Armenia Holds Significant Responsibility in Upholding and Protecting Women's Rights

Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan delivered a speech at the international conference themed "Women, Peace and Security." Below is the full text of the speech.

Dear Chair, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to start my speech by extending heartfelt congratulations to the government and people of Vietnam for hosting this important international conference.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which served as a catalyst for women's political participation and economic empowerment in the context of peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and resolution.

We firmly believe that women play a crucial role in leading changes towards peace and that efforts towards security can be more sustainable if women are involved as equal partners in preventing, resolving, and recovering from conflicts, as well as in the processes of ensuring sustainable peace.

As a member of the Human Rights Council, Armenia has included the implementation of the National Action Plan for UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on “Women, Peace and Security” among its commitments, considering it an essential tool for ensuring the protection of women living in conflict zones and their active participation in peacebuilding, post-conflict reconstruction, and recovery processes.

Given that the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms, gender equality, and ensuring women’s active role in all phases of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are among Armenia's priorities, the government approved the National Action Plan for 2019-2021 in February 2019, along with a timeline for implementing the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

This made Armenia the 80th UN member state to adopt a National Action Plan.

Recently, Azerbaijan’s aggression against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, accompanied by the full political and military support of Turkey and the involvement of foreign militant terrorists under Turkish auspices, has posed a threat to the survival of Nagorno-Karabakh’s 150,000 population, including a significant number of women and children, and has placed the protection of the affected population as a priority.

The unlawful, indiscriminate, and disproportionate military actions and bombardments unleashed by Azerbaijan during the COVID-19 pandemic have severely impacted the vital civilian infrastructure of the region, including maternity hospitals and other health facilities.

Thousands of displaced families have faced shortages of food, water, and healthcare. There is now a pressing need to implement individual socio-economic and rehabilitation programs, including socio-psychological recovery for women and girls residing in conflict-affected settlements and those forcibly relocated to Armenia.

Armenia, as a staunch advocate of the principle of universality of human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, highlights that the application of this principle is crucial in humanitarian response to support citizens affected by military operations. The suffering of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh due to military operations and the reluctance to ensure the presence and direct engagement of international organizations is unacceptable.

The social issues of the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh and the humanitarian crisis there must be addressed locally to ensure the swift restoration of normal life.

Dear Chair,

Armenia continues to bear significant responsibility for guaranteeing the respect and protection of women's rights, and it fulfills this responsibility by implementing international fundamental documents regarding women's rights, including the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Global Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and other key documents. These documents serve as a foundation for the formulation of various national strategies in relation to women's rights and gender equality.