Category: News

Armenian Minister of Labour and Welfare Arsen Torosyan participated in a ministerial panel entitled “From Commitments to Accountability: Government Leadership in Practice” during UNESCO’s fifth Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination, held in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The Ministry of Labour and Welfare announced this in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

Other participants included Suriname’s Vice President Gregory Rusland, Dutch Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Pieter Heerma, UNESCO Deputy Director-General Åsa Regnér, as well as ministers, mayors and representatives of international organisations and civil society from various countries.

In his remarks, Torosyan stressed that efforts to combat discrimination must be comprehensive, encompassing not only human rights protection but also public health, employment and social protection.

“In this process, the minister also highlighted the need for effective interagency cooperation, the development of early intervention and prevention services, the elimination of discrimination in the labour market, and close cooperation with civil society. Arsen Torosyan also addressed the link between a lack of education and manifestations of discrimination, stressing the role of raising awareness and implementing targeted programmes in educational institutions in preventing the phenomenon,” the statement said.

Improper management of chemicals and hazardous waste poses a serious threat to biodiversity, and addressing these challenges requires close international cooperation.

As a landlocked country, Armenia faces particular challenges in this area, and the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS Conventions) is ready to continue supporting efforts to address them.

In an interview with Armenpress, Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, discussed the importance of the three conventions for biodiversity conservation and opportunities for cooperation with Armenia.

He emphasized that the safe management of chemicals and waste is one of the key prerequisites for biodiversity conservation.

“We live on one planet, which means that any issue related to biodiversity is closely linked to various types of human activity. Human activities include clearing land for agricultural purposes, cutting down trees to generate energy, extracting minerals for various products, and many other activities. All of this generates pollution, which in turn has an enormous impact on biodiversity,” Payet said.

Strengthening the interaction between the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the three conventions is extremely important, as joint efforts can help address existing challenges, he said.

“These challenges cannot be overcome by looking at them solely from a biodiversity perspective. We must also address them from the perspectives of consumption and production, as well as the improper management of waste and chemicals. We are here today to support this initiative because we are convinced that countries cannot fully implement the Global Biodiversity Framework without addressing the fundamental problems of pollution,” the Executive Secretary said.

Addressing the specific features of the three conventions, Payet outlined the role each plays in biodiversity conservation.

The Rotterdam Convention concerns the exchange of information. Under the convention, countries exchange information, particularly on pesticides that are widely used in agriculture and can adversely affect wildlife.

“Wildlife is an integral part of biodiversity. Therefore, through more effective pesticide management, environmentally sound management and control of chemicals, we can reduce their negative impact on biodiversity,” he said.

Speaking about the Stockholm Convention, Payet noted that it addresses persistent organic pollutants, which can accumulate in the human body and cause health problems.

According to him, these substances also accumulate in living organisms, particularly migratory species, affecting their reproduction and other biological processes.

“Another important issue addressed by the Stockholm Convention is the long-range transport of these chemicals. They can travel very long distances, meaning that pollution sometimes originates in one location, while its effects are felt thousands of kilometers away. In addition, these chemicals can persist in the environment for 50 to 100 years, meaning that their effects will remain with us for a long time,” Payet emphasized.

He added that the Stockholm Convention establishes a system under which these chemicals are gradually eliminated, their use is restricted and, ultimately, their use is prohibited. Thus, the convention makes a significant contribution to biodiversity conservation and management.

Turning to the Basel Convention, the Executive Secretary noted that it regulates the transboundary movement of waste, with plastic pollution being one of the clearest examples of its importance.

“We have all seen numerous photographs and videos showing plastic found in the bodies of seabirds, turtles, cetaceans and other animal species. These animals have either swallowed plastic or become entangled in plastic waste. The work carried out under the Basel Convention helps reduce the illegal disposal of plastic waste worldwide, including its release into the oceans, thereby contributing to biodiversity conservation,” Payet said.

He emphasized that all three conventions play an extremely important role in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Addressing opportunities for cooperation with Armenia, the Executive Secretary said he sees considerable potential in this area, particularly in light of COP17 being hosted in Yerevan.

