THE SUSTAINED DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM COORDINATION COUNCIL HELD ITS FIRST SESSION AT THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT, PRESIDED AT BY COUNCIL CHAIR, RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN

Fri day, 21 August 2009

In accordance with the Prime Minister’s decision, the meeting
approved the statutes and the composition of the Council featuring 10
representatives from the executive and the legislature, as well as 11
representatives from civil society, with the latter being represented
in all program management units, subject to the principle of prevailing
participation. Any proceeding of the Council will be attended by
representatives from core international donors involved in Armenia.

The first question of the agenda concerned the short-term program
for the period 2010-2011. The meeting proposed that the Government’s
anti-crisis action plan and the priority areas under the program of
sustained development and the European Neighborhood Policy Action Plan
should be taken as a basis for the design of a short-term program for
2010-2011. It is supposed to provide a framework for social-economic
planning of line programs and the development of State budget laws. As
an addendum to the sustained development program, it will summarize the
anti-crisis policies to lay the groundwork for medium-term expenditures
and the State budget.

The Short-Term Program is seen as a chiefly strategic paper. The
Program will be developed and implemented under the Sustained
development program management system which implies broad participation
and strict reporting. Civil society and donor organizations are
expected to back this process as much as possible.

The session also discussed and endorsed the terms of reference and
the composition of the working group on coordination of recurrent
activities under the program. The working group will have the main
task of ensuring effective coordination and monitoring of program
activities. The working group will comprise 9 representatives from
the executive and some 10 representatives from civil society and will
be chaired by the deputy minister of economy.

The meeting also discussed the possibility of including representatives
from the civil interaction network of interdepartmental bodies.

The Council took note of the proposed scheme for enhancing efficiency
and adhering to a unified policy while monitoring and assessing the
Program of Sustained Development and the European Neighborhood Policy
Action Plan. In conclusion, the session heard the Sustained Human
Development Association NGO’s report on the causes and the ways out
of the global financial and economic crisis, which has already been
presented to the General Assembly of the United Nations.