ARMENIA BEGINS IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Dec 12 2006

YEREVAN, December 12. /ARKA/. Armenia has begun implementation of
signed international conventions, UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia
Consuelo Vidal reported at the seminar discussion on the topic "Human
Rights and the Armenian Reality" dedicated to the poverty reduction
issue in Armenia.

She pointed out that Armenia signed a number of important international
agreements, particularly the convention on political and civil rights,
UN social and cultural convention, the convention against tortures
and other cruel inhumane or humiliating manners of treatment,
the convention on eradication of discrimination against women,
the convention against racial discrimination and the convention on
children’s rights protection. "All these documents create a necessary
legislative fundament for implementing the activity within the
frameworks of human rights protection in the country," she said.

Vidal reported that different criteria by which the poverty reduction
activity is implemented in Armenia are rather positive. However,
it should be remembered that there are still many people living on
the verge of poverty despite all the achievements in the country.

"The rights of this vulnerable group are not observed, such as their
right for education and a high state of welfare," she said and added
that when man’s urgent needs are not satisfied and her or she lives
in poverty, they cannot protect their rights.

The UN coordinator believes that the government must ensure human
rights protection. The UNO first of all urges the country’s authorities
to continue its work and create such an environment that would promote
human rights protection and combat against poverty. "We are ready to
give necessary support and assistance with this process," she said.

The seminar discussion on the topic "Human Rights and the Armenian
Reality", dedicated to the international day of human rights, was
held in Armenia on December 9 under the motto "Poverty Reduction".

The activity was organized by the Armenian Ombudsman’s office in
association with the UNO Office in Armenia, OSCE and the British
Councils. The participants particularly were Armenian Ombudsman Armen
Harutunyan, Speaker of the Armenian parliament Tigran Sargsyan, OSCE
Chairman Vladimir Pryakhin, Chairman of the Armenian Constitutional
Court Gagik Harutunyan and representatives of a number of NGOs.

December 10 has been marked as Human Rights Day since 1950.