USSTATE.INFO.GOV
17 August 2005

United States Outlines Assistance to Armenia — Fiscal Year 2005
Fact sheet covers aid from October 1, 2004, to September 30, 2005
The following State Department fact sheet outlines U.S. assistance to
Armenia for fiscal year 2005 (October 1, 2004-September 30, 2005):
U.S. Department of State
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
Washington, D.C.
August 15, 2005
FACT SHEET
U.S. ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA — FISCAL YEAR 2005
Armenia has made significant progress in political and economic reform, as
evidenced by its eligibility in FY 2005 to receive grants from the
Millennium Challenge Account. While economic growth has been strong in
certain sectors, it has yet to provide significant benefit to the vast
majority of the population. As such, U.S. assistance focuses on assisting
small- and medium-scale enterprise sector growth that will involve more
Armenians in the country’s expanding economy. Democracy, economic, and law
enforcement programs are targeted towards strengthening democratic
structures and foundations in Armenia and supporting regional stability and
security. All U.S. Government assistance programs include anti-corruption
components designed to strengthen local capacity for combating this pressing
global problem. In addition, U.S. Government assistance programs support
interaction between Armenia and its neighbors in an effort to increase
regional stability and encourage resolution to ongoing conflicts.
The estimated $84.4 million budgeted by all U.S. Government agencies for
assistance programs in Armenia in FY 2005 is allocated roughly as follows
(based on information available as of the date of this fact sheet):
Democracy Programs
$11.4 million
Economic & Social Reform
$43.5 million
Security & Law Enforcement
$19.1 million
Humanitarian Assistance
$1.5 million
Cross Sectoral Initiatives
$8.9 million
Democracy programs in Armenia aim to increase citizen participation in
public affairs, strengthen the rule of law, build the capacity of the
National Assembly, improve local and state governance, and support
independent media. U.S. assistance programs continue to support grassroots
advocacy groups and initiatives that bring together local government
officials and citizens to solve community problems; develop civic education
materials and curricula; strengthen the work of non-governmental
organizations (NGOs); and educate citizens about their rights.
Small grant-making programs support the work of NGOs to foster civil
society, enhance local government accountability, and support local media.
Journalists, editors, and managers of media outlets are trained in business
management, fact-based journalism, and investigative journalism. Training
and exchange programs reach out to the next generation of Armenian leaders
and give them first-hand experience with the day-to-day functioning of a
market-based democracy. In 2005, the U.S. Government sent 186 Armenian
citizens to the United States on academic and professional exchange
programs. Since 1993, the U.S. has funded the travel of approximately 4,550
Armenian citizens to the U.S. on these programs in fields such as
management, democratic strengthening, social service provision, and NGO
development.
Broadening the base of economic growth through job creation and labor market
development is the primary goal of our economic assistance programs. U.S.
programs seek to increase access to credit for entrepreneurs, develop
markets for agribusinesses, improve tax and customs performance, improve
budget management, strengthen central bank supervision, enhance the
legislative framework for businesses, and boost progress in promising
sectors, such as information technology, tourism, and agriculture. U.S.
advisors support a budget training center for government employees with
equipment, training materials, and technical advice.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Development
Initiative in Armenia provides targeted and sustained technical, financial,
and marketing assistance to small- and medium-sized agribusinesses and
farmer-marketing associations. Increased production and improved marketing
have resulted in thousands of jobs in the agribusiness sector benefiting
farmers throughout Armenia. In 2005, USDA has extended its program to
working with the Government of Armenia to improve data collection in
agriculture, adopt international sanitary standards, and to develop policies
that promote increased trade in agricultural products.
U.S.-funded social reform programs provide technical support to a
centralized data administration center to improve the administration and
tracking of family benefits for Armenia’s poor while decreasing the
population’s dependency on government assistance. U.S. Government technical
assistance helps the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues design, administer,
and distribute a new social security card to ensure that benefits flow to
the unemployed and the needy. U.S.-supported health programs work to
strengthen national institutional capacity for primary health care reform
and to reinvigorate the provision of primary health care services at the
facility level in order to meet immediate needs of Armenia’s population
Security and law enforcement assistance programs aim to improve stability in
Armenia and in the region, as well as to enhance Armenia’s current support
of the Global War on Terrorism. To promote interoperability with U.S. and
other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces, the Foreign Military
Financing, International Military Education and Training, Joint Contact
Team, and State Partnership programs provide professional military education
and exchange opportunities, enhance peacekeeping capabilities, and modernize
military communications. The U.S. Government also provides nonproliferation
assistance for Armenia, including funding peaceful research activities with
biological and chemical scientists. The U.S. is funding science centers,
bio-chem redirect, and bio-industry initiative programs and is working
through the multilateral International Science and Technology Center in
Moscow to engage scientists from the former Soviet Union in transparent,
sustainable, and cooperative civilian research projects. U.S. funding also
provides nonproliferation assistance to the Civilian Research and
Development Foundation (CRDF). The U.S. continues to fund safety
improvements at the Metsamor nuclear reactor and support Armenia’s nuclear
regulator.
Our Export Control and Related Border Security Assistance (EXBS) program
continues to work with Armenian export control officials, customs, and
border guards to improve their prevention capabilities against weapons
proliferation and other illicit trafficking.
A variety of U.S. programs provide assistance to reform Armenia’s law
enforcement and judicial sectors. These programs have helped to establish
computer classrooms for law enforcement training, provide expertise for
modern curricula at law enforcement academies, and provide technical
assistance to judges and lawyers to help establish an independent judiciary.
The U.S. is also providing upgrades to the law enforcement computer
infrastructure in order to connect regional police precincts with central
offices. In addition, assistance programs support the government and NGOs in
Armenia to help address trafficking in persons.
Donated humanitarian commodities valued at approximately $10 million —
including medicines, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and supplies, school
equipment and supplies, clothing, and food — are shipped and distributed to
the most needy Armenians in the country’s rural towns and villages. The U.S.
has supported a medical outpatient clinic in the city of Alaverdi since
October 2001. In addition, the U.S. Government will provide additional
food-aid commodities to be distributed to vulnerable groups through the
World Food Program’s relief operations. USDA executes a program to install
or repair village water wells in selected villages with drinking water for
domestic and livestock use and for crop irrigation. One hundred communities
benefited from this program through FY 2005.
U.S. Government support for humanitarian demining programs helps communities
in border regions by recovering valuable lands that can now be used for
agricultural development and public use. The Earthquake Zone Recovery
Program provides assistance for housing compensation/rehabilitation and
other economic and social programs in the Shirak and Lori regions and the
surrounding areas. This program will house roughly 6,500 people through the
use of vouchers and housing grants by the end of 2005, when the project will
be completed.
Currently, the Peace Corps has more than 80 volunteers who teach English and
conduct seminars in business and community development and environmental
education.

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