From October 27-29, the AGBU 89th General Assembly was held in New York and welcomed hundreds of AGBU leadership, delegates, members, donors and friends from North America, South America, Europe, Russia and the Middle East in celebration of the 110th anniversary of the organization. The series of events revolved around strengthening the global Armenian nation, honoring Armenians who bring pride to the Armenian community through their outstanding achievements and eliminating the boundaries between Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and the diaspora to form one Armenian nation.
The series theme reigned at the AGBU General Assembly, held at the Harvard Club of New York, on Saturday morning. During the delegate session of the AGBU Central Board of Directors, Eric Esrailian and Armen Sarkissian were elected to the Central Board. Esrailian is the co-chief of the Division of Digestive Diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and is the Lincy Foundation Chair in Clinical Gastroenterology. He is also the co-manager and producer for Survival Pictures and film The Promise. Armen Sarkissian is the founding President of Eurasia House International in London and former Prime Minister of Armenia from 1996-1997. He also established the first Armenian Embassy in the West in London in 1991 and served as the Armenian Ambassador to the United Kingdom for multiple terms.
During the formal session of the General Assembly, the AGBU Central Board reaffirmed its commitment to the development of Armenia, its unwavering support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and its gratitude to its many donors and members.
President Setrakian followed in the AGBU tradition of addressing the AGBU membership with a speech that touched upon the historical triumphs of the organization over its 110 years and the strong, united future he envisions: “The nation is facing the greatest of opportunities, and yet also the greatest of threats. With a vulnerable economic and geopolitical situation in Armenia and an increasingly disengaged diaspora, we can no longer view these two elements as separate, rather a viable homeland and an engaged diaspora are interdependent and must be viewed as one. For AGBU, this means adjusting its priorities, where it puts its energy and resources and rethinking how it measures its impact and success in contributing to the prosperity of the global Armenian nation.”
President Setrakian further emphasized: “AGBU must engage in strategic alliances as a unifying entity; strengthen its volunteer network; reinforce collaboration with the Armenian Church; initiate relationships within the Armenian world and establish relationships with international multilateral institutions. To achieve all this, AGBU must rebalance its platform to support its overarching goals of both bolstering identity and creating prosperity for the global Armenian nation…Each and every one of us has to strive to be a global Armenian. This is how AGBU views each of you.”
The General Assembly came to a close with an address from His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians, who asserted the inextricable link between AGBU and the Mother See and congratulated AGBU on its 110th anniversary: “It is gladdening for us to once more reflect with words of appreciation upon the work of AGBU that has been carried out for more than one century. Today it stays faithful to its values by continuing its important mission. AGBU has always been at the epicenter of the imperatives of our national life. It has appropriately met the needs of the times by supporting the sons and daughters of our nation by dedicating itself to the education of the new generation and by caring for the prosperity of our national life with its institutions established in all corners of the world.” At the close of his speech, His Holiness Karekin II praised President Setrakian for his tremendous service and commitment to AGBU and to the Armenian nation by bestowing on him the Knight of Holy Etchmiadzin Medal.
The series of events began on Thursday with a full day of meetings for AGBU delegates. Board members and staff gave attendees an overview of AGBU activities, emphasizing the role of its various programs. Extensive communications, development and outreach meetings all focused on fostering closer relationships between AGBU chapters and districts around the world. The day ended with a delegate session for the AGBU Young Professionals (YP) leadership who brainstormed event ideas to invigorate their own groups.
On Friday at the Harold Pratt House, the meetings centered around the theme of moving AGBU forward by empowering global Armenians, which was introduced by AGBU Central Board member Noubar Afeyan. The afternoon continued with AGBU Central Board member Arda Nazarian who presented ideas from the morning’s four breakout sessions, during which small groups discussed AGBU’s four program pillars: culture and identity; education; humanitarian relief; and socio-economic development in Armenia. The small groups allowed participants to develop ideas that may help AGBU leadership shape programs and policies in the future. Seta Nazarian then delivered a memorable speech on the importance of fundraising and the opportunities for connection that can be created by donating to AGBU.
The day ended with a panel discussion moderated by Lara Setrakian, the founder of News Deeply, on human rights in Armenia, organized in collaboration with Human Rights Watch. Panelists included Rachel Denber, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia Division of Human Rights Watch; Giorgi Gogia, South Caucasus director of Human Rights Watch; Sheila Paylan, legal officer at the United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals; and Serj Tankian, singer, songwriter and activist. The expert panelists discussed topics ranging from the prevention of domestic violence and election fraud in Armenia to the difficulty in accessing palliative care.
