United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Armenia
14, Petros Adamyan St., Yerevan 0010, Armenia
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PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Aramazd Ghalamkaryan
E-mail: aramazd.ghalamkaryan@undp.org
UNDP AND THE IZMIRLIAN FOUNDATION SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT TO JOIN
EFFORTS IN FAVOUR OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL COMMUNITIES
February 5, 2007, Yerevan, Armenia – Today, the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) in Armenia and the Izmirlian Foundation
announced a new phase in their partnership directed toward economic
and cultural development of rural communities in Armenia. Ms. Consuelo
Vidal, head of UNDP and UN in Armenia, and Mr. Jaques Sarkissian,
Senior vice-president of the Izmirlian Foundation (based in Geneva,
Switzerland) signed the agreement.
UNDP and Izmirlian foundation are already working together in the
town of Meghri in Southern Armenia, and with this agreement the
parties will continue and expand their work. As part of it, the
local Crafts Center will be renovated and revitalized, to generate
employment opportunities in this region. Also, the local church’s
old and beautiful frescoes will be protected by renovating its roof,
as they are being depleted because of rain and snow. And the major
component of the project will be the organization of the garbage
system of the town by providing the needed machinery and equipment.
This project is a continuation of an earlier initiative of UNDP
and Izmirlian Foundation – the establishment of Bed-and-breakfast
Guesthouse in Meghri city. Then, a XIX century cottage house has
been reconstructed into a small hotel facility fostering the region’s
potential for ethno-tourism development. In this way, a small tourist
route will be enabled.
Other projects are being discussed by the two institutions, to continue
supporting towns and rural villages of Armenia, particularly supporting
projects that enhance local development and job creation opportunities.
Syunik marz is located in the South of Armenia. The city of Meghri is
one of the southernmost parts of Armenia. It is situated on the lower
part of the Fortress of Meghri, in a large slope. Due to its location
in the beautiful highlands of the Armenian south and the availability
of various historical-cultural monuments, the city of Meghri has
the potential of becoming a center of tourism if the corresponding
infrastructures are developed. In the long run, development of tourism
will contribute to sustainable economic development and improvement of
the welfare of the community residents through creation of employment
in the sphere of tourist services.
The Lesser District of Meghri presents an open-air museum of folk
architecture, and this district is especially valuable because a
section of the settlement has been preserved up to now. The church
to be renovated is also located in this district.
By renovating and revitalizing the Crafts Center, UNDP And Izmirlian
Foundation aim to contribute to the reduction of unemployment in
this remote community, especially among young people. The Crafts
Center will become a training facility that will prepare a variety
of crafts people, and this will also conduce to the development of
Meghri as a tourism center.
The overall project budget for this phase is USD 155,000. The
beneficiaries of the project are the population of Meghri (12,200
people).
* * *
UNDP is the UN’s global development network. We operate in 166
countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and
national development challenges. As they develop local capacity,
they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.
* * *
For additional information please contact Mr. Vrej Jijyan,
tel.: (+37410) 56 60 73 ext. 220, e-mail: vrej.jijyan@undp.org
<mailto:vrej.jijyan@undp.o rg>, or Mr. Aramazd Ghalamkaryan, tel.:
(+37410) 56 60 73 ext. 121, e-mail: aramazd.ghalamkaryan@undp.org
<mailto:aramazd.g halamkaryan@undp.org>.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress