Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Dear Friends,

It is a great honor to join you here in Yerevan as we celebrate a remarkable milestone:
the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda,
and the introduction of Armenia’s Third National Action Plan.
Twenty-five years have passed since the world collectively affirmed a truth women had long known and lived:
that peace is neither possible nor sustainable without the full inclusion of women.
Resolution 1325 was not merely the adoption of a UN document — it was a declaration of a new global conscience, one that recognizes women not as victims of conflict, but as leaders, mediators, protectors, negotiators, and architects of peace.

We gather at a time when wars multiply, authoritarian regimes expand, and human rights face unprecedented assaults.
Conflicts rage in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, Yemen, Lebanon, and beyond.
Millions of women and children are paying the highest price for the failure of the international system.
We see rising nationalism, extremism, digital repression, and the weaponization of hatred. The global peace agenda is under threat — not because it failed, but because the world did not commit to it.
In such a time, celebrating the WPS agenda is not enough.
We must renew it, expand it, and protect it.

Armenia’s journey is one of survival, determination, and democratic aspiration.
This Third National Action Plan is more than a policy document — it is a commitment to building a safer, more inclusive, and more democratic Armenia.
It recognizes three fundamental truths:
1.    Women are indispensable to national security.
They do not wait for peace; they build it.
2.    Democracy and peace are inseparable.
A nation cannot be secure unless all voices — especially women’s voices — are heard.
3.    Peace requires justice and equality.
Without rights, accountability, and inclusion, peace becomes nothing more than a fragile ceasefire.
Armenia, by advancing this plan, signals to the world that it chooses the path of responsible leadership and regional cooperation, even after years of instability and conflict.

Around the world, women have been the moral force that confronted war, extremism, and tyranny:
•    In Liberia, women led a historic nonviolent movement that ended 14 years of civil war.
•    In Colombia, women shaped the peace agreement with FARC by embedding justice, reparations, and the rights of survivors.
•    In Yemen, women led national dialogue committees and built the only inclusive roadmap for democratic transition before the war destroyed it.
•    Across Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Europe, women continue to mediate conflicts, protect communities, and demand accountability.
These experiences remind us of a simple truth:
When women lead, peace lasts. When women have power, nations heal.

As we mark this anniversary, we must ask:
What kind of world do we want to build for the next generation of women and girls?
We need a renewed WPS agenda that demands:
•    Accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
•    Protection from digital surveillance, online violence, and cyberwarfare.
•    Economic empowerment and equal access to resources.
•    Women’s leadership at every level of peace negotiations and governance.
•    Ending the arms race and shifting global priorities from militarization to development.
•    Solutions to the climate crisis, which is now a driver of conflict and displacement.

This is not idealism; this is necessity.
Armenia today stands at a crossroads between past wounds and future possibilities.
Your Third National Action Plan is an opportunity — not only to protect women, but to unleash their power as pillars of democracy, guardians of stability, and creators of peace.

Friends, peace is not only the absence of war.
Peace is justice.
Peace is equality.
Peace is human dignity.
Peace is the courage to challenge oppression.
Peace is the voice of women rising — loud, unstoppable, and uncompromising.
As we honor 25 years of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, let us commit to the next 25 years with clarity, courage, and hope.
Our people deserve peace.
Our women deserve leadership.
And our world deserves better than war.
Thank you.