On September 6, Armenia participated in the pledging event organized by Amnesty International and the International Service for Human Rights for the UN Human Rights Council candidate countries. The event was attended by the UN member states and representatives of civil society. 

The Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN Mher Margaryan presented priorities and pledges of Armenia for the Human Rights Council for the term of 2020-2022. He underlined, that Armenia’s aspiration to become a member of the Human Rights Council for the first time is anchored on the premise that human rights are universal and interdependent and on Armenia’s significant progress in the fields of democracy and human rights. 

The Permanent Representative of Armenia mentioned that following the Velvet Revolution the Government of Armenia has embarked on the implementation of a comprehensive and ambitious reform programme, aimed at making the process of strengthening democratic institutions and protection of human rights irreversible. Touching upon the priorities of Armenia, Margaryan underscored prevention of genocide and other mass atrocities and presented the track record of Armenia’s initiatives in this regard within the UN, including in the Human Rights Council. Referring to the role of the civil society in implementation of reforms the Permanent Representative stressed the importance of cooperation with civil society organizations. 

During the event the Permanent Representative of Armenia addressed the questions raised by the UN member states and representatives of the civil society.