Launch of peacebuilding portal and directory on peacebuilding Orgs

PRESS RELEASE
United Nations Development Programme / Armenia
14 Petros Adamyan St., Yerevan 0010
Contact: Mr. Hovhannes Sarajyan, Communications Associate
Tel: +37410 566 073
E-mail: [email protected]<mailto:hovhannes.sa [email protected]>
Web site:

The launch of peacebuilding portal and directory on peacebuilding
organizations was hosted in UN Office in Armenia

Yerevan, 12 November 2009 – Today a peacebuilding portal and a book
"The Directory of Peacebuilding Organizations in the Central and
Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States" were
officially launched at the UN Office in Armenia with participation of
Mr. Dirk Boberg, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative (UNDP DRR) in
Armenia, H.E. Hans-Jochen Schmidt, Ambassador of the Federal Republic
of Germany to Armenia, and Ms. Dziunik Aghajanian, head of Department
of International Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
the Republic of Armenia.

The peacebuilding portal and the publication of the book is a joint
activity of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)
and UNDP, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Germany.

The peacebuilding portal aims to promote collaboration and
consultation among organizations and individuals working in conflict
prevention and peacebuilding. It assists those in civil society, local
and national governments, and the international community with
information on a specific country or conflict theme, such as
peacebuilding, conflict management, gender issues, disarmament,
environment, development, and human rights, in a results based, real
time way.

The publication aims to provide newly collected information in English
and in Russian about civil society and national organizations in the
CIS and in CEE working in the field of conflict prevention and
peacebuilding.

Welcoming the participants, Mr. Dirk Boberg, UNDP DRR outlined the
role of the UN system in the field of conflict prevention in general
and highlighted in particular UNDP’s approach to conflict sensitive
development. "UNDP has reaffirmed that crisis prevention should be
integral part of sustainable human development strategies. For UNDP
"peacebuilding" means the integration of conflict prevention into
development programmes, building and accompanying national processes
and institutions for conflict management, and building consensus
through dialogue" Mr. Boberg said.

The UNDP DRR stated that a successful preventive strategy depends on
the cooperation of many actors beyond the UN system and its different
organs, funds and programs. It includes member states, international,
regional, and sub-regional organizations, the private sector,
non-governmental organizations, and other civil society groups who
have an important role to play. In this context the Peacebuilding
Portal will play a pivotal role to facilitate information
dissemination, information exchange, and networking among national and
international stakeholders.

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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.

http://www.undp.am