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UNHCR: Fridtjof Nansen's legacy lives on in hearts of Armenians
August 16, 2012 - 18:33 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) released the third in a six-part series
celebrating the life of the Father of UNHC, Armenian Cause advocate
Fridtjof Nansen.
`By the end of the First World War, the Armenian people had long been
vying for an independent state. Although members of the League of
Nations had agreed to assume state-like responsibility for Armenians
and an initiative had been proposed by President Woodrow Wilson, these
obligations were not fulfilled. At the same time, Armenia was facing a
number of challenges including drought, outbreaks of malaria and
tuberculosis, and threats along the Turkish border which made it
difficult to provide assistance to the growing number of refugees. The
refugee crisis at the end of the war had devastated Armenia, with an
estimated 1.5 million lives lost and thousands more displaced and
stateless, living in refugee camps, orphanages, and shantytowns.
Outraged by the international community's lack of response to this
growing crisis, Nansen orchestrated international aid for the Armenian
people. Witnessing firsthand the devastation in Armenia in 1925,
Nansen later wrote an influential book, Armenia and the Near East, in
addition to numerous articles and speeches advocating the Armenian
cause.
Nansen provided hope for thousands of Armenians in need of urgent
assistance. Pushing himself to the point of physical exhaustion he
suffered a heart attack in 1930 from these efforts Nansen invested all
his energy to help the Armenian people. He personally assisted over
7,000 refugees to return to Armenia by 1928. Nansen's creation of the
travel document which bears his name (the Nansen Passport)
significantly helped the Armenian Diaspora as well - Nansen Passports
were issued to some 320,000 individuals.
Although Armenia would not achieve independence until 1991, Nansen
helped the Armenian people prepare their nation for the post-war world
order. The Armenian public and the Diaspora have not forgotten
Nansen's life-saving efforts and continue to recognize the important
role he played at a crucial time in the country's history. Nansen not
only saved the lives of thousands of Armenians, but he also gave them
hope in believing that, as Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
has declared:
'Inside a human being the goodness cannot be overtaken by evil. Is
there any greater mission than saving a belief, a belief towards the
human nature, a belief not only towards one's own future, but also
towards the future of humankind?'
The spirit of Fridjtof Nansen remains alive in the special
relationship between Yerevan and Oslo, and is demonstrated by the many
monuments and public spaces across the country bearing his name.
Fridtjof Nansen's legacy lives on in the hearts of Armenians today,'
the article reads.
August 16, 2012 - 18:33 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) released the third in a six-part series
celebrating the life of the Father of UNHC, Armenian Cause advocate
Fridtjof Nansen.
`By the end of the First World War, the Armenian people had long been
vying for an independent state. Although members of the League of
Nations had agreed to assume state-like responsibility for Armenians
and an initiative had been proposed by President Woodrow Wilson, these
obligations were not fulfilled. At the same time, Armenia was facing a
number of challenges including drought, outbreaks of malaria and
tuberculosis, and threats along the Turkish border which made it
difficult to provide assistance to the growing number of refugees. The
refugee crisis at the end of the war had devastated Armenia, with an
estimated 1.5 million lives lost and thousands more displaced and
stateless, living in refugee camps, orphanages, and shantytowns.
Outraged by the international community's lack of response to this
growing crisis, Nansen orchestrated international aid for the Armenian
people. Witnessing firsthand the devastation in Armenia in 1925,
Nansen later wrote an influential book, Armenia and the Near East, in
addition to numerous articles and speeches advocating the Armenian
cause.
Nansen provided hope for thousands of Armenians in need of urgent
assistance. Pushing himself to the point of physical exhaustion he
suffered a heart attack in 1930 from these efforts Nansen invested all
his energy to help the Armenian people. He personally assisted over
7,000 refugees to return to Armenia by 1928. Nansen's creation of the
travel document which bears his name (the Nansen Passport)
significantly helped the Armenian Diaspora as well - Nansen Passports
were issued to some 320,000 individuals.
Although Armenia would not achieve independence until 1991, Nansen
helped the Armenian people prepare their nation for the post-war world
order. The Armenian public and the Diaspora have not forgotten
Nansen's life-saving efforts and continue to recognize the important
role he played at a crucial time in the country's history. Nansen not
only saved the lives of thousands of Armenians, but he also gave them
hope in believing that, as Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
has declared:
'Inside a human being the goodness cannot be overtaken by evil. Is
there any greater mission than saving a belief, a belief towards the
human nature, a belief not only towards one's own future, but also
towards the future of humankind?'
The spirit of Fridjtof Nansen remains alive in the special
relationship between Yerevan and Oslo, and is demonstrated by the many
monuments and public spaces across the country bearing his name.
Fridtjof Nansen's legacy lives on in the hearts of Armenians today,'
the article reads.