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ANTELIAS: HH Aram I hosts roundtable b/w UN deleg & Arm. Community

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  • ANTELIAS: HH Aram I hosts roundtable b/w UN deleg & Arm. Community

    PRESS RELEASE
    Catholicosate of Cilicia
    Communication and Information Department
    Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
    Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
    Fax: (04) 419724
    E- mail: [email protected]
    Web: http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org/

    PO Box 70 317
    Antelias-Lebanon

    Armenian version: http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org/v04/doc/Arme nian.htm

    HIS HOLINESS ARAM I HOSTS ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION BETWEEN UNITED NATIONS
    DELEGATION AND LEBANESE-ARMENIAN COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES
    The Pontiff Endorses the UN's "Global Armenia" Initiative

    His Holiness Aram I hosted an unprecedented roundtable discussion on March
    27. The event was attended by a United Nations delegation headed by Ms.
    Consuelo Vidal, UN Resident Coordinator and UN Development Programme
    Resident Representative in Armenia, and some 50 representatives of
    Lebanese-Armenian community organizations.

    The purpose of the roundtable was to share information and exchange ideas
    regarding the UN's development and reform activities in Armenia, and to
    unveil and discuss the UNDP's "Global Armenia" initiative. "Global Armenia"
    seeks to establish a multi-faceted partnership between the UNDP and the
    Diaspora, in the goal to foster democracy and prosperity in the homeland.

    In his opening remarks, as he introduced Ms. Vidal to the guests, the
    Pontiff praised the far-reaching work of the UN in Armenia and conveyed his
    deep concern in connection with the recent events in Yerevan following the
    presidential elections. His Holiness went on to express his trust in the UN
    as a positive force advancing democratic institutions and economic
    development, and endorsed the world agency's "Global Armenia" concept.

    Ms. Vidal thanked the Catholicos for his national leadership and explained
    why the UN has chosen Lebanon as the first stop in a series of planned
    roundtable discussions across the Diaspora. "Throughout the years, the
    Catholicosate of Cilicia has had an instrumental role in shaping the
    Lebanese-Armenian community as the cultural, literary, and moral bastion of
    the worldwide Diaspora," Ms. Vidal said. "And throughout the years, this
    Catholicosate and its flock have never forgotten about their homeland."

    Ms. Vidal added, "Your Holiness, I now invite you, as I invite the
    leadership of the Lebanese-Armenian community, to join forces with the
    United Nations. Together, we can put our collective resources in the service
    of lifting the people of Armenia out of poverty, hopelessness, and the
    alarming trend of migration."

    Following these remarks, Ms. Vidal made a PowerPoint presentation of UNDP
    activities in Armenia. She indicated that the UNDP, which has worked in the
    republic since 1993, is committed to helping address its economic, social,
    educational, and environmental challenges. UNDP projects, she said, are
    based on national objectives embodied in Armenia's Poverty Reduction
    Strategy, as well as the UN Millennium Development Goals.

    At the end of her address, Ms. Vidal presented His Holiness Aram I with a
    plaque, in recognition of his wise leadership and uncompromising dedication
    to educational and cultural excellence, diakonia and social equality,
    ecumenical harmony, the Armenian Cause, and international cooperation. The
    plaque was inscribed with the words "In reverence and gratitude."

    The last portion of the event consisted of a question-and-answer session and
    an informative discussion of a broad range of issues, including various UN
    programs in Armenia and the prospects of cooperation between the agency and
    the Diaspora, the Lebanese-Armenian community in particular.

    ##
    View the photos here:
    http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org/v04/do c/Photos/Photos228.htm
    http://www.armenianorthodox church.org/v04/doc/Photos/Photos229.htm
    *****
    The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
    the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
    the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
    the Catholicosate, http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org The Cilician
    Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
    Antelias, Lebanon.
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