Intervention by the Delegation of Armenia at the Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the right to food - Ms. Syuzanna Martirosyan, Third Secretary of the[...]

We thank the Special Rapporteur for his presentation and express support for his important mandate.

We share the concern over the growing use of starvation as a method of war, as highlighted in the latest report.

The report refers to the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh for several months in 2023 which caused severe shortages of food and basic supplies for the population, resulting in malnutrition and instances of starvation. It was followed by the ethnic cleansing of the entire Armenian population from their ancestral homeland, as a result of which more than 115,000 people became refugees.

We would like to point out that the deliberate denial of food to civilian populations is a violation of the most fundamental principles of human rights. It is also essential to emphasize that starvation constitutes both a war crime and a crime against humanity.

How the international mechanisms, including the UN special procedures, can be employed to effectively protect the right to food of the affected populations and to uphold the integrity of international law and human rights?

Thank you.