I call upon our American allies to ensure the collective and personal security of the Yazidis

[Beginning of speech]

Good afternoon colleagues and collaborators,

Thank you for giving voice when all we hear is silence.

Who are the indigenous Armenians of Artsakh Nagorno-Karabakh? They are refugees who are already beloved citizens of Armenia. These are not refugees in transit to be re-displaced to another country. They will be given a home and will make a home for themselves, and as such the world can easily, easily forget them, thinking the problem of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh is over and move on. Azerbaijan would be very happy if we all became complicit in their crimes of atrocity because we would be doing their work for them.

And this is why the way we think about the Armenians of Artsakh Nagorno-Karabakh and the way we take care of them is very much a long-term journey, one that is certainly about meeting all emergency needs, but especially about building capacity, institutions, and community and putting the human beings there are first above all else.

Let me start with addressing the immediate needs and where there are gaps that will become harmful the longer it takes to meet them:First, we need to shift from a mindset of emergency response to one of investing. There are many high-stake lessons, but there are five I wish to especially point out. All of them need to be at the nexus of serious collaborations between the private sector, third sector, public sector, international organizations, and global diplomats:

From food boxes to an invested food security agricultural development strategy: The people of Artsakh Nagorno-Karabakh have been starving – starving – for months. Nutrition is not the absence of malnutrition but the long-term nourishing of bodies that can hopefully fully reverse with time the damage caused by starvation. Vulnerable groups like the ill, pregnant women, the elderly, children and very young children, especially those in a critical development window that could affect long-term development, have been part of the collateral damage instigated by Azerbaijan and have a truly long journey ahead
From speed schooling to long-term quality education:
30,000 children were deprived of education because fuel and electricity kept on being cut, and with no food, schools could not open their classrooms to children with empty stomachs. The children are the future of Artsakhi Armenians and it is imperative that they swiftly be supported to catch up and be empowered to learn and grow to their highest potential.
From medical assistance to healthcare capacity and infrastructure:
The Artsakhi people were deprived of all medical services and medicine for far too long – their needs are plenty and what will be very important is to not re-suspend their treatments and access because the aid finally coming in dries up or never planned for the long-haul.
From normalized intergenerational trauma to funding fundamental healing:
The Armenians of Artsakh were and continue to be psychologically tortured and terrorized. Displacement is not only physically dangerous, but mentally too. Losing a home with no sight of a safe return is too much to bear for any human being. We need to make mental health an absolute priority, accessible to all.
From shelter to housing to homes:
Refugees cannot continue to stay in schools, NGO spaces, and makeshift facilities with no privacy, no dignity, and no capacity to think beyond what is at the tips of their noses. This means also means equipment such as electronics, clothes, washing machines - the basics need to be supplied as soon as possible. We must invest in not only providing and building houses for families with long-term rental assistance, but also neighborhoods and districts so that a community that was earmarked for annihilation can rebuild itself in whole. Without this, we will lose what it means to be Artsakhi Armenian forever.

We are now in a complex emergency and interconnected crisis, and therefore we need a systems lens for interconnected solutions.

We need to re-imagine how to heal and build a future that is worth living for every Artsakhi Armenian. The rule of thumb we must swear by is leave no one behind. And this is only a population of 150,000 human beings, so that is all too possible to achieve, not only with the right math, but with the right values. There are two pillars I wish to especially emphasize today:

Rebuilding trust: It will not be enough to work with the international names we all know. We need to empower them and fund their capacity to bring in local NGOs and organizations as meaningful co-equal partners. Please reach out to the many local organizations who have presented today. They and their local partners know the way and are trusted and are not going anywhere. Everyone on this call believes this, but we do really need global partners like the Clinton Global Initiative to make this very clear so that it is not only on us Armenians asking for an empowered localized response.
Democracy and self-determination: The freedom to determine how Artsakhi Armenians want to be and live in Armenia, as Armenians, as Artsakhis, and as citizens of our world is a moral imperative we must protect. The Artsakhi Armenians get to decide and should be given that power, that space, and that amplification.

I have been asked to speak about the work we are doing as a family philanthropic office on the ground, an area where few players got to be during the blockade and even today. Our work has shed critical light on crucial long-term social investments that are very overdue:

Data and research: We need to plan to exit our general humanitarian response efforts and shift towards data-driven interventions, led by the voices of those who have suffered and deserve better.
Peace, policies, governance, and institutions: Very quickly, government entities in Armenia will be overwhelmed, because this crisis will take longer than we will all wish it to. We need to invest in public governance and capacity. I'd like to highlight the critical work of one of our collaborators here on this call today, APRI, the Armenian Policy and Research Institute, is already very well-placed to take on this leadership role. Please support them.
Human rights: This includes the fundamental right of return and the right to accountability and justice. One of our collaborators, the Center for Truth and Justice, is here on this call today. We are building upon their efforts by addressing key forensic and research gaps needed to ensure justice and accountability. This is the longest marathon because we have to work at the pace of international law, and the courts are far slower than we can all afford them to be.
Culture: Culture has been left behind and is at risk of destruction, appropriation, and erasure. The Artsakshi Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh need a global coalition of best-in-class culture and heritage forensic experts. The expertise and collaborative power of these experts need to be funded.
The extremely vulnerable: We have spoken about the vulnerable today, but I would like to also ensure there is space for the extremely vulnerable. They are the ones usually left behind and they are the ones who often do not get support after emergency funding begins to dwindle. They are the first to not be able to keep going. Let me share with you who they are:
The missing persons: Some children are still separated from their families. Some elderly and medical patients that came in the final waves of forced displacement are still alone, although now in Armenia. They need to be reunited with their loved ones and a support system that gives them a meaningful chance at life.
Illegal arbitrary detainees and political prisoners of war: They need to be released. Immediately. With no delay. They cannot become weaponized as bargaining chips.
Those who stayed behind: There are also just a handful of Artsakhis left in Nagorno-Karabakh. They are on their own. There is no personal or community protection and we do not know what their lives under Azerbaijani rule will be.

Keynote

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Welcome to the Zovighian Public Office (ZPO). We are holding a new digital space for communities facing crimes of atrocity. While we complete our new website, you can check out our history of public service and social justice here.