The UN Office (UNO) Yerevan partnered with the Embassies of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Ukraine in observing the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. 

From now until April, through the international film festival “Conflict and Reconciliation in the Central-Eastern European Cinema”, the Armenian public, and particularly youth, are observing, via cinematography, lessons learned from various conflicts in that  part of the world.

In tribute to the memory of Holocaust victims, the 2013 theme is “Rescue during the Holocaust: the Courage to Care” remembering those who risked their lives to save innocent people from almost certain death during the war.

UN Resident Coordinator a.i. Henriette Ahrens opened the Festival noting that “Art is a powerful tool.  Many of these films are shown for the first time in Armenia and they are featuring touching human stories.  Let us be inspired by those who had the courage to care – the ordinary people who took extraordinary steps to defend human dignity.  Their examples can help us build a better world today.” The Ambassadors of Poland and Ukraine also addressed the audience with short speeches.

On February 13, the Moscow Cinema management offered free-of-charge screenings to the opening film “Three Stories of Galicia”.

UNO widely promoted the Festival launch through traditional and social media, speaking at several morning and prime time television news programmes. 

UNO Yerevan produced a banner and posters for distribution at universities and cultural centres, issued a press release and invited journalists to attend.

From now until April 10, 2013, eight more award-winning films produced by prominent film-makers from Europe and the USA, covering sensitive topics, such as conflict, reconciliation, human bravery and compassion will be screened in the Red Hall II of the “Moscow” cinema, with "The Rescuers" closing the festival. 

UN Resident Coordinator, Deputy Foreign Minister and Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications 

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s membership in the UN and of the 20th anniversary of the UN presence in Armenia, a special UN postage stamp was issued by the Armenian Postal agency HayPost. 

Two additional first day envelops were issued, each promoting one of the anniversaries. The first on the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s UN membership was cancelled in March at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

The envelope promoting the 20th anniversary of the UN presence in Armenia was cancelled at an official ceremony on 23 October as part of UN Day, by the UN Resident Coordinator, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, Haypost Trust Manager and Acting CEO of Haypost. 

The issuing of this stamp and two first day covers was the joint initiative of the UN Communication Group of the Armenia Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Transport and Communications and HayPost. 

Special promotional materials were issued to publicize the event, which complemented the UN Journalism Award Ceremony. 

UNO issued and posted a press release and other relevant information on its web site and social media accounts and distributed among journalists.

On 11 October 2012, Spanish Language Day was commemorated during the launch of a UN Corner at the Armenian State Pedagogical University.

Events, organized by the UN Office in Yerevan jointly with the Armenian State Pedagogical University, allowed students, professors and journalists to explore the importance of the Spanish Language.

UNO provided more than 1,000 UN publications and multimedia materials to the UN Corner, which will further educate youth on UN values and functioning. The professors and students of the university will also use the UN Corner to organize UN-related cultural and educational events.

UN Corner was opened in accordance with a Plan for Cooperation between UN Department of Public Information and the Armenian State Pedagogical University, which was signed at the ceremony.

“We highly appreciate our cooperation and are happy to implement joint activities, which allow youth to be involved in the UN work and to provide their contribution to the sustainable development and Armenian’s achievement of the Millennium Development Goals”, said Ara Eremyan, the vice-rector of the Armenian State Pedagogical University.

During Spanish Language Day the audience enjoyed some Hispanic dances, flamenco and spiritual music. The students from the Yerevan State Pedagogical University made presentations on: “Spanish Language in the World and in Armenia”. In the meantime, a number of UN publications were distributed to the students and professors of the University from the Bibliobus of the National Library.

The UN Department of Public Information Representative in Armenia, Maria Dotsenko said: “It is important that Armenians learn Spanish, which helps them to open the borders to the diversity of Hispanic culture and to be citizens of the world. We live in a multilingual world where the languages we speak, read or write affect the way we think and act, and help to better understand how crucial the multilingualism of the UN is for the implementation of its complex agenda: promotion of peace, diversity, cross-cultural dialogue and partnerships towards better human development”.

Argentina Ambassador Diego Ernesto Alvarez Rivera spoke about contribution of the Spanish Language to the promotion of UN agenda and encouraged youth to further study it.

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish are the six official languages of the United Nations. The Spanish Language Day at the UN is celebrated on 12 October, the date traditionally observed as the day of the Hispanic Culture, which also coincides with the Spanish National Day.

Starting from 2010, the United Nations Department of Public Information in New York has announced the launch of “Language Days at the United Nations”, an initiative which seeks to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity. The UNDPI Yerevan Office together with partners marks all official languages of the UN.  

In 2012, the UN Office in Armenia partnered with the Armenian Government to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Armenia's membership to the UN. That same year also marked the 20th anniversary of the UN presence in Armenia.  

The year-long campaign was conducted nationwide to inform the general public and target groups on the transformational results of the strategic partnership and promote further cooperation.  

On 29 September, UNO together with its strategic partners - Government officials, representatives of the diplomatic corps, international organizations, private sector, civil society, educational institutions and media celebrated the 20th UN presence in the country with an official reception at “Lovers’ Park” in Yerevan and a jazz concert. To illustrate the many achievements of UNO, a special photo album was published and mobile photo exhibition organized. 

UNO Yerevan issued a press release on the occasion, invited journalists to cover the event, organized interviews for the UN Resident Coordinator and distributed the photo album to guests. A news story and photo gallery was posted on the UNO website and social media accounts while visibility posters and banners were displayed throughout the park.