UN Development Programme (UNDP) Armenia
14, Petros Adamyan St., Yerevan 375010, Armenia
Tel: +374 10 56 60 73 + 121
Mob: +374 91 43 63 12
Fax: +374 10 54 38 11
E-mail: aramazd.ghalamkaryan@undp.org
URLs:
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Aramazd Ghalamkaryan
E-mail: aramazd.ghalamkaryan@undp.org
WHEN COMMUNITIES BECOME FULL PARTNERS: A KINDERGARTEN HEATING SYSTEM
ESTABLISHED IN ABOVYAN, AND BUILDING ENTRANCES RENOVATED IN MASIS
//
13.12.2006
Abovyan and Masis – UNDP Armenia continues its advanced cooperation with
different local communities in Armenia. Today, in the framework of the
UNDP project on Performance Budgeting, two small-scale projects were
completed and presented to the heads of communities and UNDP resident
representative in Armenia.
In Abovyan city, the Municipality has firstly developed a local
community budget based on the performance budgeting model, and secondly,
has co-funded the establishment of a boiler house and heating system in
a local kindergarten.
Ms. Consuelo Vidal met with the mayor of Abovyan at hiss residence and
discussed the results achieved and future prospects for cooperation.
"It is crucial for us to involve the local community in selecting the
city’s priorities, and we thank the municipality for joining efforts
with us in achieving a participatory process in this regard.
Furthermore, we managed to co-finance such an important project. As a
result, the first kindergarten in the city will have heating the whole
year round and women will have opportunity to work, while the kids are
at the kindergarten," – noted Ms. Vidal.
The next project was completed in Masis town – renovation of 43
entrances in six multi-apartment buildings. The mayor of the town and
UNDP representative visited the project sites, spoke to the inhabitants
and congratulated the community on the completion of another
participatory project. In Masis, like in Abovyan, a working group
comprised of representatives of the town chose the project to be carried
out.
As the mayor indicated in his speech, he decided not to interfere with
the work of the group at all, and the group chose even the concrete
buildings to be renovated.
Ms. Vidal emphasized: "The projects that UNDP supports in villages and
urban areas are based on local priorities that citizens themselves come
up with, so I would like to also congratulate you in this regard."
Representatives of the community thanked both UNDP and the municipality
for the fruitful cooperation and expressed their hope that the
partnership will be maintained next year as well.
Performance budgeting is a comparatively new methodology for budget
planning, execution and monitoring that is being introduced in Armenia
both at the local and national levels. The new methodology is more
transparent and allows local population to monitor the way the
taxpayers’ money is spent by the municipality.
Since its inception in 2005, the Performance Budgeting Project has
generated much interest among local self-governance bodies in Armenia.
It assists in the implementation of performance budgeting during
community planning, monitoring, and evaluation processes ensuring
citizens’ participation in the whole process. This is new to not only
Armenia, but also to the region.
* * *
For additional information please visit and/or contact Mr.
Aramazd Ghalamkaryan at aramazd.ghalamkaryan@undp.org, tel.: +37491 436
312, +37410 566 073 + 121:
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress