Statement by H.E. Mr. Mher Margaryan, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN at a side event on “The 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Marking achievements, rethinking challenges”

10 December, 2018

Thank you for taking part in today’s event sponsored by the Mission of Armenia to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the UDHR which is the International Human Rights Day.
I would like to mention that this year marks also the 70th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and it was commemorated last Friday with the remarks from the Secretary General, the PGA and the UN Special Representative for Genocide Prevention.

70 years ago, the international community made a decisive step towards the universal commitment of protecting and promoting human rights. Through the adoption of the HR declaration the General Assembly defined the set of fundamental norms and values upon which the coming generations would develop international legal instruments. During those seventy years, the Human Rights Declaration has become the central reference point for the promotion and protection of human rights in the world, the main intergovernmental document for advancing human rights policies domestically and internationally.

Another such landmark document which was born from core ideals around protecting individuals and groups from atrocities and preventing the crimes against humanity was the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

We also take this opportunity to thoroughly reflect on the links and synergies between these milestone documents and the vision behind them.

Armenia has been a proponent and advocate of upholding human rights internationally, through its participation in relevant UN bodies and instruments, as well as sponsoring and supporting resolutions and initiatives that address injustices and impunity, protect vulnerable populations, and strengthen adherence to international human rights law.
Since 1998 Armenia has been consistently working within the UN towards raising awareness of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and of the continued risks and challenges related to atrocity crimes.
We in Armenia, whose people survived the first genocide of the 20th century, feel special responsibility to make an effective and sustained contribution to international efforts for the prevention of atrocity crimes.
In 2015 within the Human Rights Council Armenia initiated a resolution on the Prevention of Genocide which was adopted unanimously. Armenia continued this initiative in the UN General Assembly by introducing the resolution on designating 9 December as International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this crime, the most egregious violations of individual and collective human rights.

This year in March, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, adopted by consensus another resolution on Prevention of Genocide, initiated by Armenia as an expression of decisive and continuous international commitment to the prevention of the crime of Genocide. The resolution which welcomed the launch of the appeal by the Special Adviser Adama Dieng for the universal ratification of the Convention also reaffirms that fight against impunity and denialism is an important factor in preventing future atrocities.

These efforts add to Armenia’s continued commitment to the mutually reinforcing agendas on genocide prevention and the promotion and protection of human rights.

Dear friends,

Since May this year, the new Government of Armenia, empowered by the overwhelming support and mandate from the people, brought about by the Armenian Velvet Revolution, has embarked on the implementation of the reform agenda aimed at protection and promotion of human rights and freedoms, strengthening democracy and the rule of law, independence of judiciary, fighting corruption and promoting equal and fair conditions for participation in political, economic and social life.

Conducting genuinely free and fair elections were at the top of the Government’s priorities and were exemplified by the Parliamentary elections held in Armenia yesterday as testified and reported by international observers and media outlets. Upholding the rule of law, and fostering meaningful participation in civic life, on behalf of all groups, including women and youth, are fundamental for fostering peaceful and resilient societies.

Armenia strives to translate these priorities into actions in our domestic agenda as well as internationally. With this in mind, Armenia will campaign for Human Rights Council membership for the years 2020-22. We are committed to the promotion of human rights in the context of SDGs, fostering cooperation on the prevention of genocides and other mass atrocities, as well as awareness raising and education initiatives. Today the 3rd Global Forum on Prevention of Genocide is being held in Yerevan with the participation of renowned international experts in the field focusing on the role of education and media in preventing violence and atrocities.

While drafting the concept of this side event we wanted to bring together academic perspectives to draw a conceptual framework and to see how the pressing issues of human rights protection are perceived from different angles.

Today, we hope to address these issues against the background of ongoing debates on UN reform and the roles of the United Nations, its relevant bodies, procedures and instruments in promoting human rights. The coherent work within the UN system as well as sound cooperation with other global and regional organizations and initiatives is crucial for promoting peaceful-coexistence, dialogue and advancement of human rights.

We look forward to hearing about various experiences regarding the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as discussing the impacts of democratic transformations and rule of law on processes of reconciliation and peaceful dialogue among and within nations.

MFA RA
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