THE USAID HUMAN AND INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MARKS CLOSE-OUT
Noyan Tapan
23.09.2010
Yerevan – On September 23, 2010, the five-year USAID-funded Human
and Institutional Capacity Development (HICD) Project held its
closeout event at Armenia Marriott Hotel in Yerevan. The Academy
of Educational Development (AED), which implemented the program,
presented an overview of the project in the context of 16 years of
USAID-funded capacity development programs in Armenia. Stakeholders
from the Armenian government and international institutions, as well
as beneficiary organizations shared the outcomes and achievements
of HICD activities in the country. The event was accompanied with
an exhibition where a number of project beneficiaries displayed the
successes of their organizations as a result of HICD interventions.
Launched in 2005, HICD has spanned a variety of organizations in
public, private and non-profit sectors and has focused on a variety
of fields. The project has effectively cooperated with partner
organizations to address the performance gaps of key institutions that
have an important role for USAID’s strategic priorities. In the past
few years, USAID has closely worked with and provided support to the
Armenian Government, including the Ministries of Economy, Health, Labor
and Social Affairs, the Central Bank of Armenia, the Public Services
Regulatory Commission, as well as the National Assembly of RA. It
has also worked with a number of companies in the private sector,
particularly with small and medium enterprises in tourism and IT,
as well as with active players in civil society, including advocacy
NGOs, watchdogs and think tanks.
The project’s approach to capacity development goes beyond traditional
training. The HICD team in Armenia provided a comprehensive package
of human and institutional capacity development services, including
conducting needs, impact and performance assessments; identifying
performance gaps, developing targeted training and non-training
interventions; monitoring and evaluating capacity development process;
and designing and implementing follow-on activities.
During sixteen years of USAID-funded capacity development projects,
including HICD, USAID has organized more than 1,300 training
and capacity building activities. Over 24,000 Armenian leaders,
policymakers and professionals, and over 5,000 Armenian organizations
benefited from capacity development assistance.
The HICD Project was implemented and administered by AED. AED is a
nonprofit organization, founded in 1961 in the USA that operates in
more than 150 countries worldwide.
From: A. Papazian