Mirzoyan: Women's Role in Reconciliation Cannot Be Underestimated

Within the framework of the 4th Ministerial Conference on Feminist Diplomacy, held under the theme "The Time for Peace Has Come," RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan participated in the panel discussion "Feminist Foreign Policy for Peace and Security."

"First of all, I ask you, dear women, not to judge me too harshly, but for us, this agenda is not about numbers; it is about human rights and democracy. In short, it is about equal rights and equal opportunities. I am deeply convinced that no one in the world should be appointed or promoted to a leadership position just because she is a woman. And you know what, the 'boys' club' must accept that women are their equal partners and can have an equal role in leading society.

This is also about numbers because numbers show the real situation in society: trends, gaps, the areas where additional efforts are needed. And here I can proudly say that, for example, when it comes to science, education, technology, the information sector, my country, Armenia, is significantly ahead of the global average. And if we talk about the diplomatic service, then 44.4 percent of the diplomats in our ministry are women. This is almost ideal equality.

We now have heads of ministries that have traditionally been led by men, such as, for example, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the General Prosecutor's Office, and the newly created Intelligence Service. That is, for a long time, these structures were part of the so-called 'men's club.'

I would like to draw attention to one indicator: the Global Gender Gap Index. According to this year's data, Armenia has closed 73.1% of the gender gap. Although this is not yet an excellent result, it nevertheless testifies to positive progress. This indicator shows that we truly have the will to close that gap.

When I talk to my daughter, and this is perhaps a slightly personal observation, discussing these topics, I notice that the younger generation is becoming increasingly demanding. They do not even understand why a person should be treated differently based on their gender. And this is a truly positive trend.

There is also a third dimension here, a third layer. This topic has a special significance for my country because we are a post-conflict society.

In parallel with the government's efforts aimed at signing official agreements and developing concrete solutions, there is also a great need for the reconciliation of societies. We understand and accept the suffering of women during conflicts, fully respecting their feelings, we must also emphasize that when it comes to the process of reconciliation of societies and families, the leading role of women cannot be underestimated."