UNDP photo profile
Overview
UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners. UNDP in Armenia was established in 1993 and supports the Government of Armenia to reach its own development priorities and the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
UNDP Focus Areas in Armenia
Achieving the MDGs and reducing poverty
The main focus of the socio-economic governance portfolio activities are focused on the local self- government bodies and economic development at regional level, which offer the best possibilities to address regional poverty reduction and disparities, improve civil engagement and participation and, overall, achieve human development.
Sustainable local development: A comprehensive programme of local development systematizes the interventions at the local level, based on a comprehensive analyses of community profiles, as well as on the assessments of several key criteria, such as the vulnerability and economic viability of communities. The availability of comprehensive and well-structured information on municipalities is the necessary basis for making policy decisions, as well as for developing effective, relevant and targeted programmes and projects. The community typology, UNDP supported to develop, makes government and donor support to communities more effective and targeted. It also supports the development of strategy and reforms on new administrative divisions and facilitates the fiscal decentralization process.
The introduction of performance budgeting at the municipality level has provided an effective entry point and mechanism for enhancing the planning and monitoring capacities of elected authorities and for ensuring transparency and accountability in public service delivery. The programme generates community-based prioritization of community development needs, and creates partnership-based implementation structures to convert plans into investment realities, focusing on social infrastructure, economic development priorities and income generation in the poorest and most disadvantaged communities in Armenia.
Innovative Employment Schemes through the increased knowledge and enhanced skills of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). Promotion of vocational education and training, introduction of innovative programmes for youth and young professionals, and supporting the establishment of new financial schemes to support newly established SMEs with special attention to rural regions are other major areas of activity. .
Strategic Policy Advice: Regional and intra-regional disparities are addressed through the development of local Millennium Development Goals (MDG) frameworks, as well as through support for the adoption of the government Poverty Reduction Strategy -2 and its action plan.
The Global Compact, within the framework of public-private partnership, has created new opportunities for and facilitated the establishment of strategic partnerships with the private sector. Already five public-private partnership projects are being implemented, and several initiatives are in the pipeline.
Fostering democratic governance
The main objectives of the democratic governance portfolio are to expand civic participation, strengthen governance institutions, including the Office of the Human Rights Defender.
Human Rights: UNDP continues its support to national capacity building of the Ombudsman’s office, to exercise its mandate with technical capacity. The promotion of the concept of tolerance in the Armenian society through both formal and informal ways is another area of work with the Ombudsman Office, engaging both formal and non formal education institutions, non-governmental organizations and the media in promoting tolerance among youth, developing and supporting traditions of people’s diplomacy and peaceful dialogue with neighbors. .
To promote gender equality the Gender and Politics in the Southern Caucasus program targets women’s more active participation in decision-making processes, and raises public awareness on gender-related issues.
UNDP facilitates the continued development of a national framework to address the problem of human and drug trafficking at the policy and institutional levels and nurturing civil society monitoring networks. Major areas of the Anti-Trafficking Programme are: victims’ assistance, awareness-raising and capacity building. For 2008, the Programme will continue tackling both sex and labor trafficking issues
Anti-Corruption: UNDP provides policy-level advice and support to the government anti-corruption initiatives for the development of the second phase of Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2007-2009, with a special emphasis on compliance and implementation of the UN Convention Against Corruption. Parallel to that, UNDP supports more active engagement of the civil society in combating corruption, especially in the health and education sectors, and raises awareness on corruption-related issues through media programmes.
Managing energy and environment for sustainable development
Climate Change: The assessment of climate change’s impact on Armenia’s economic growth quantifying the impacts and adaptation costs expected at different levels of global climate change mitigation, including that of taking no action. UNDP currently assists the government in the development of the Second National Communication under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and will extend its activities for calculation of the economic costs of climate change in Armenia and for the provision of advice to the government to mainstream climate change adaptation measures into relevant national policy. UNDP will work with the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) to address Climate Change Impacts in Mountain Forest Ecosystems in Armenia, and continues current activities to increase access to sustainable energy services (particularly technical assistance to improve the Energy Efficiency of Municipal Heating and Hot Water Supply in Yerevan, Spitak, Gyumri, Sevan, Kajaran cities.
Sustainable Use of Natural Resources: UNDP addresses local environmental issues through the integration of environmental issues into local level participatory planning. In addition, sustainable land management principles will be incorporated within national and local land use policy and planning frameworks, to make sure that local communities have the capacity to access, develop and implement them. UNDP also addresses issues related to the strengthening Protected Area Network and the development of institutional and legal capacities to strengthen an environmental monitoring system.
UNDP also facilitates the involvement of civil society and community-based organizations in seeking solutions to environmental problems at the local and community level, through the GEF Small Grants Programme, targeting activities under the following GEF focal areas: climate change, conservation of biodiversity, protection of international waters, reduction of the impact of persistent organic pollutants, and prevention of land degradation while generating sustainable livelihoods.
Disaster Prevention and Risk Reduction: UNDP sees disaster risk reduction as one of its priority areas, especially considering the vulnerability of Armenia to both natural and manmade disasters, such as floods, landslides, earthquakes, and droughts. UNDP’s support in this area is aimed at strengthening of national capacities for disaster preparedness and risk reduction. It is focused on national awareness raising and public education systems to encourage a culture of prevention, and implementing local level, community-based risk management activities .The Local Level Risk Management (LLRM) module is piloted in Ararat region comprising of risk, vulnerability and capacity assessments in the area, public awareness and training for local authorities and communities, and small-scale disaster mitigation projects. UNDP also enhances public information capacity of the State Rescue Service aimed at increasing awareness of public at large. UNDP provides technical advice and expertise in various aspects of the disaster management and identifies areas where disaster risk reduction could be mainstreamed in other, UNDP-supported interventions.
Partners
National counterparts:
Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Territorial Administration, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Nature Protection, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Finance, National Assembly (Parliament) of the Republic of Armenia; Central Bank of Armenia; Local Governance Council Adjunct to the President of Armenia, Anti-Corruption Council Adjunct to the Prime Minister, Women's Council Adjunct to the Prime Minister; RoA Rescue Service under the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Police of Armenia; Armenian Development Agency, Public Administration Academy, “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund
NGOs:
Economic Development and Research Center (EDRC), International Center for Human Development (ICHD), Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) Non-Governmental Organizations Training and Resource Center (NGOC), AIDS Prevention, Education Center, Womens' Rights Center, Caucasus Center for Proposing Non-Traditional Conflict Resolution Methods (CCPNTCRM), Spitak Farmers Association, Freedom of Information Center, Antenna NGO, Armenian Constitutional Rights Protecting Center (ACRPC)
International Organisations:
UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF), European Commission Delegation to Armenia (ECD), UMCOR, Save the Children, World Vision, International Organization for Migration (IOM), JICA, Project Harmony, European Union, TACIS, Global Environmental Facility (GEF), Government of Italy, Government of the Netherlands, Government of Norway, Government of Sweden, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the World Bank (WB), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Open Society Institute (OSI)
Diaspora:
Children of Armenia Foundation, Izmirlian Foundation, Armenian Relief Society (ARS).
Contact
Ms. Shushan Amirkhanyan
Registry Clerk
Address: United Nations House, 14 Petros Adamyan Street (former 14 Karl Liebknecht Street), Yerevan 0010, Armenia
Tel: (multi-channel): (37410) 56 60 73
Fax: (37410) 54 38 11
E-mail:registry.am@undp.org
URL: http://www.undp.am
Links
Armenia – http://www.undp.am
Global – http://www.undp.org
