On 11 April Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations, Mher Margaryan participated at the United Nations Security Council open debate on “United Nations peacekeeping operations: Women in peacekeeping”. The debate chaired by the German Federal Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen featured around 70 delegations of Member States. At the opening of the meeting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres mentioned that “we need to do far more to ensure that women’s rights, women’s voices and women’s participation are at the centre of peacekeeping decision-making”.

In his statement Ambassador Margaryan underlined that the Government of Armenia attaches particular importance to the promotion of women’s representation in all areas of public life. He noted that the involvement of women in peacekeeping missions is among the priorities of reforms implemented by the Armenian Armed Forces and presented the steps taken by Armenia aimed at increasing the number of women peacekeepers in UN  peacekeeping operations.

As the next year will mark the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on Women Peace and Security, Mher Margaryan referred to the National Action Plan on the implementation of the Resolution 1325 adopted by the Government of Armenia in February this year.

The Permanent Representative of Armenia highlighted the important role of non-governmental organizations and women-led initiatives in conflict resolution and peace-building efforts.