On October 24, in celebration of the UN day the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the UN, in partnership with the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), organized a performance at the UN Headquarters, attended by a large number of delegates of the UN member states, representatives of the UN agencies, academia and civil society.

Fusing traditional Armenian performance art with modern dance interpretation, the event featured a preview of the world debut of HOKIS, a musical spectacle showcasing the talents of young participants of two of AGBU’s partner programs in Armenia: the AGBU Nork Children’s Center and the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies. Premiering on October 28 at the New York City Center, HOKIS is a reinterpretation of Armenian traditions at the cutting edge of the digital and performing arts.

The performance opened with the remarks delivered by the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, the Chief of Adolescent Development and Participation Unit of UNICEF Judith Diers, and the Creative Director of HOKIS, French Armenian filmmaker Patrick Malakian.

“The UN is about the future, and the future of children. They are inheriting the world from us and this should remind us that we all have a duty”, Ambassador Mnataskanyan noted in his welcoming remarks.