Issues of Interest & Concern

ARMENIAN RELIEF SOCIETY, TO PARTICIPATE AT THE 58TH SESSION OF THE UN COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN

ARMENIAN RELIEF SOCIETY, INC.TO PARTICIPATE AT THE 58TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN AT THE UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK CITY

The Armenian Relief Society, Inc., as an ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organization (NGO), is again participating and hosting multiple panel discussions at this year’s United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The panel discussions will incorporate this year’s priority theme for CSW, which is “Challenges and Achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for Women and Girls.” In addition to the priority theme, the review theme this year is “Access and Participation of Women and Girls to Education, Training, Science and Technology, including for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work.”

Representatives of member states, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world will attend this year’s session. From the ARS, Inc., UN Committee Chair, Valentine Berberian; Executive Director, Lala Demirdjian-Attarian; UN Coordinator, Houry Geudelekian; as well as badge holders and members will be attending the events held during this year’s CSW.

Kicking off NGO CSW 58 is Consultation Day on Sunday, March 9, 2014, where over 900 international guests will gather at Cooper Union for a day of briefings of the priority and review themes. Guedelekian, in her role as ARS, Inc. UN Coordinator, along with others, is scheduled to emcee the day’s events.

ARS, Inc. is partnering with World Vision International on Monday, March 10, 2014 for a panel discussion on sex selection and how it is negatively impacting Eastern Europe. The panelists are Dr. Christophe Z. Guilmoto, Senior Fellow in Demography at the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement; Garik Hayrapetyan, who is the Assistant Representative to the United Nations Population Fund, Armenia; Yeva Avakian, Senior Advisor for Gender & Evaluation at World Vision US; Adrineh Gregorian, filmmaker of the documentary, “Bavakan;” Dr. Hasmik Gevorgyan, Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies from the Department of Sociology at Yerevan State University; and Jesse Eaves, the Senior Advocacy Advisor for Child Protection at World Vision, US will be the panel moderator.

Discrimination Before Birth: Sex Selection as a Form of Gender-Based Violence will be held at the Armenian Convention Center from 12:30pm to 2:00pm.

The annual NGO CSW Forum reception will be held at the Armenian Convention Center on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 from 6:00pm to 8:00 pm. Ambassador Garen Nazarian will be in attendance, the Shushi Dance ensemble will provide entertainment, and catering for the over 500 International Women representatives will be provided by Anahid Kirichian.

On Wednesday, March 12, 2014 from 2:30pm to 4:00 pm, ARS, Inc. will once again host a panel discussion, this time partnering with the ICJW and Soroptimist International, for “Half the Sky is Not Enough! Propelling Women and Girls Upward from MDGs to SDGs.” Vice-president of Human Rights at Vital Voices, Cindy Dyer, will moderate the panelists who include Jeni Klugman, Director of Gender and Development at the World Bank; Katie Bethell, the Managing Director of Campaigns at Change.org; and Asi Burak, the President of Games for Change. The panel will be discussing the three global initiatives that were created during the Millennial Development Goals, and how women and girls can achieve those goals in the post-2015 development period.