Round Table Discussion on Children’s Issues

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin – June 2016

In 2014, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Armenian Apostolic Church; The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); and the “MGA Water” company.  The purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding is to promote the defense of children’s rights, develop and undertake projects directed at the improvement of their social conditions; initiate scientific and publishing projects for the cultural, religious and moral upbringing of children; help youth in their professional choices; and increase the quality of vocational education.

To make the Memorandum of Understanding more practical and targeted, the Christian Education Center of the Mother See (CEC), in cooperation with UNICEF, held a round-table discussion on 10 June, in the CEC office in Yerevan, to present the experiences gained in the field and discuss cooperation opportunities.

Participating in the discussion were National Assembly deputies and over 30 representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, Labour and Social Affairs, Ministry of Justice and Health, Armenian police, local authorities, as well as representatives of international and non-governmental organizations, whose work addresses those issues.

The cooperation between the CEC and UNICEF, within the framework of this Conference, focused on three target areas:

• Family support – work with the families of children from vulnerable groups, and foster care families
• Physical and Spiritual Health – initiatives aimed at the restoration and preservation of the spiritual health of the children with physical and mental problems
• Struggle against violence – projects addressing the prevention of possible situations of violence, and disclosure and elimination of them in families and educational institutions.

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