It is a pleasure for me to introduce the Armenian "Women Status Report: Impact of Transition". I am also glad that this Report appeared on the eve of Beijing+5 process that reflects on the progress and drawbacks of the countries of the world in the implementation of the Platform of Action signed by the participating States.
The status of women in Armenia, like in many other CIS countries, is definitely different from that in the countries where the United Nations have had a longer history of presence. The national historical tradition and the heritage of the Soviet era have mostly contributed to a high social status of the woman in her capacity of mother, guardian of peace and well-being in the household and in the society. Although formally, women also made their way up to highest positions in the decision making in Armenia, however, the breakthrough of the few did not result in de facto equality and, more importantly, in a change of mentality whereby the society unconditionally adopts and internalizes the principles of fair start and equal opportunities in all domains, at all levels.
Against this background, the government and the civil society increasingly admit that the status of women has changed dramatically after the independence, and that the political, economic, social and cultural cost of transition to market economy and democratic state aggravated by multiple natural and man-made crises has been exuberantly high for the whole people. The main burden of coping with the challenges of the transition period falls on women; hence, they deserve more attention and care from the state and the society equal.
The gender agenda of the United Nations worldwide aims at sensitizing and supporting the governments and societies in design and implementation of policies on ensuring de facto equality. At the same time, the modalities of such support should be tailor made to be truly adequate and effective in any given country and region. Country reports and analyses are a basis for identification of country-specific solutions.
This report is an attempt to present and analyze the status of women in Armenia at a time of transition in all its complexity. The views and conclusions of some authors may be disputable and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Government of Armenia and the United Nations. This diversity, however, contributes to the richness and comprehensiveness of the presentation. We hope that the report will be of interest to both gender experts and common readers outside and inside Armenia.
The Government of Armenia joined the Beijing Platform of Action and elaborated a "National Plan of Action On the Improvement of the Status of Women and Empowerment of Their Role in the Society". The process of implementation has been full of controversies and still continues to remain a subject of heated debates. The Report implicitly provides an insight into what have been the accomplishments and what are the bottlenecks on the way of full implementation of the Platform of Action.
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