Alaverdi community will have a social development plan

On July 17, 2025, a meeting of the working group for the development of the Alaverdi community social program was held at the Alaverdi community hall within the framework of the "Strengthen Community Resilience through Energy Efficiency and Low-Emission Development" UNDP-Sida project.

At the beginning of the meeting, UNDP representative Arega Martirosyan introduced the participants to the program expert Astghik Minasyan, noting that the expert's involvement aims to support the development of a social development program of community, including measures promoting accessibility of energy efficiency and renewable energy for residents and vulnerable settlements.

Mr Matirosyan referred to the decision of the Project Board: "The funds generated by the 500-kW community-owned solar photovoltaic plant in the Mghart settlement, built within the framework of the project, will also be directed to the implementation of social support and energy efficiency programs in the community, which in essence will not be a mere provision of monetary support, but will help vulnerable families improve their living conditions."

Astghik Minasyan, who is also currently involved in the processes of developing social support programs and procedures and guidelines for their implementation by the RA Ministry of Social Affairs, noted that UNDP project provides good opportunity to collect data from the primary level that will help improve and make applicable the procedures and guidelines being developed by the government.

Ms. Minasyan added that from now on, social assistance programs should be aimed at community development and, like all programs, it should begin with a needs assessment," said Astghik Minasyan, "and the needs assessment should naturally begin with data collection. This can be done through analysis of state statistical data, interviews, and focus group discussions, which the working group should deal with at the primary stage."

The Working Group established by the order of Community head is tasked to conduct interviews with 10 key officials and specialists  using pre-developed questionnaires: the head of the Alaverdi community, social workers of the Alaverdi community, the head of the Education, Culture, Sports, Youth and Social Support Department of the Alaverdi community staff, the head of the Alaverdi community development programs and tourism department, the administrative heads of 4 large settlements, the director of the Tumanyan Territorial Center of the Unified Social Service and 1 case manager, the director of the “Alaverdi Medical Center” CJSC, the director of the “Mission Armenia” NGO, and the coordinator of the “Navak” Alaverdi community center for family and child development.

Artur Manukyan, coordinator of the Working Group, advisor to the head of the Alaverdi community, noted that the Alaverdi community has a problem with the involvement of social workers. The staff list provides for four, but now the community has two social workers. The Alaverdi community is very large, has 28 settlements and a complex geography, two social workers do not physically have time to register all vulnerable families and groups.

With the new regulations, more responsibilities are placed on community social workers, including social patronage.

Nina Mamajanyan expressed concern whether this would be an unnecessary burden on already overburdened community social workers, to which Astghik Minasyan responded that these would be delegated services, therefore with additional pay.

Astghik Minasyan also noted that the Working Group can essentially create a very flexible schedule for itself, using all possible means of organizing meetings, both online and offline.

The work is scheduled for two months, and the members of the Working Group for developing the Alaverdi community social program were hopeful that in two months the Alaverdi community will have the necessary database, directions for developing the Alaverdi community social programs, which will be submitted to the Alaverdi Council of Elders for approval.

The project "Strengthening Community Resilience through Energy Efficiency and Low-Emission Development" is funded by Sweden and implemented by the UNDP Armenia Office in cooperation and co-financing with the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Alaverdi Municipality.