UNECE PARTNERS WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF ARMENIA TO IMPROVE SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Targeted News Service
April 9, 2015 Thursday 10:18 PM EST

GENEVA

The United Nations Economic and Social Council’s Economic Commission
for Europe issued the following news release:

Published: 09 April 2015UNECE experts are visiting Armenia this week to
conduct the research mission for the second Country Profile on Housing
and Land Management of Armenia. The recommendations to be formulated
in the Country Profile will form the basis of the country’s national
action plan on sustainable housing and urban development.

The Republic of Armenia is committed to improve its housing condition
and urban development. The country is actively working towards the
preparation of the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban
Development – HABITAT III (October 2016) and has already submitted its
national report on housing and urban development to the secretariat
of the conference.

UNECE formalized its cooperation with the Government of Armenia on
9 April 2015 via two Memoranda of Understanding, with the Ministry
of Urban Development and the UNDP office in Armenia. These provide
the framework for cooperation for the Country Profile and for the
development of a smart city pilot project in the town of Goris,
initiated within the UNECE-led “United Smart Cities” initiative. As a
result, UNECE and UNDP Armenia will support Armenia in conducting the
analysis of the housing and urban development situation and developing
specific policy recommendations and action plans at both country and
municipal levels.

Commenting on this cooperation, the Minister of Urban Development of
the Republic of Armenia Narek Sargsyan stated that, “The mission of
urban development is to create a human habitat that is favourable,
safe, and enabled with high aesthetic features, including all the
multifunctional and sophisticated processes of urban development.

International organizations, national and local self-government,
private sector and civil society should join their efforts for reaching
that goal.”

Coherent actions of the government and international partner
organizations, efficiently facilitated by the UNECE, will be an
essential stimulus for implementation of the national goals of
sustainable urban development prioritized by the Republic of Armenia,
which in its turn will be a contribution in the global action towards
the implementation of the New Global Urban Agenda.