Statement by H.E. Ambassador Mher Margaryan at the UN Security Council Open Debate, entitled ''Women and peace and security: Towards the 25th anniversary of Resolution 1325''

07 March, 2023

Madam President,

I would like to congratulate Mozambique on assuming the Presidency of the Council for the month of March and to express appreciation for convening this timely debate. We thank the Executive Director of UN-Women, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross and other speakers for their valuable contributions to today’s discussion.

Armenia is committed to efforts for advancing the role of women in peace and security. To this end, Armenia has recently adopted the second National Action Plan on the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution 1325, which has a particular focus on ensuring inclusive engagement of women affected by conflict. The National Action Plan for 2022-2024 sets comprehensive objectives to address issues, such as increased involvement of women in the armed forces and police system, upholding the protection of the social and economic rights of women and girls affected by armed conflicts, as well as promoting awareness-raising and effective international cooperation in this regard.

In our region, we are still faced with the consequences of the unprovoked, brutal violence launched by Azerbaijan in 2020, which continues to take lives and bring devastation, displacement and human suffering, and which has been inflicting disproportionate impacts on women and girls. During the large-scale military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, among hardest hit were the women trapped between war and pandemic. Conducted in gross violation of the international humanitarian law, Azerbaijan’s armed attacks involved massive bombardments, artillery and missile strikes that heavily damaged a number of medical facilities, including a maternity hospital. In September 2022, Azerbaijan launched yet another criminal attack targeting densely populated areas in Armenia and civilian infrastructure, having captured, tortured and executed female soldiers, while the videos of such unspeakable atrocities have been cheered and extensively celebrated over the Azerbaijani social networks.

As we speak, a population of 120,000 people continues to be trapped in the conditions of the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor imposed since 12 December 2022, which has essentially disrupted the only lifeline connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the outer world.

The Amnesty International, in its publication of February 2023, has reported on the magnitude of the blockade’s disproportionate impact upon the women in Nagorno-Karabakh, who have to face a multitude of challenges, including in terms of access to healthcare and essential services. 86 days into Azerbaijan’s barbaric medieval siege, mothers and children in Nagorno-Karabakh continue to be revealed as the main targets of the blockade, as the disruption in cargo and supply chains has affected families with young children the most, with the risk of malnourishment and even starvation becoming a real problem.

Madam President,

Two weeks ago, the International Court of Justice indicated provisional measures, according to which Azerbaijan shall “take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions”. To this date, Azerbaijan has failed to implement the Court’s legally binding Order, engaging, instead, in manipulative interpretations, distortions and fabrications, which, as we have seen, have little value in the court of law.

Equally disturbing are the attempts to instrumentalize the issue of POWs and civilian captives, whose return Azerbaijan continues to deny, in defiance of the Geneva Conventions and the Provisional Measures issued by the International Court of Justice in December 2021, inflicting severe distress on the mothers, wives and families of those held in captivity, who have been going through trauma and pain for over two years since the establishment of ceasefire and termination of hostilities.

23 years into the inception of the Security Council resolution 1325, women continue to be at increased risk of injustices and inequalities. Outbreaks of violence, complex humanitarian emergencies and their disproportionate impacts on women and girls have clearly demonstrated that the United Nations needs to reequip itself to better deliver on its prevention function and on the women, peace and security agenda.

I thank you.

MFA RA
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