Statement by H.E. Mr. Mher Margaryan, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations, at the UNGA 76 Second Committee/General Debate

08 October, 2021

Madam Chair,

At the outset I would like to congratulate you and the members of the Bureau on the assumption of the leadership of the Second Committee and to assure you of my delegation’s full support to your efforts in guiding the work of the committee.

The global crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of deaths, affected the livelihoods of our societies and inflicted serious setback on the progress in achieving Sustainable Development Goals worldwide. It has deepened poverty and inequalities with disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable, including, women, children, persons with disabilities and people trapped in conflict situations and humanitarian crises.

The UN system plays an important role in coordinating the response of the international community to the health crisis and its socio-economic consequences. We appreciate the cooperation and support of the WHO, UNDP, UNICEF and other development partners in ensuring COVID-19 vaccine deployment to many countries, including Armenia through the COVAX facility and assisting Government’s socio-economic programs aimed at addressing the needs of the most vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development remains the blueprint for guiding the recovery efforts and building back better. With less than a decade to go, the international community needs to amplify its efforts and boost collective action to get back on track in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. On this path efficient and strong United Nations, equipped with adequate human and financial resources is of crucial importance to assist the governments in accelerating the achievement of their development goals.

Madam Chair,

The pandemic had a detrimental impact on the countries in special situations, including the landlocked developing countries, due to their systemic vulnerabilities. Efficient cooperation between the landlocked and transit countries and unblocking of all regional transport communications is key to remove political barriers for the free movement of people, goods and services and address the consequences of disruption of supply chains, travel restrictions and border closures. Accelerated implementation of the collective commitments undertaken by Vienna Programme of Action is crucial to address the structural constraints and special development challenges of the LLDCs and enable full utilization of their economic potential.

Incendiary and manipulative rhetoric and threats to use force by some to create so-called “corridors”, manifest continuation of policy of land blockade and unilateral coercive measures, run counter to international law and relevant arrangements and are detrimental to peace and sustainable development in our region.

Madam Chair,

Armenia is pursuing an ambitious and people-centered reform agenda, with special focus on human capital development, innovation, green technologies, good governance, combating corruption and reform of judiciary and has been synchronizing the SDGs with its priorities by incorporating them into the national policies and strategies.

The ongoing reforms are aimed at creating conducive environment for unlocking the untapped economic potential of our young people. The economic empowerment of women and youth is an important priority and our positive record in the area of ICT in particular significant level of women’s participation in the sector, where we have 40% of women’s involvement compared to 20% of international average, gives us confidence that we can take a leadership and bring our contribution to greater participation of women in science, technology and innovation worldwide, also in the framework of Action Coalition for “Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality” of the Generation Equality Forum.

The United Nations Development system is an important partner for Armenia in pursuing its reform agenda. The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Armenia and the UNDP country programme document for 2021-2025 set a new milestone for the extensive partnership between Armenia and the UN Development System. Guided by the national priorities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, these documents set a framework for promoting sustainable and inclusive socioeconomic development, fostering environmental sustainability and resilience, strengthening effective governance systems and advancing gender equality.

Madam Chair,

We look forward to fruitful deliberations within the Economic and Financial Committee to advance effective multilateral cooperation for achieving the SDGs in the Decade of Action.

Thank you.

MFA RA
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