INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON "PERSPECTIVES TO REACH GENDER EQUALITY IN ARMENIA: POLITICAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS"

armradio.am
21.12.2009 18:50

A three-day international conference on "Perspectives to reach gender
equality in Armenia: political and legal aspects" opened today in
Tsakhkadzor Writers’ Union House. It was jointly organized by the
Association of Women with University Education (AWUE), the United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Open Society Institute Assistance
Foundation-Armenia.

The conference is conducted under the auspices of the RoA National
Assembly, the UN Armenia and OSCE Yerevan offices.

The draft of the RoA law "On provision of Equal Rights and Equal
Opportunities for Women and Men," drafts of the RoA Gender Policy
Concept and its implementation strategy, as well as reports on the UN
strategy and the European institutional policy in the field of gender
equality were presented to the participants for further discussion.

At the opening of the conference, Ms. Arevik Petrosyan, the
Vice-Chairman of the RoA National Assembly, Ms. Laylee Moshiri, the
UN Resident Coordinator a.i., Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, Head of OSCE
Office in Yerevan, as well as Ms. Jemma Hasratyan, the President of
AWUE welcomed the participants.

Welcoming the guests,Ms. Laylee Moshiri. said, "Although the
principles of equal rights and equal opportunities are reflected in
major international agreements, there is still a long way to go to
ensure due enforcement of these principles in real life. This is a
reality for the countries worldwide, as well as for Armenia.

Gender-related stereotypes, domestic violence and discrimination
persist, and women remain largely underrepresented in top
decision-making on all levels and all branches of the government."

She further stressed that "We, the United Nations family, are
standing by to support the National Assembly, the Government of
Armenia and the civil society to promote gender equality. This work
is a shared responsibility, and the joint initiatives of UN Agencies,
the National Assembly, the government and the civil society are an
important manifestation of this effort."

The conference featured participation of parliamentarians,,
representatives of the RoA Government, political parties, and the
civil society, as well as prominent scientists, experts and public
figures from Armenia and other CIS countries.