24/10/2008 Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, distinguished guests, dear colleagues and friends:
As Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Armenia and on behalf of the United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes that work in the country, and of our staff, I would like to welcome you to the UN House.
Today we celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the United Nations. 2008 is a landmark year for the United Nations, as it is also the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which will be marked globally on 10 December - International Human Rights Day.
As you are aware, the United Nations is a unique international organization of 192 sovereign States, which represents virtually every country in the world, including Armenia since 1992.
Founded after the Second World War to maintain international peace and security, the Organization has also been entrusted to promote social progress, better living standards and human rights. As a member of the United Nations, Armenia is part of and brings its input into the ongoing global efforts to address the many challenges facing the international community.
At the same time, this provides Armenia with the opportunity to receive the support of the United Nations family of specialized organizations to meet national needs for the country’s development.
13 United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes, known together as the UN System work in Armenia since 1993, with the only aim to support the achievement of national priorities and the continuous development of the countries’ capacities.
In September 2000, at the dawn of the new millennium, the world leaders including Armenia’s, met at UN Headquarters to lay out a vision for the future.
Through a Resolution of the UN General Assembly, the UN Member States agreed on the "Millennium Declaration" and committed to a global minimum development agenda.
This was a recognition that, in addition to the separate national responsibilities to individual societies, there is a collective responsibility of the international community to uphold the principles of human dignity, equality and equity at the global level.
Armenia’s achievement of the Millennium Development Goals is on the right track. We are in the process of jointly formulating with the Government and civil society, the 2010-2014 United Nations Development Assistance Framework for Armenia, which will represent the collective response of the UN system to the national development priorities of the country, including what is needed for the full achievement by Armenia of the Millennium Development Goals.
I would like to end by quoting the Millennium Declaration that reaffirms that the UN is the common house of the entire human family, through which it seeks to realize the universal aspirations for peace, cooperation and development, and I would like to renew our pledge of support for these common objectives and of our determination to achieve them.
Thank you. | 
