PRESS RELEASE
Eurasia Foundation
56 Zarobyan Str., Yerevan 0009, Armenia
Contact: Alisa Alaverdyan
Tel: (374 10) 586095
Fax: (374 10) 586096
E-mail: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]
Web:
Legacy Institution of Eurasia Foundation is Launched
Yerevan, Armenia – On November 15, 2007, marks the official launch of
Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF), the local legacy institution of
Eurasia Foundation (EF) in the South Caucasus. Members of the press are
invited to attend a press conference at 14:30 on Thursday, November 15 in
the Queen Erato Meeting Room of the Armenia Marriott Hotel to hear about
this initiative from members of EPF’s Board of Trustees; the President of
EPF, George Zarubin; the President of Eurasia Foundation, Horton
Beebe-Center; EPF Country Director in Armenia, Gevorg Ter-Gabrielyan; Joseph
Pennington, Charge d’Affaires of the United States Embassy; and the Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arman Kirakossian.
In Armenia, the launch of EPF will be marked by a meeting of members of
EPF’s senior management and Board of Trustees with President Kocharian, and
two round table discussions on labor migration and cross-border dialogue and
cooperation. EPF will begin official operations as a local foundation on
January 1, 2008, when EPF will take over EF’s programs, tools and
approaches, staff and financial management systems.
With offices registered in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, EPF will inherit
the key resources that have made Eurasia Foundation a leading innovator in
civil society development in the region. At the same time, the new
Foundation will re-emphasize local decision making as the driver of positive
social change. This will be accomplished through a strengthened governance
system driven by experts whose guidance in programmatic planning and long
term institutional development will ensure that EPF is acting on behalf of
needs that are defined locally.
The Board of Trustees will be made up of international figures with expert
knowledge of the region, including Kenneth Yalowitz, former U.S. Ambassador
to Georgia, Dieter Boden, former German Ambassador and OSCE representative
and Sabine Frazier, a specialist in civil society and conflict resolution
with the International Crisis Group. The Board members’ expertise in
business, finance and law will ensure that the new Foundation is accountable
and fiscally responsible: Margaret Richardson is the former Commissioner of
the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Andrew Coxshall is the Managing Partner
of KPMG in the South Caucasus and David Lee is the Director of MagtiCom,
Ltd., Georgia’s largest telecommunications service.
The Board’s guidance on strategic and financial decisions will be
complemented by guidance from local Advisory Committees, composed of local
experts who convene to provide guidance and expertise on the new
Foundation’s programmatic decisions.
According to George Zarubin, President of EPF, "The new foundation will also
begin an important collaboration between U.S. and European partners. In
addition to core support from USAID, the Swedish International Development
Agency plans to support EPF for three years. Many other European, North
American and corporate donors will support EPF."
"The Eurasia Foundation has contributed greatly to the building of a strong
civil society in the South Caucasus, and to enhancing cross-border dialogue
throughout the region. The U.S. government is pleased to have assisted in
that effort. The new structure being unveiled today should serve to enhance
these efforts by facilitating greater local input in the design and
implementation of their programs," states Joseph Pennington, Charge
d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Armenia.
Supported by the United States Agency for International Development and
other public and private donors, EF has invested nearly $70 million in the
South Caucasus through more than 1,700 grants and programs since 1992.