On July 16, at the UN Headquarters, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, who is in New York as a part of the delegation headed by First Deputy Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, participated in “Investing in Disaster Risk Reduction to Build Sustainable and Resilient Societies” high-level panel, co-hosted by Armenia, Colombia, Mongolia, Switzerland and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

In his remarks Foreign Minister presented Armenia’s vision on the Sustainable Development Agenda and Disaster Risk Reduction Priorities as enshrined in the Sendai Conference Declaration and steps undertaken in that direction. The Minister mentioned that Armenia greatly values this international platform created by the United Nations which provides an opportunity to exchange expertise and share best skills in disaster risk reduction. “The region from where we come from can share both tragic experiences of natural disasters and the examples of global and regional cooperation in tackling their consequences. In our case Armenia experienced the devastating earthquake exactly 30 years ago. Based on our regional experiences, we know that disaster risk reduction can and should also serve as a strong confidence-building tool to prompt cooperation among the people and societies.”

Touching upon the 2nd Central Asia and South Caucasus Sub-regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction held in Yerevan in June 26-27, and the adopted Yerevan Declaration, Foreign Minister of Armenia noted: “One of the most important messages of the Declaration is about the emphasis on regional cooperation for strengthening disaster resilience in particular for data sharing, capacity building, and exchange of expertise. Needless to say that disasters do not respect borders and therefore effective responses to them require genuine trans-boundary cooperation. “

Minister Mnatsakanyan informed the attendees that on April 2017 the Government of Armenia approved new National Strategy on Disaster Risk Management (DRM), based on the outcomes of DRM capacity assessment in line with SDGs and the priorities of Sendai declaration outlining the main imperatives in disaster risk reduction and resilience building. “Among fundamental principles enshrined in the document is the people-centric approach that should drive DRR actions from central government to communities.

In conclusion, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan noted “I want to reiterate the significance of international and regional cooperation for investing in effective disaster risk reduction. I would also highlight the importance of the regional platforms that serve as viable mechanisms in this regard with the inclusion of all stockholders including through public-private partnerships.”

The remarks of the speakers were followed by commentary and Q&A session during which the Foreign Minister of Armenia answered a number of questions of the participants.