ARS participates in U.N. events

The Armenian Relief Society once again actively participated in this year’s 70th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), held at United Nations headquarters in New York, through a series of initiatives and engagements.

The ARS delegation had the privilege to attend the official opening session of the commission, which took place on Monday, March 9, 2026, at U.N. headquarters under the theme: “Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for women and girls, particularly through the promotion of inclusive and effective legal systems, the elimination of discriminatory laws, policies and practices, and the removal of structural barriers.”

The ARS delegation also participated in a town hall meeting with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. In addition, the delegation attended a ministerial-level meeting of the EU-established “Group of Friends for the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls.”

Furthermore, the ARS U.N. Committee, in collaboration with the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights and the Armenian Bar Association, organized a parallel event on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at the U.N. Church Center titled: “From Displacement to Justice: Strengthening Protection, Rights and Recovery for Conflict-Affected Women and Girls.” The panel included presentations by Kevork Hagopjian, Gev Iskajyan and Areni Hamparian and was moderated by Talar Abdalian.

During the two weeks of proceedings, the ARS delegation was joined by five members of the Central Executive Board, members of the Eastern U.S. Executive Board as well as representatives from Eastern U.S., Canada and South America, who participated in a series of high- level meetings. Among these, the session titled “Prosperous, Healthy and Dignified: Policy Pathways for Older Women in Developing Countries” was of particular significance. 

The Armenian Relief Society, a non-governmental organization, has been actively engaged with relevant United Nations bodies since 1976. Since 1988, it has held consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

In addition, an ARS delegation attended the 61st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on March 16-18, 2026, in Geneva, Switzerland, where safeguarding civil liberties, preventing discrimination and equality were discussed.