Anahit Manasyan discusses children’s rights protection with UNICEF representa

Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan received a delegation led by Ghassan Khalil, the newly appointed representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on 2 October. Welcoming him, Manasyan congratulated him on taking on this important responsibility and wished him a productive tenure.

According to Armenia’s Human Rights Defender’s Office, Manasyan emphasised the importance of cooperation between the Human Rights Defender’s institution and UNICEF in addressing key issues concerning children’s rights.

The defender stressed that protecting children’s rights was a major priority for the institution, noting that these rights must never be regarded as secondary to other areas of human rights protection. She also highlighted the need to change public perceptions and emphasised UNICEF’s pivotal role in this process.

In her remarks, the Human Rights Defender highlighted one of the important outcomes of cooperation with UNICEF: the work of the Public Council on Children’s Rights Protection under the Human Rights Defender. She described it as one of the best examples of ensuring that children’s voices are heard, enabling their participation and effectively addressing issues in this field.

Ghassan Khalil thanked Manasyan for the reception and highlighted the role of the Human Rights Defender’s institution in fulfilling the mission of protecting children’s rights.

The sides also exchanged views on areas of ongoing and future cooperation with the defender’s staff and several other issues relating to the protection of children’s rights.