YEREVAN. - The subsequent meeting of the Armenian National Council on Sustainable Development took place Friday. It was chaired by PM Hovik Abrahamyan.
In the framework of the first issue on the agenda, Council Secretary Karine Danielyan, who is also the President of For Human Sustainable Development Association NGO, presented to the Council the concept paper of the strategy for the implementation of the commitments of the UN RIO+20 summit.
The concept paper specifically provides for measures and projects aimed at the sustainable development in the areas of alternative energy, energy saving, agriculture, tourism, education, nature preservation, waste and water resources management, etc.
Thereafter, Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian made a report on the UN “Sustainable development objectives”, presenting the results of the discussions which took place in the framework of the 70th jubilee session of the UN General Assembly.
The FM noted that during the discussions, the Millenium Development Goals program was concluded at the level of the coutries’ presidents, and “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” was adopted.
Nalbandian also noted that although the crisis didn’t leave out Armenia, according to the analysis of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), during these years Armenia came first among 22 countries, recording a 21 percent growth in the area of governmental allocations aimed at social insurance. Azerbaijan appeared on the last place in the list. According to the FM, the efficient and targeted expenses are an important factor and the availability of resources is not always decisive.
Summing up the meeting, PM Abrahamyan expressed satisfaction with Armenia’s progress, noting, however, that the country still has much to do. “Now we must start and complete the process of localizing the sustainable development objectives and targets, developing relevant standards,” he said. In this context, the PM also gave corresponding instructions to the relevant state agencies.
