SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT SIGNED UNDER SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IN YEREVAN

ARKA
Feb 16, 2009

YEREVAN, February 16. /ARKA/. A social partnership agreement has
been signed under the Sustainable Development Program (SDP) in
Yerevan. The agreement is signed by the Armenian Minister of Economy
Nerses Yeritsyan and representatives of various public organizations.

The agreement is to ensure participation of the broad masses in
development and effective implementation of the program through
harmonization of interests and joint efforts of various field entities,
civil society institutions and social groups, the Minister said.

Under the agreement, the government assumes a responsibility to set
up a council with its members to be elected from the public sector;
the council will be regularly discussing implementation of the program,
revising and amending opportunities, Yeritsyan said.

Under the sustainable development program, poverty reduction is to
be linked with development issues, raising employment and number of
high-paid jobs, as well as with high productivity.

The program is to be implemented till 2020-2021; a serious progress
is expected to be recorded in Armenia by that time, Yeritsyan said
adding that the problems and the targets are set based on the analyses,
studies and specific assessments in different aspects.

He pointed out that the main focus is put on sustainable development
having wider objectives than the poverty reduction alone. The p
rogram covers all the fields – social sector, economy, improvement
of business environment, management reforms – that are to move the
country toward developed economy.

The program also envisages serious monitoring and a greater
transparency through a special website where everybody can give his
opinion on the program.

As to possible effects of the crisis on the course of the program, he
said that the crisis is temporary, whereas the program is long-term
and that the discussions will shows whether the crisis affects the
main objectives of the program and if there is need for review.

A civil cooperation network is to be set under the agreement. The
agreement also envisages creation of target groups for various fields
such as human rights protection, protection of interests of women,
children and different groups, as well as territorial development and
community development, ecology, economic development and rural issues,
employment and protection of labor rights.

Armenian Government approved the Sustainable Development Program on
October 30, 2008.

The agreement on social partnership was approved at the meeting
of coordination council for poverty reduction strategic program
(Sustainable Development Program currently) on September 10 2008.