Statement by Mr. Mher Margaryan, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of Armenia to the UN, at the UNGA72 Plenary Meeting Item 132: The Responsibility to Protect and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity

02 հուլիսի, 2018

Madam President,

The debate on the “Responsibility to Protect” in the formal agenda of the 72nd session is an important opportunity to address the issues of prevention of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity through open and inclusive dialogue.

We express our appreciation to the Secretary General for sharing his vision for a collective action and welcome this year’s focus of the report ”From Early Warning to Early Action".
We want to emphasize the importance of having a forthright and candid reflection on the concept of the “Responsibility to protect” to ensure that varying interpretations and skepticism towards certain aspects of the concept do not undermine joint efforts in protection of the populations at risk. Constructive engagement of the membership in addressing the concerns and disagreements is of great importance.

The Secretary General’s report once again emphasizes that the responsibility to protect challenges us to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, when too little was done to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity and protect vulnerable populations.

We reiterate our full support and appreciation to the Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, Special Adviser Mr. Adama Dieng, and the former Special Adviser on R2P, Ivan Šimonović, for their work and dedication.

Armenia recognizes the crucial role of Special Advisers in monitoring and reporting the situations where atrocity risks exist. In this context, we would like to note the importance of detecting and addressing manifestations of hate speech, racism and xenophobia, as well as unhindered war mongering propaganda in assessing specific country situations.

Armenia has consistently emphasized the priority of early prevention, which includes sufficient capacity to identify early warning signs of situations, which, if not addressed, may lead to deteriorations and to perpetration of massive crimes.

In international fora, it has been Armenia’s long-standing policy to strongly advocate for the protection of the rights of ethnic, national and religious groups and denounce identity based violence and atrocities. To this end, Armenia, together with other countries has co-organized a number of events in recent years, including in the framework of the UN Human Rights Council and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Last November, Yerevan hosted the OSCE conference entitled “Countering and Preventing hate crimes against Christians and members of other religious groups”.

Madam President,

The respective recommendations in the report, concerning the existing human rights mechanisms, such as the special procedures of the Human Rights Council, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review process, deserve careful attention and application, as they are well positioned to have a crucial role and positive impact in early prevention.

Armenia has been continuously promoting the notion of early response, precisely in the context of prevention. Our track record is well known. The resolutions adopted within the Human Rights Council serve the purpose of elaboration of preventive strategies against the crime of genocide. In March this year, the Human Rights Council adopted, by consensus, a resolution on “Prevention of Genocide” initiated by Armenia, which urges all States to implement accepted universal periodic review recommendations related to the prevention of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

To make atrocity prevention operational, it is essential that the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide provide States with guidance, assistance and follow-up, as reflected in the resolution.

Madam President,

The proclamation of 9 December as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime is a manifestation of an important consensus within the international community to prevent recurrence of atrocity crimes.

Since 2015, Armenia has been regularly hosting Global Forum Against the Crime of Genocide, attended by public, religious, academic, civil society and media representatives from across the world. Later this year, the Global Forum will focus on the role that education and media can play in preventing identity-based crimes and countering denialism. We encourage all member states and all relevant United Nations entities to bring their contribution.

Madam President,

2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the Genocide prevention, which is yet another milestone to reaffirm our collective determination to fight impunity for the crime of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary, Armenia has proposed and supported the launch of a determined UN-wide campaign for awareness raising of the Convention and its universalization.

As a country that has been consistently advancing the issue of prevention of genocide, including within the United Nations, Armenia will continue to exert resolute efforts in promoting consolidated international action aimed at prevention and accountability for atrocity crimes.

Thank you.

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