HRC 49th Session: Item 3 – General Debate Delivered by H.E. Mr. Andranik Hovhannisyan, Permanent Representative - Embassy of Armenia to Switzerland and Permanent Mission of Armenia to the UN office at Geneva

HRC 49th Session: Item 3 – General Debate Delivered by H.E. Mr. Andranik Hovhannisyan, Permanent Representative

16 March, 2022

March 16, 2022

HRC 49^th Session: Item 3 – General Debate

Delivered by H.E. Mr. Andranik Hovhannisyan, Permanent Representative

President,

Armenia thanks the OHCHR for the report on Good practices and challenges faced by States in using the guidelines on the effective implementation of the right to participate in public affairs. Armenia has undertaken certain measures directed towards effective implementation of the right to participate in public affairs, including through introducing electoral quotas for women and national minorities. Armenia has further taken measures to make voting process more accessible for persons with disabilities.

Armenia also appreciates the OHCHR report on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. Armenia is a strong proponent for the human rights solutions protecting minority groups, anchored on the UN Charter and our core international human rights instruments. We are convinced that it is the compulsory minimum that should be complemented by the vigorous regional arrangements, vibrant national human rights institutions, and active civil society.

In the context of promotion and protection of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, Armenia deems important access to justice and effective redress. In our view, those two are the most important prerequisites to maintaining rule of law, ensuring accountability and democratic order, as well as reinforcing public trust in institutions and governance systems.

Armenia welcomes the OHCHR report on freedom of opinion and expression. The Human Rights Council has reaffirmed the importance of access to the Internet for the protection of human rights. We are glad to note that last year again Armenia was ranked as a free country according to the Freedom on the Net index. Notwithstanding the difficulties caused by the pandemic and the devastating war, Armenia continues its adherence to the democratic norms. According to most recent Democracy Index published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Armenia was ranked as a leader of the region, including in such areas as pluralism, political participation and civil liberties.

President,

We are convinced that lasting and sustainable peace cannot be established through uninhibited and sheer force, grave violations of the international human rights law and international humanitarian law. Azerbaijan has been openly declaring for long that a might make the right, and that is an approach that Armenia categorically and vehemently rejects.

It has already been more than a week that Azerbaijan blew up the gas pipeline that supplies Nagorno Karabakh. Azerbaijan, thus, attempts to impose unbearable living conditions upon indigenous people of Nagorno Karabakh and squeeze them out of their homeland. The latter has mountainous terrain, and at this very moment as we have this discussion, more than 120 000 people there are deprived of heating and are freezing due to the collective punishment policy pursued by Azerbaijan.

Armenia already had the opportunities at this Council to refer at length to this dire humanitarian situation. We call upon our colleagues not to turn a blind eye to these egregious human rights violations.

I thank you.

MFA RA
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