UNITED NATIONS—As part of the 2012 Armenian Revolution Federation (ARF) Eastern Region (ER)-sponsored summer internship program at the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the United Nations, the seven interns recently attended the UN Security Council debate on “Post-Conflict Peace Building.”
The 2012 ARF-Eastern Region United Nations interns
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and some 30 member-states, including the Republic of Armenia, participated in the debate. The aim of the meeting was to review the peace-building architecture and mechanisms of the UN that aim to better assist states of conflict in achieving lasting peace and sustainable development.
Ban Ki-moon stressed that the support of member-states is vital, particularly for the Peacebuilding Fund, which has proven itself “a timely and flexible financing instrument when peace-building needs are most acute and when few other resources are available for early post-conflict interventions.”
Armenia’s permanent representative to the UN, Garen Nazarian, highlighted the need to address the specific context of each conflict. He noted that, in some instances, “economic cooperation and interaction could be a valuable confidence-building measure often leading to political adhesion.” The ambassador further noted that donor countries and international financial institutions could implement various regional initiatives and programs aimed at the expansion of geographic areas of cooperation and the achievement of greater interaction.
The 2012 ARF-ER summer interns are Anoosh Gasparian, Gohar Harutyunyan, Rupen Janbazian, Talar Kakilian, Kristyn Manoukian, Gegham Mughnetsyan, and Verginie Touloumian.
