Friday, 6 May 2016
RA National Sustainable Development Council Holds Meeting
Chaired by Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, a regular meeting of Armenia’s National Sustainable Development Council (NSDC) was held in the Office of Government.
Under the first agenda item, NSDC Secretary, President of “For Sustainable Human Development” NGO Karine Danielyan introduced a concept referred to as “Sustainable development agenda up to 2030,” which has been developed as part of Armenia’s national strategy for implementation of the UN Rio + 20 Summit recommendations. In particular, the concept provides for sustainable development-oriented action in the fields of energy efficiency and alternative energy, agriculture, tourism, education, environmental protection, as well as sustainable management of waste and water resources and other areas.
The concept was said to have been developed taking into account the UN Rio + 20 Summit recommendations, as well as comprehensive studies carried out in Armenia in terms of sustainable development-related challenges. The Council approved the concept and took note thereof.
Then the floor was given to RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan who delivered a report on UN Sustainable Development Goals, introducing the results of discussions held at UN General Assembly’s 70th jubilee session.
The Foreign Minister advised that the Heads of States in attendance summed up the Millennium Development Goals as adopted in 2000 and approved the “Transforming our world: Sustainable Development Agenda-2030” program. The Minister pointed out that the General Assembly session accepted that the goals proposed under the Millennium Development Goals program had not been met in full by UN-member States due to the global economic crisis of 2009.
Edward Nalbandyan noted that the crisis had not bypassed Armenia; nevertheless, according to data published by the United Nations Asian and Pacific Regional Economic Committee, among 22 countries in the region, Armenia leads the way with 21% growth in welfare spending. Note that Azerbaijan holds the lowest rank in this list. In this connection, Edward Nalbandyan reminded that efficient spending is the most important factor, and the availability of resources is not always decisive in this matter.
Summarizing the above two agenda items, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan said, “I am happy to state that Armenia is ahead of many countries in this context, but there is still much to do in this field. Now we need to start and complete as soon as possible the localization of sustainable development goals and targets and develop appropriate standards.” The Prime Minister instructed all government agencies to prioritize this work and fully support the activities of the relevant working group.
In conclusion, the meeting approved a proposal on including Armenian Communities Union NGO Head Emin Yeritsyan in the Council membership. Prime Minister Abrahamyan stressed the importance of having NGO representatives actively involved in the proceedings of the Council to ensure greater transparency and effectiveness in its activities.
