Remarks by Mher Margaryan, Permanent Representative of Armenia to United Nations, at the High level Forum on the Culture of Peace convened by the President of the General Assembly

05 September, 2018

Madam President,

I would like to join my voice in expressing appreciation to the President of the General Assembly for convening this high-level forum. We thank Chef de Cabinet Mrs. Viotti and Dr. Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Nobel Peace laureate and Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO, for their important contributions to this meeting.

The ideas, principles and goals enshrined in the Declaration and Programme of Action on the Culture of Peace, as well as the follow-up UN GA Resolution 72/137, which Armenia co-sponsored, remain pivotal in addressing the many root causes of violent conflicts, which often stem from misperceptions and the lack of understanding across different sides of ethnic, political, religious and cultural divide.

Madam President,

Armenia welcomes the continued and consistent pursuit within the United Nations of the ideology of tolerance, dialogue and reconciliation as preconditions for peace. At the same time, one has to admit that the capacities of the international community to act in all situations of massive violations and conflicts, have been continuously and seriously tested. The irresponsibility of flaring hate speech, intolerance, racial and ethnic profiling, glorification of hate crimes, especially lead and encouraged by political leaders should be a concern to the entire international community and serve a clear early warning sign of potential conflict, mass atrocities and crimes against humanity, including the crime of genocide.

The International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime on the 9th of December, which was introduced by Armenia three years ago, continues to provide an important platform for a collective reflection on the millions of human faiths, hopes and aspirations that have been shattered by despicable brutality, violence and hatred. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Genocide Convention. Within the United Nations, Armenia has been leading the campaign to reinforce the implementation of the Convention. The fact that in seven decades since the adoption of this important legal instrument, the international community has encountered repeated recurrences of atrocity crimes, underscores how vital it is that we continue to take preventive collective actions.

Armenia remains fully committed to the promotion and practical implementation of the culture of peace and, to this end, we have been actively contributing to the international efforts aimed at preventing identity based discrimination and violence. Countering hate speech, intolerance and xenophobia was one of the main priorities of Armenia during its Chairmanship of the Council of Europe in 2013. Last year, Armenia, in partnership with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, held an international conference on the topic of preventing hate crimes against Christians and members of other religious groups.

Since 2015 Armenia has been regularly hosting a Global Forum against the Crime of Genocide, attended by political, public, religious, academic, civil society and media representatives from all over the world. The 2018 Global Forum will focus on the role of education and media in eliminating hatred, intolerance and xenophobia and we encourage all member states and all relevant bodies and entities of the United Nations to bring their participation.

Armenia has the privilege to host the 17th Summit of la Francophonie next month in Yerevan and has proposed the theme “Vivre Ensemble” - Living together in solidarity, sharing human values and respect for diversity”. The outcome document of the Summit aims to consolidate a collective pledge for strengthening solidarity, cooperation and intercultural dialogue to contribute to the cohesion of our societies in achieving peace, prosperity and stability.

I thank you, Madam President.

MFA RA
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