On August 2, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations, Mher Margaryan participated in the United Nations Security Council open debate on “Children and armed conflict”. Close to 80 delegations took part in the meeting presided by the Foreign Minister of Poland, Jacek Czaputowicz. Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba and Executive Director of UNICEF Henrietta Fore briefed on the issues of protection of children in conflict situations.

In his statement Mher Margaryan underscored that Armenia prioritizes the protection of children’s rights and referred to the steps undertaken by Armenia to ensure safety of schools located in border regions, including creation of safe rooms and shelters in cooperation with the International Committee of Red Cross. 

The Ambassador drew the attention of the Council to the deliberate targeting of civilian population and infrastructure of Nagorno-Karabakh and bordering regions of Armenia, as a result of which civilians and children had been killed and injured. He emphasized that rejecting the creation of an investigative mechanism to identify cease-fire violations, which would contribute to reducing the risks to life of civilians and children, is beyond any justification.

The Permanent Representative of Armenia also underlined the importance of free and unimpeded humanitarian access to conflict areas as vital for ensuring protection of children.