Opening remarks by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan at the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Feminist Foreign Policy:
Dear Ministers, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a privilege to be here in Paris – a city whose essence embodies liberty and equality – on this very important agenda with this very important topic.
I have come here to express my strong solidarity with this agenda and with all of you personally, my solidarity as a Minister, my solidarity as a human being, and my solidarity as a man.
So allow me to begin by expressing my appreciation to Minister Jean-Noël Barrot for convening this important conference on feminist foreign policies, as well as to the Government of France for its leadership in advancing women’s rights and promoting a diplomacy grounded in inclusion and peace.
As we approach the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, we face a difficult paradox. We possess a robust international framework that recognizes both the disproportionate impact of conflicts on women and their indispensable role in peacebuilding. Yet, the gap between principle and practice remains wide – and, tragically, widening.
Across the world – from Ukraine and the Middle East to Africa and beyond – we are witnessing the devastating human cost of this failure. Women continue to feel the consequences of conflict, bearing a heavy burden of loss and insecurity.
For Armenia, the title of our gathering – “The Time for Peace Has Come” – carries profound meaning. Peace has just been established between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ending the long-lasting conflict, full of blood, violence, loss of human lives, displacement and very deep trauma. The two countries are now trying to institutionalize the peace and normalize the relations, passing through the difficult path of reconciliation.
So, I come from a region where women – mothers, wives, sisters and daughters – have suffered, experienced severe consequences of conflict, the loss of life of their beloved ones. And today it is very compelling and emotional to speak about their important role in promoting the idea of regional reconciliation in our society. Emotional, because each of us knows the hardships they have gone through. Compelling, because with the peace agenda we have adopted today, we are trying to address and prevent such hardships, such loss in the future.
I am sure that those women in Armenia listening to me at this moment share the belief that peace is the key – the key to preventing those losses for future generations. And I am also confident that those women, whether consciously or instinctively, feel the unique role they have in the difficult mission of promotion of peace at times when the wounds are still very fresh and painful. The state stands firmly by their side.
Dear colleagues,
Even in the face of profound hardships, the challenges have not weakened but strengthened our resolve to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment as one of the fundamental measures to uphold human rights and democracy and a foundation for sustainable development and social progress. From combating gender-based violence and discrimination to advancing opportunities for women and girls in education, sciences, technology, and engineering, our efforts encompass every sector of public life. Once dominated by men, now the country’s tech sector employs 30 percent women, larger than the 20 percent global average. Overall, Armenian women scientists make up nearly 52% of researchers in Armenia, significantly exceeding the global average of 30%.
Today, women already hold 36 per cent of seats in our National Assembly. Key institutions traditionally dominated by men – including the Ministries of Justice and Internal Affairs, as well as the Office of the Prosecutor General and recently established Intelligence Service – are now led by women.
Armenia is firmly committed to advancing women’s leadership and equal participation in diplomatic service. The percentage of women in Armenia's diplomatic service is 44.4 percent and this number is growing, continuing the legacy of Diana Abgar, an Armenian diplomat of the early 1900s, one of the first women in modern diplomacy and a proud representative of Armenia’s enduring belief in women’s leadership. Yet this progress is not merely statistical. Being a merit-based approach, it represents a profound cultural shift toward a more equitable and, therefore, more resilient and efficient state.
This domestic transformation also shapes our international engagement. This has been demonstrated in:
- our co-sponsorship of the United Nations General Assembly resolution proclaiming the International Day of Women in Diplomacy in 2022,
- our active engagement in UN Women’s flagship Generation Equality initiative,
- Armenia’s joining the “Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality” Action Coalition.
Of course, one of the most significant and, indeed, tangible expressions of this understanding is Armenia’s newly adopted Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, which carries the title “Investing in Global Efforts to Establish Peace.” It is firmly rooted in the recognition that peace is not an abstract aspiration but a lived experience, notably in border communities, in the process of refugee integration, and in the voices and leadership of women.
Excellencies,
Much has undoubtedly been achieved, yet much remains to be done, as the path to progress is never complete. We remain committed to this process, steadfast in our conviction that true progress can only be achieved when the principles of equality and democracy are fully realized and transformed into lasting foundations for peace and sustainable development.
I wish all the participants of this conference productive discussions!
Thank you.
