PRESS RELEASE
United Nations Development Programme Armenia
Community Development Project
14 Petros Adamyan Str., Yerevan 0010, Armenia
Contact: Zara Amatuni
Tel: 374-10-56-60-73
Fax: 374-10-54-38-11
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
December 12, 2007
UNDP Armenia Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Armenian-Russian
Entrepreneur
On December 11, 2007, Ms. Consuelo Vidal, UN Resident Coordinator and
UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia, and Mr. Sergey Hambardzumyan,
an Armenian entrepreneur based in Moscow, signed an unprecedented
agreement whereby Mr. Hambardzumyan will support a host of community
development initiatives in the village of Yeghvard, located in Syunik
Marz, Armenia. The signing ceremony was held in Moscow, at the Embassy
of the Republic of Armenia, in the presence of H.E. Mr. Armen Smbatyan,
Armenian Ambassador to the Russian Federation.
The agreement covers three agricultural initiatives that have been
identified by the Yeghvard community as top development priorities. The
identification process, based on a participatory strategic planning
scheme, has been spearheaded by UNDP Armenia through its Community
Development Project. UNDP Armenia works extensively with rural
communities to foster a grassroots mechanism of discussing local
development needs, prioritizing subsequent projects, and creating
community ownership of projects.
`Our agreement with Mr. Hambardzumyan is a great milestone in our
efforts to establish collaborative links with the Armenian-Russian
Diaspora,’ Ms. Vidal said. `Russian-Armenian donors and donor
organizations are eager to support key development programs in the
Armenian homeland, UNDP Armenia is proud to provide its development
expertise and proven capacity to implement projects on the ground, in
close cooperation with our partners.’
The first initiative stipulated in the agreement is to establish an
agricultural machinery pool in Yeghvard, which is home to some 100
households. The village, located 23 kilometers from Kapan, the center of
Syunik Marz, was all but destroyed during the Armenian-Azerbaijani armed
conflict in the early 1990s, with 80 percent of its structures
sustaining heavy damage. The new farming equipment will enable the
residents of Yeghvard to restore their livelihoods by cultivating all of
their arable lands. The second and third projects comprise the
establishment of a revolving wheat seed fund for local residents and the
construction of a flour mill, which will serve the needs of both
Yeghvard and neighboring communities.
All development activities in Yeghvard will be carried out within the
framework of the UNDP Community Development Project in the course of
2008. Projects’ funding totals USD 210,500.
* * *
/UNDP is the UN’s global development network. It advocates for change
and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help
people build a better life. We operate 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.///
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
