PRESS RELEASE
American University of Armenia
Diana Manukyan, AUA PR Coordinator
40 Marshal Baghramian
Yerevan, Republic of Armenia, 0019??
Phone: [+37410] 51-25-22
E-mail: [email protected]
American University of Armenia: 20 Years of Advancement
November 26, 2012
International Conference to Examine The Future of Mining in Armenia
Experts to Assess Armenia’s socio-economic policy choices
YEREVAN–National and international experts will gather in Armenia’s capital
on November 30 for a one-day conference examining mining and socio-economic
policy in Armenia.
Organized by the American University of Armenia, the event aims to assess
the choices available to Armenia as it seeks to balance economic gains with
that of social equity and environmental and public health. The conference
will be livestreamed online at from 9:30am-5:30pm (Armenia
time).
“Over the past decade, the Armenian Government has made mining a priority
for Armenia’s economic growth, however, no serious public debate has
occurred to examine policy choices available to Armenia regarding mining,”
said Alen Amirkhanian, of AUA’s College of Science and Engineering. “With
this conference, we hope to begin this critical public discourse, bringing
together experts from across the world to present their analyses and discuss
socio-economic policy choices available to Armenia.”
The keynote speaker of the conference will be Dr. Saleem Ali, Director of
the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining at the University of
Queensland, Australia. Dr. Ali will talk about the international experience
in using mining as a tool for socio-economic development. He will also
address the pitfalls that countries like Armenia should avoid.
The Conference will also have three panel discussions that will enable
national and international experts to discuss socio-economic impact of
mining in Armenia. The first panel will examine whether mining can play a
key role in Armenia’s economic growth, while the second panel will focus on
mining’s impact on Armenia’s environmental and public health. The event’s
last panel will explore whether Armenia’s legal and institutional framework
on mining foster’s socio-economic development.
These issues will be discussed against the larger backdrop of a growing
unease in and outside Armenia on the potential benefits and risks of mining
to the country’s social and economic development as well as preservation of
its natural and environmental resources.
Thus far, the social, environmental and health concerns have been
overshadowed by the more practical argument that Armenia does not have many
choices and mining will be the growth engine of its emerging economy.
In the past two decades, however, there have been many constructive
developments around mining in the international arena around mining. The
industry as a whole has improved its practices, while international
organizations and governments have adopted standards for environmentally
cleaner and socially more equitable mining.
“Such constructive developments are almost always spurred by good public
policy and grassroots pressure,” explained Amirkhanian. “These global
developments set standards from which (re)emerging economies like Armenia
can learn.”
This conference aims to become a model of a constructive and high-impact way
in which AUA can contribute to national public-policy debates in Armenia.
The day-long event is open to the public and will also be livestreamed at
The sessions will also be recorded and made available on
Youtube post event.
The American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent
university located in Yerevan, Armenia.? Founded in 1991, AUA is affiliated
with the University of California.? Through teaching, research, and public
service, AUA serves Armenia and the region by supplying high-quality,
graduate and undergraduate education, encouraging civic engagement, and
promoting democratic values.
The American University of Armenia is accredited by the Accrediting
Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association
of Schools and Colleges, 985 Atlantic Avenue, #100, Alameda, CA 94501,
510-748-9001.
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