and bacteriological situation and operation provision:
g) establishment of a system providing management bodies and population awareness:
h) construction and preservation of protective structures:
i) accumulation and preservation of necessary recourses of other property with the purpose of civil and individual Defence means protection:
j) creation and preservation of necessary food, medical, logistic resources:
k) working out of civil Defence plans.
Activities mentioned in the present article are fulfilled by the RA Government defined order.

Article VIII: Civil Defence main activities

The main activities of civil Defence are:
a) management bodies and population warning:
b) displacement and distribution:
c) shelter:
d) population securing by individual protective means:
e) concealing:
f) fulfillment of rescue operations:
g) medical provision:
h) anti-fire provision:
i) discovery, rendering harmless and disinfection of dangerous areas from radiation, chemical and bacteriological agents:
j) population activity provision:
k) accounting and funeral of the dead:
l) strengthening of permanent fulfillment of observance and monitoring of environment, water, food condition and infection:
m) provision of management bodies and population awareness:
n) chemical, radiation and bacteriological provision:
o) fulfillment of emergency accident-restoration activities:
p) public order provision and strengthening of top important objects' preservation:
q) provision of purposeful elimination of logistic resources, transport and other means:
r) primary implementation of republican, departmental and local nets of contact for the organization and realization of rescue operations:
Activities mentioned in the present article are fulfilled by the RA Government defined order.
 

Chapter IV
Civil Defence Management Article IX: Civil Defence distaff

Article IX: Civil Defence distaff

The RA prime minister is the head of the RA civil Defence.
The leader of the RA Government authorized body (henceforth authorized body) in civil Defence sphere is the deputy head of the RA civil Defence.
The RA ministers (heads of departments), regional governors (mayor of Yerevan), heads of communities and organizations are the chiefs of civil Defence of relevant ministries (departments), regions (Yerevan city), communities and organizations.
The leaders of the authorized body's regional formations are the deputy heads of regions (Yerevan city).
The leaders of civil Defence within their competency:
a) are responsible for civil Defence preparedness:
b) organize and lad the fulfillment of civil Defence activities:
c) confirm and lead the civil Defence plans into action:
d) issue decisions, orders and instructions on civil Defence:
e) monitor the fulfillment of civil Defence activities:
f) fulfill other authorities defined by the RA Legislation.
 

Chapter V
The Competence of the RA Government, State and Local Authorities, Organizations in Civil Defence Sphere

Article X: The competence of the RA Government

The RA Government:
a) fulfills common management of civil Defence:
b) provides the realization of state joint policy in civil Defence sphere:
c) defines the realization order of civil Defence activities:
d) confirms the projects of civil Defence development and monitors their realization:
e) defines the list of areas belonging to civil Defence group in accordance with the level of danger:
f) defines the establishment, preparation and operation order of civil Defence services and formations:
g) confirms the realization order of state examination of top important objects, procedures, units, projects and solutions:
h) confirms the order of population warning and awareness:
i) fulfills other authorities defined by the RA Legislation.

Article XI: The competence of the authorized body

The authorized body
a) woks out civil Defence plans and projects, provides their submission for endorsement by the defined order and organizes their implementation:
b) coordinates and monitors the activity of management bodies and organizations in civil Defence sphere:
c) organizes the training of management bodies and population:
d) organizes population warning and awareness:
e) organizes the state examination of top important objects, dangerous objects from civil Defence viewpoint, procedures, projects and solutions:
f) coordinates and monitors the accumulation procedures of funds, financial, food, medical and other material resources and their purposeful implementation to provide assistance for the casualties:
g) fulfills other authorities defined by the RA Legislation.

Article XII: The competence of the RA State management republican bodies

The State management republican bodies:
a) organize the protection of the employees of their system:
b) establish civil Defence services;
c) organize the planning and realization of civil Defence activities:
d) organize the stable operation of the organizations of their system:
e) fulfill other authorities defined by the RA Legislation.

