UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy has welcomed the Armenian government’s care reforms. 

Lammy, together with Irish actor Barry Keoghan, have been advocating for family-based care for children worldwide in a global campaign. 

In a video message, he welcomed the recently held conference on children’s care in Armenia.

“The best thing my wife and I ever did, alongside having our two sons, was adopting our daughter. Being a family has brought us all so much joy. It is that joy I want every child to experience. And that’s why I launched a global campaign with the actor Barry Keoghan and partner countries across four continents to champion care reform and push for every child to grow up in a loving family environment. The evidence is clear: Globally over five million children grow up in institutions without a loving family of their own, they suffer and their communities suffer. Barry and I hope to persuade countries all over the world to embrace reform, signing up to a new global charter. I am so grateful to Care for Children for supporting our campaign, you have been working on this issue globally for many, many years, thank you, convincing communities and governments of the widespread benefits of family-based care. One of the governments you’ve been working closely with is Armenia, and I want to thank the Armenian government for hosting this summit and for all the work you are doing in your own country and the wider region to champion this cause. One of the heartening things about this campaign has been learning the many examples all over the world where care reforms are making a huge difference. In places like Armenia, or Bulgaria, where Barry and I launched our campaign. I want to see these examples become the rule, I hope at this summit we can win some committed converts to this cause so that more children in more countries experience the joy of being part of a loving family. Thank you very much,” Lammy said.

https://armenpress.am/en/article/1218662