On November 20, the 20^th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Child was marked in the parliament with the participation of the leadership and the deputies of the National Assembly, Minister of Culture, Representative of the Armenian Office of the United Nations Children’s Fund, representatives of the international and public organizations and other guests. The Convention was adopted two decades ago in the UN General Assembly, and afterwards 193 countries ratified it. Armenia acceded to the Convention on Child’s Rights in 1992.

It was remarkable that the right of the event opening was reserved to the very children. The children voiced the basic rights stipulated in the Convention.

The Speaker of the National Assembly Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan came to mark the anniversary of the Convention and congratulate the children. In his greeting speech he said:

“Dear ladies and gentlemen,

I greet you in the National Assembly. I am especially glad to tell the representatives of the civil society of Armenia and international organizations working in Yerevan: ‘Welcome to the Armenian Parliament.’

20 years ago the Convention of the Child’s Right was adopted. It’s not accidental that it is one of the first international documents ratified by the newly independent Armenia. The existence of the Convention is obliging. We shall make all efforts for fully implementing it in our country without any shortcomings. At the same time that document is also the most important instrument of the international cooperation. It’s evident that many issues concerning the children’s rights is not possible to solve merely at the level of one country. The international community shall promote the efforts of solving those problems. However, as much the international community assists we, the free citizens of our country, own our destiny, and bear the main responsibility.

During our everyday life we shall remember what our main problem is. First of all, every step shall be directed to the rise of our people’s welfare. Every action shall be discussed from the viewpoint of the social consequences of those decisions. The work being done in that direction shall not be limited by the capital, but it will take into account the social-economic situation in the marzes.

The name of the exhibition is not accidental. The children are our hope and faith, the future of the country, and we shall not simply talk about it, but we shall launch concrete work. The program Children Are Not Toys started on June 1 on the International Children’s Day in the UNICEF Office for Armenia. Today we sum up that. However, the summing up of the program is a good occasion for announcing the resoluteness of continuing our work.

Dear guests,

On the occasion of this renowned day I heartily congratulate everybody. I am sure that in implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the best way we shall still record new successes. I am also sure that it will take place when we consolidate all our efforts.

Thank you.”

“This year we celebrate a milestone – 20 years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It’s the great legal and ethical instrument for promoting and protecting the rights of all children and the beacon that guides UNICEF in all its work,” UNICEF Representative Ms. Laylee Moshiri said in her congratulatory message. She stressed that in parallel with Armenia being for Convention adopted a law on The Rights of the Child, re-affirming its tactics of paying decent attention to the children’s rights.

The anniversary of the Convention in the parliament was marked by the presentation of the exhibition of 85 photos entitled Children Are Not Toys by the Armenian photographer Vigen Mnoyan and the special edition issue The State of the World's Children report by UNICEF. On June 1 on the International Children’s Day in the UNICEF Office for Armenia, the exhibition opened under the aegis of the Speaker of the National Assembly in the UN Office for Armenia, has been presented in different marzes of Armenia. In the photos children of different social layers and of different status are pictured. In The State of the World's Children report the progress reached in the sphere of the children’s sphere during the last 20 years, the existing problems, for example, the impact of the economic and financial crisis and climate change of the children’s lives.

The day was marked by another event too. The Vice Speaker of the National Assembly Mrs. Arevik Petrosyan and the UNICEF Office for Armenia Representative Ms. Laylee Moshiri signed a 2010-2011 working program envisaged by the Memorandum of the Mutual Understanding signed on June 7 this year between the National Assembly and UNICEF. Within the framework of this program by Arevik Petrosyan’s presentation, the legislative field concerning the children’s rights, all the materials of the sphere will be summed up in the electronic library, events directed to the exchange of experience and improvement of the capacities of the staff will be implemented. It is also planned to hold an international conference in order to discuss and find the best ways of protecting the children’s rights.

The UNICEF Representative noted that, despite all this there is still a lot to do in the direction of the protection of the children’s rights.

Surprise was also expected for children in the parliament: presents and sweets. They also had opportunity to be in the session hall of the National Assembly.