Article XIII: The competence of State management regional bodies

The State management regional bodies:
a) organize and direct the realization of civil Defence activities in the territory of the region:
b) participate in the civil Defence activities foreseen by the state republican plans and projects:
c) involve local authorities, organizations and population in the fulfillment of civil Defence activities:
d) establish regional civil Defence services and forces:
e) give tasks to the regional subdivisions of state management republican bodies on the fulfillment of civil Defence activities:
f) realize the displacement of the material, cultural values and the population of the region:
g) realize the shelter of the population of the region and the provision by individual protective means:
h) fulfill other authorities defined by the RA Legislation.

Article XIV: The competence of the local authorities

The local authorities;
a) organize and realize civil Defence in the community:
b) fulfill activities to provide the safe operation of objects belonging to the community:
c) organize the planning and realization of civil Defence activities in the community:
d) realize the displacement of the community population, material and cultural values, population shelter and provision by individual protective means:
e) establish community civil Defence services:
f) fulfill the community population warning:
g) establish necessary forces for civil Defence organization and provide the preparedness of these forces:
h) fulfill other authorities defined by the RA Legislation.

Article XV: The competence of the organizations

The organizations
a) realize the protection of their employees:
b) establish necessary forces for the fulfillment of rescue and accident-restoration activities:
c) fulfill other authorities defined by the RA Legislation.
Protective organizations and those having military significance for the economics, as well as ones being highly dangerous from civil Defence point of view, form civil Defence services. The RA Government defines the list of these organizations.
 

Chapter VI
The Rights and Obligations of the Citizens in Civil Defence Sphere

Article XVI: The rights and obligations of the RA citizens

The RA citizens, by the defined order of the RA Legislation, have the right:
a) to get a true information about the level of their protection:
b) to get reimbursement of losses the population suffers in the result of the fulfillment of civil Defence activities.
The RA citizens pledge to participate in the fulfillment of civil Defence activities by the defined order of the RA Legislation.

Article XVII: The rights and obligations of people having no citizenship of the RA and foreign citizens

People having no citizenship of the RA and foreign citizens pledge to fulfill all the instruction of civil Defence management bodies connected with civil Defence activities.
People having no citizenship of the RA and foreign citizens are involved in civil Defence activities in accordance with the present law and the RA international agreements.

Chapter VII
Civil Defence Forces Article XVIII: Civil Defence forces

Article XVIII: Civil Defence forces

The civil Defence forces are:
a) civil Defence army
b) rescue forces
c) civil Defence formations
The RA armed forces and other army subdivisions can be involved in civil Defence activities.

Article XIX: Civil Defence army

The civil Defence army is included in the structure of the authorized body, is considered military subdivision of permanent readiness and is destined for the implementation of civil Defence activities.
The law defines the order and the competence of the civil Defence army recruitment, preparation, and military use.

Article XX: Rescue forces

During the implementation of civil Defence activities rescue forces are established to fulfill rescue activities and to provide population with special assistance. The rescue forces are in permanent readiness and act by centralized management principle.
Rescue forces are established within the structure of state and local authorities and organizations.
Public rescue units are also involved in civil Defence activities. .

Article XXI: Civil Defence formations

The civil Defence formations are predetermined for the fulfillment of rescue and accident-restoration activities.
Civil Defence formations are divided into formations of region, community and organizations. Organization formations are established in the organizations (irrespective of organizational-legal type).
By the decision of the head of the community civil Defence the organizations can be united in community formations.
By the decision of the civil Defence head of the region (Yerevan city) the community formations of civil Defence can be united in regional formations.
Formations of civil Defence services are determined to provide civil Defence actions in republican, regional, community and organization levels.

Chapter VIII
Civil Defence Logistics and Financing

Article XXII: The main sources of logistics and financing

State and local authorities fulfill financing and logistics of civil Defence activities on account of state budget and community budget.
The organizations (irrespective of the organizational-legal type) fulfill the competences by the present law on account of their means.
During the fulfillment of civil Defence activities, the possessing and use of the property, which is not considered state ownership, and other values is carried out in accordance with the RA Legislation with a later equivalent reimbursement.
 

Chapter IX
Concluding statements

Article XXIII: The responsibility for the breach of the present law

The breach of the present law conditions brings about responsibility by the order defined by the RA Legislation.

Article XXIV: Coming of the law into force

The present law comes into force from the moment of its official promulgation.
 

President of the Republic of Armenia
Robert Kocharyan

March 29, 2002
AL-309