On 31 July 2015, UNECE signed the United Nations Development Assistance Framework with the Government of Armenia for the period 2016-2020. The four key development areas of UNDAF are:
· Equitable, sustainable economic development and poverty reduction
· Democratic governance
· Social services and inclusion
· Environmental sustainability and resilience-building.
Over the next five years, UNECE will provide technical assistance to Armenia in a variety of areas including innovation and public-private partnerships, global assessment of the national system of official statistics, assessment of regulatory and procedural barriers to trade, development of national action plans for forestry and housing. Further support will be provided to the Government of Armenia on implementation of its obligations under the Multilateral Environmental Agreements.
At the signing ceremony, Hovik Abrahamyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, said: “Our meeting today marks the beginning of a new stage of UN-Armenia cooperation. The UN development assistance framework for 2016-2020 we are about to sign is a blueprint of the cooperation between the UN and Armenia for the next five years. Seven expected outcomes of UN-Armenia development cooperation have been jointly defined by our Government, the UN Country Team and civil society.” These expected results are aligned with the national priorities set in the Armenian Prospective Development Strategy 2014-2025 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UN Resident Coordinator Bradley Busetto said: “The key to achieving our ambitious goals together is through national ownership of this development agenda. And it is important to recall that the UN is not a donor. Our advantage is not our money. It is our global expertise, our role as an impartial broker and convener, and our network.”