“As you know, Armenia is a landlocked country, which makes it quite difficult, for example, to transport hazardous waste out of the country or to address issues related to chemicals. Therefore, we will support the Armenian government in making chemicals management in the country more effective,” Payet said.

According to him, particular attention should be paid to the safe disposal and destruction of expired chemicals, as well as to reducing the amount of waste generated.

“When expired chemicals are present, it is necessary to understand how they can be disposed of or destroyed in a sustainable and environmentally sound manner. Reducing the amount of waste is equally important because, ultimately, no one wants hazardous waste to be transported across their country’s borders,” he said.

Payet emphasized that Armenia has specific requirements and particular needs in this regard, and cooperation to address them will continue.

“We will continue working with the Armenian government and people to understand how we can find solutions to reduce the negative impact of chemicals and waste. This means reducing their impact on Armenia’s territory and its people, as well as on Armenia’s wonderful wildlife,” Rolph Payet concluded.

COP17 President and Armenia’s Minister of Environment Hambardzum Matevosyan met with Norbert Totschnig, Austria’s Federal Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management.

“We see promising opportunities to expand Armenian–Austrian cooperation in biodiversity conservation, sustainable water resource management, ecosystem restoration and air quality monitoring,” Matevosyan said in a post on Facebook.

“I emphasized the value of learning from Austria’s experience and fostering exchanges among experts in these areas. We also discussed key issues on the COP17 negotiating agenda. I thanked Austria for its constructive engagement, highlighting the importance of ministerial support in bridging differences between Parties and reaching consensus,” he added.

COP17 President and Armenia’s Minister of Environment Hambardzum Matevosyan met with Finland’s Minister of Climate and the Environment, Sari Multala.

“We discussed the ministerial negotiations at COP17, highlighting the importance of constructive dialogue and joint efforts to reach agreement on key issues and adopt action-oriented decisions for biodiversity conservation. We also explored opportunities to expand cooperation between Armenia and Finland in environmental protection,” Matevosyan said in a statement.

The uncontrolled spread of the products of human activity has long posed varying degrees of threat to the environment, making waste management a priority.

In Sevan, a city in Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province on the shores of Lake Sevan, an artistic approach has been taken to address this issue, with discarded materials transformed into works of art through recycling, imagination and craftsmanship.

Some of these creations were displayed at the Gegharkunik Province pavilion in the Green Zone of the COP17 conference underway in Yerevan, attracting the attention of local and foreign visitors, particularly when they learned that the puppets, decorative hanging toys, fish-shaped ornaments, stone-like flowerpots made from paper and foam plastic, fabric bags and other items had all been made from recycled materials.

The initiative has been made possible by the efforts and support of dedicated people, helping remove waste from the natural environment while giving discarded materials and objects a new purpose. 

“The idea of sorting and recycling waste had been around for a long time, but it was put into practice in 2022 with the support of the American University of Armenia and funding from the Swedish government. Thanks to the Swedish government’s funding, Sevan acquired waste bins in different colors for sorting waste, allowing plastic, paper, metal and glass items to be separated. High school students then recycle these materials and, with the help of skilled craftspeople, turn them into various items,” Davit Torosyan, an employee of the Sevan Municipality, told Armenpress.

Narine Harutyunyan, head of the municipality’s Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, showed the puppets, explaining that they are made entirely from recycled materials. They were conceived and created at the initiative of Hermine Andrikyan, a theater director by profession. She was assisted by Vigen Hakobyan, an artist and designer at the cultural center, who crafted the puppets’ faces and features. Gohar Mnatsakanyan, head of the local youth club, has also contributed to the project.

“Thanks to everyone’s joint efforts, these puppets have been used in more than 20 performances in the community and at various centers. School students in grades 9 and 10 also take part in the performances. Audiences always respond warmly and enthusiastically. Events under the title The Little Prince are held regularly. We have 12 puppets in total, and work is now underway on a new performance,” Harutyunyan said.

Davit Torosyan emphasized that the program has no commercial objectives and is intended simply to make Sevan cleaner, encourage creativity and bring smiles and joy to people. Children sometimes give the items they make as gifts to foreign visitors to the city.

Starting next year, the municipality also plans to introduce a process for producing fertilizer from food waste, which could significantly change conditions at landfills.