Statement by H.E. Mher Margaryan, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations at the UNGA High-level meeting on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

21 November, 2019

Mr President,

Thirty years ago, member states made a global commitment to uphold the rights of children, by agreeing on a minimum set of rules and obligations to protect them from violence and abuse and to create an enabling environment for their harmonious development.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Convention, Armenia presented to the Committee on the rights of the Child its pledges with a number of measurable actions to address the most pressing issues for the comprehensive realisation of the rights of all children. Armenia has also joined the Voluntary Global pledge on “Every Child, every right” which was launched by the Group of Friends on Children and SDGs.

The Strategic Program of the Republic of Armenia for protection of the rights of the child aims at addressing their needs by improving the protection systems, guarantying inclusive and accessible education for children with disabilities and preventing violence against them. One of the important developments in terms of social protection of children has been the Government’s decision on free universal health coverage for all under the age of 18 and allocation of financial resources for this purpose.

As a traditional co-sponsor of the General Assembly resolution on the Rights of the Child, we are pleased that this year the issue of the children without parental care has been a thematic focus of the resolution. One of the key priorities of the Armenian Government in the area of the rights of the child is the de-institutionalization of children and comprehensive reforms to this end. The logic and philosophy behind the reforms is the firm conviction that every child has the right to live in the family. The Government has launched programs and strategies that would prevent children from ending up in residential care facilities by supporting families and facilitating their access to social services. The law enforcement agencies have recently taken decisive steps to address violation of the national legislation in the process of adoption.

We work closely with international partners and civil society organizations to address the remaining gaps in legislation and practice on a number of pertaining issues, such as data collection on children outside schools and organising education for juvenile offenders in penitentiary institutions.

Mr. President,

Armenia attaches utmost importance to the protection of children in conflict situations. Violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law put children living in conflict areas under multiple risks and impede their basic human rights, such as right to life and right to education. Armenia is a strong advocate for universal ratification of the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict. We also believe that multilateral instruments, such as the Paris Principles, the Paris Commitments and the Vancouver principles, as well as the Safe School Declaration set conducive framework to amplify the efforts of protection of children and advancing their rights.

The 30 year anniversary is a moment of candid reflection on the actions we’ve undertaken throughout this period to protect often the most vulnerable part of population and scale up actions to ensure safe, secure and peaceful future for children.

Thank you.

MFA RA
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