Intervention by Third Secretary of the Mission of Armenia, at the Interactive Dialogue with the Chair of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances and the Chair-Rapporteur of[...]

Mr. Chair,

Armenia welcomes the efforts aimed at encouraging ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, as reflected in the Report of the Secretary-General.

Last year, during the First World Congress on Enforced Disappearances, Armenia presented voluntary pledges, reaffirming its commitment to further strengthen victim support programs, including through socio-economic, psychological, and legal assistance for the families of the disappeared. We also pledged to establish a national register of disappeared persons, developed in close consultation with families and civil society, ensuring inclusivity, accuracy, while maintaining strict data privacy restrictions. We would like to underline the crucial importance of prevention, protection, accountability, and genuine international cooperation, grounded in meaningful engagement of all stakeholders.

The issues of people going missing are organically linked to the way states and parties to armed conflict conduct hostilities and treat their own citizens and those of adversary. Determination of the fate of missing persons is anchored on the right to truth.

In our region, number of outstanding humanitarian issues are yet to be resolved. Armenia attaches high importance to the operationalization of Paragraph IX on missing persons and enforced disappearances in the framework of the initialed Agreement on Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

I thank you.