RA Deputy FM reaffirms Armenia`s commitment to protection of women`s  rights 

ArmInfo. On November 19, at the 46th Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie convened in Kigali, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Robert Abisoghomonyan participated and delivered remarks at the discussion entitled "30 Years after the Beijing Conference: The Contribution of Women in the Francophone World".

In his remarks, the Deputy Foreign Minister particularly noted:

"Madam President, 

Madam Secretary General,

Excellencies, 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, I would like to express my gratitude to the Republic  of Rwanda for its warm hospitality.

The 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and  Platform for Action at the Fourth World Conference on Women provides  an important opportunity to take stock of progress achieved, to  discuss the remaining challenges and the ways to overcome them. The  Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action continue to serve as  essential guiding frameworks for the full realization of the rights  of women and girls and for advancing their participation across all  spheres of public life. It is encouraging that, over the years, these  frameworks have been complemented by other significant initiatives  and our Organization has not remained apart from this process.

Following the Summit of the International Organization of La  Francophonie held in Yerevan in 2018, the Strategy for gender  equality and the promotion of rights and empowerment of women and  girls was adopted, reiterating our commitment in this regard, while  also underscoring the importance of implementing targeted initiatives  by La Francophonie.  

I would like to reaffirm Armenia's commitment to the protection of  women's rights and the promotion of women's leadership. The efforts  undertaken have resulted in a notable increase in both the  quantitative and qualitative participation of women across various  spheres of governance in Armenia. Women currently comprise 30% of the  members of the Government. For the first time in our history, we have  a woman serving as Minister of Internal Affairs and a woman  Prosecutor General. The newly established Foreign Intelligence  Service of Armenia is also headed by a woman, as is the Office of the  Human Rights Defender.  The number of women Members of Parliament in  the National Assembly of Armenia has also been steadily increasing  over the years, currently exceeding 36%.

Armenia actively advances the Women, Peace and Security agenda both  internationally and at the national level. We have already finalized  the work on Armenia's Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and  Security. The Plan, entitled "Contributing to Global Efforts for  Securing Peace", reaffirms the importance of the peace agenda,  including through the implementation of commitments undertaken within  the Women, Peace and Security framework.

Excellencies,

Women play an essential role in peacebuilding, in overcoming the  consequences of conflicts and in restoring an atmosphere of trust and  advancing reconciliation processes. As you are aware, on August 8, in  Washington, the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the United States  signed a Joint Declaration, and the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and  Azerbaijan initialled the Peace Agreement between our two countries.  This marked the establishment of peace between Armenia and  Azerbaijan, bringing an end to a long-standing conflict. It also  created an opportunity to engage societies, including civil society  and women's organizations, in post-conflict recovery and  confidence-building efforts.

In speaking about the full realization of women's potential, it is  essential to highlight the need for capacity-building and ensuring  the fundamental right to education.

In this vein, we place great importance on the "La Francophonie avec  Elles'' programme established on the initiative of the Secretary  General of La Francophonie. Launched in the midst of the global  health crisis to support women, the programme has demonstrated its  effectiveness and relevance and remains in operation today. I welcome  the fact that, for the first time since its creation, two Armenian  civil society organizations have become beneficiaries of the  programme, with their projects aimed at supporting women, including  displaced women, through education, training and the development of  essential skills.

In conclusion, it is with satisfaction that I note that we will be  adopting a rather ambitious document - the Kigali Call - which also  obliges us to redouble our individual and collective efforts to  translate it into tangible results.  I thank you."