Yerevan, July 30, 2004

Re: Bi-Annual Progress Report, Summer 2004

Dear friends, active NGOs, concerned businesses, and government
agencies:

We are sending this letter to inform you of CENN’s current activities in
Armenia. We are sending an official progress report twice a year to
keep all interested parties informed of CENN activities with a
localized, specific focus on development in Armenia. We are pleased and
excited to report our activities since the opening of our Yerevan office
in March in the Environmental Conservation Research Center (ECRC) at the
American University of Armenia (AUA):

Environmental Panel Discussions at the American University of Armenia
(AUA)

CENN and ECRC have joined to create a series of Environmental Panel
Discussions to present urgent environmental issues and to allow for
public discussion with the panel experts. The first panel discussion
was held in April regarding solid waste management, and the second was
held in July regarding water supply and water quality in Armenia.
Building upon the interest and success of the first two, CENN plans to
continue this program with ECRC indefinitely. Before each event an
invitation will be sent out and the media will be invited. Future
potential topics include deforestation from the regional viewpoint, the
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in the South Caucasus, and current
agricultural practices in Armenia.

Pre-training Seminar on the Hazards of Metzamor and Emergency Response

CENN, in partnership with Muskee alum Edward Safaryan, has recently
received a grant to present a seminar to leaders from throughout the
regions on the environmental health risks of living near a nuclear power
plant, with a special focus on the particular problems of the Metzamor
plant. The goal of the seminar will be to pre-train these leaders and
to empower them to train their communities to be aware of the issues, to
know the best ways to handle the risks, and to feel more involved in
public affairs regarding the plant. The keynote speaker will be Olga
Denyshchyk, Executive Director of the Ukrainian NGO `Mama-86,’ an
organization devoted to the issues affecting children born after the
Chernobyl accident in 1986.

We are currently seeking 30-40 participants from throughout the regions.
If you know of any NGOs or individuals who may be interested, please
have them contact info.armenia@cenn.org. The seminar will be held in
October.

Kanach Janabarh Foundation
CENN in Armenia has been working directly with other NGOs in the
formation of an Environmental Media Coalition, which has been named
`Kanach Janabarh,’ or `Green Paths Foundation.’ The group has recently
become a project of the Kanach Foundation, and will be launching its
website as well as its first environmental campaign shortly. The latter
offers an alternative to plastic bags, using canvas bags instead.

Kanach Janabarh Foundation plans to use media tools such as television,
radio, and print ads as well as the internet to advertise environmental
problems in Armenia and to encourage and foster public awareness on
these issues. The first issue chosen was waste management, and will
focus on individual behavior patterns that can be modified to be more
sustainable and environmentally-friendly. We are currently seeking
funding for this project, and new partners are always welcome. You can
contact info.armenia@cenn.org or alternatively
jeffrey@armenianforests.am for more information.

Expect an announcement of the Kanach Janabarh website and further
activities soon!

CENN in Armenia Website

In recognition of the rapidly expanding nature of the CENN Armenia
office, it was decided to create a website specifically devoted to the
Armenian projects of CENN. Here will be hosted many interactive
activities of CENN, such as the internship program for local university
students and the environmental panel discussions presented in
partnership with the Environmental Conservation and Research Center
(ECRC) at AUA. This website is still under construction but should be
active within the next few months.

CENN in the future

In addition to the projects listed above currently being implemented,
future projects include the Caucasus Explorer Video Magazine project in
partnership with Bars Media Documentary Film Studio in Yerevan
(described in the last Bi-Annual progress report), an internship program
in the environmental field for local university students, a student
exchange program between Georgian , Armenian and Azeri students, and a
newsletter in each Caucasus country presenting both national and
regional environmental issues. If you have any ideas or would like to
collaborate with CENN on a project, please contact us at
info.armenia@cenn.org!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Best wishes,

Ursula Kazarian – CENN Armenia Country Director
ursula.kazarian@cenn.org

Irina Kitiashvili – CENN Regional Coordinator
irina.kitiashvili@cenn.org

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CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)

Tel: ++995 32 92 39 46
Fax: ++995 32 92 39 47
E-mail: info@cenn.org
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