On June 26, the Permanent Mission of Armenia inaugurated an exhibition dedicated to the 105th anniversary of the first Republic of Armenia, Armenian Foreign Ministry reports. The exhibition was organized in the United Nations Office in Geneva within the framework of the session of the Human Rights Council. The exhibition was entitled "Women in State Building".
The stands presented the role played by Armenian women in the social, political, religious, cultural and educational spheres during the first Republic of Armenia and in various other historical periods.
The Permanent Representative of Armenia, Ambassador Andranik Hovhannisyan, Director General of the UN Office in Geneva Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, Director of the UN Library and Archives Mr. Francesco Pisano delivered remarks at the opening ceremony. The speakers referred to the importance of empowering the women and ensuring equality of rights worldwide, presented episodes about the significant contribution of Armenian women in state building.
Ambassador Andranik Hovahannisyan introduced prominent Armenian women who made an important contribution to the development of the statehood, referred to the medieval Armenian legal texts to this end and dwelled upon the role and rights of Armenian women during the first republic. He also presented the achievements registered in Armenia in terms of empowerment of women.
Ambassador Hovhannisyan concluded his speech by drawing the attention of the audience to the statue of Mother Armenia depicted on the invitation card of the exhibition. He emphasized that it symbolizes the woman who protects the heart of Armenia, the capital Yerevan. She stands as an unwavering symbol of sovereignty, strength, peace and endurance.
Ambassadors of a number of countries, diplomats, officials of the UN Office in Geneva, representatives of the Armenian community were present at the exhibition. At the conclusion of the opening ceremony the guests tasted Armenian wines.
The exhibition was created, compiled and displaced last year in New York with the efforts of the Permanent Mission of Armenia at the United Nations headquarters.
The full version of Ambassador’s speech is below:
"Distinguished Director General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a particular pleasure for me to welcome you all at the opening of the exhibition on “Women in State Building”. I would specifically like to express my gratitude to the UNOG Director General Ms. Tatiana Valovaya for joining us today.
The exhibition we inaugurate is about the agency of the Armenian women, who have historically played a prominent role in all walks of our life. Last year the CEDAW welcomed Armenia’s “efforts on and commitment to peacebuilding, the consolidation of human rights, democratic institutions, the rule of law, and sustainable development.” We have already registered a number of achievements, such as the 35 percent women participation in the parliament, 52 percent women employment by the Foreign Ministry, one of the world record numbers of women participation in the IT sector, which is more than 40 percent now. We are determined to advance the empowerment of women stemming from all that we have registered so far and based on our historic legacy and culture.
This exhibition demonstrates only a fraction of the contribution that the Armenian women made to state building. Allow me to make several highlights.
There are numerous historic accounts that place the worship of goddess Anahit at the center of the ancient Armenian beliefs. One of the stands today depicts her story. According to one account, an Armenian king called goddess Anahit the pride and vitality of our nation, the source of life of Armenia.
Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301. The first saints of the Armenian church were women, and another stand of the exhibition tells their story.
The first codes of the Armenian church from the 4th and 5th centuries stipulated equality between women and men. They were further elaborated in the “Code of Laws” adopted in the 12th century. It prohibited forced marriage, violence against women, granted women the rights to divorce and to get married for the second time, ensured equal property and heritage rights both for women and men.
Numerous Armenian queens played crucial roles in the history of my nation. You will find the stories of the two of them in the exhibition stands. However, some historians count as much as around 150 Armenian queens and princesses. The first known Armenian queen that ruled the country was Erato. She lived in the first century, and Hellenistic-styled coins depicting her survived to this day. Many Armenian queens also were known to rule outside Armenia, most prominently in the Byzantine Empire and the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Fast forward to the modern era. As early as in 1773 a group of Armenian intellectuals drafted a constitution for the future Armenian state. It stipulated in particular that “each human being, whether of Armenian or another ethnicity, whether a man or a woman, born in Armenia or moved to Armenia, will live in equality. No one will have the rights to lord over another person”. I will take the risk to say that it very much sounds like the UDHR language.
105 years ago, in 1918 their dream come true, and Armenia restored its independence. This exhibition is dedicated to the celebration of that remarkable anniversary. The Republic was short-lived; however, it rendered an indelible impact on the development of the Armenian nation and society, including on the role of women in it. The Republic of Armenia was one of the first states to empower women with the right to vote and to be elected. It had three elected women in the Parliament.
Several days ago, we marked the International Day of Women in Diplomacy. It is not a widely known fact that one of the first ever woman diplomatic envoys accredited was the Ambassador of the First Republic of Armenia to Japan. You can find her photos and story on the stands.
Likewise, you can find on the stands the fascinating stories of the women educators, intellectuals, feminists, activists, journalists, innovators, human rights defenders, sport champions, peacekeepers, who enormously contributed to the development of the Armenian statehood.
In conclusion, I would like to draw your attention that the invitation to this exhibition features the statue of Mother Armenia – the woman who guards the heart of Armenia – its capital Yerevan, and who stands as an unshakable symbol of sovereignty, power, strength, peace and resilience.
Last but not least, I would like to appreciate the kind support and assistance of Mr. Francesco Pisano, Director of the United Nations Library and Archive in Geneva, Mr. Thomas Kryger, Cultural Activities Coordinator and their collogues. I would also like to acknowledge my colleagues of the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the UN in New York, who created, designed and put together this exhibition, which was first demonstrated last year at the UN headquarters.
Now, I would like to invite you to enjoy the exhibition as well as to taste the exquisite Armenian wine".
