Today at UN House, a joint press conference was held to announce the launching of 2013 "16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence" campaign in Armenia.   

The conference was attended by Mr. Bradley Busetto, the UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia, as well as heads of delegations from the US embassy, the European Union Delegation, the OSCE and the Council of Europe.

Mr. Busetto opened the press conference and greeted the participants. He also read the joint statement of the parties in support to the recent decision adopted by the Women Council under the Prime Minister. The latter voiced a call, inter alia, to ensure the effective implementation of the law “On Provision of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Women and Men.”

Garik Hayrapetyan, UNFPA Assistant Representative presented this year’s campaign calendar including: a march against violence towards women, voicing issues related to 16 Days Of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in Armenian National Assembly, numerous discussions, screening of a documentary on the issue of sexual violence in Armenia, photo exhibition, interactive forum theatre performance, etc.

“Elimination of gender based violence and ensuring gender equality is crucial for development of any society in the world – will it be economic, political, social or any other area of development”, said Mr. Busetto during the press conference.

At the end of the press conference the participants were invited to a photo exhibition devoted to empowerment of women, at the UN Hall.

The “16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence” is an international campaign that runs from November 25 to December 10, International Human Rights Day. It includes two global campaigns: 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence and the White Ribbon Campaign. Since 1991, more than 3,700 organizations in 164 countries have participated in the 16 Days Campaign. The campaign has been held in Armenia since 2001.

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, representatives of the UN, US, EU, OSCE and Council of Europe Office in Yerevan welcome the 22 November statement of the Women’s Council chaired by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia reaffirming the Government’s commitment to gender equality.

"We highly commend the determination of the Women’s Council to adhere to Armenia’s international commitments on gender equality, including the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Types of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), to which Armenia is signatory since 1993.  We also encourage Armenia’s signature of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence.

Furthermore we also support the Council’s call to ensure the effective implementation of the law “On Provision of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Women and Men.”

We also support the call to the law-enforcement bodies to undertake all the necessary measures to prevent and prosecute intimidation of individuals and organizations working on gender equality and women's rights.

We acknowledge the Armenian Government’s efforts towards harmonization of domestic legislation with international standards, as well as implementation of provisions and commitments of international legal documents to which Armenia is party.       

Gender equality is a cornerstone of democratic governance and sustainable development.  We reiterate our willingness and determination to support the Government of Armenia in the further implementation of legislation on non-discrimination and equal rights and opportunities of men and women".