The final workshop and Project Board of the UNDP-GCF Armenia’s National Adaptation Plan project (NAP) took place on December 20. During the event, results and main achievements of the Project were presented and discussed with the stakeholders.

Over 90 events with more than 3200 participants, 5 sectoral, 2 provincial and 1 city adaptation plans, climate and associated natural hazards atlas for Shirak and Lori provinces, sectoral and regional climate risk vulnerability assessments, adaptation monitoring and evaluation system, 9 guidelines, trainings for decision makers, journalists, school children and teachers and much more

During the event, UNDP Resident Representative Natia Natsvlishvili and RA Deputy Minister of Environment Gayane Gabrielyan delivered opening remarks. Deputy Minister of Economy Ira Panosyan; Head of the Water Policy Department of the Ministry of Environment Lilit Abrahamyan; Tour Product Development Advisor at Tourism Committee of the of the RA Ministry of Economy Anahit Voskanyan; Deputy General Director of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the RA Ministry of Health Nune Bakunts; representative of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure  Karen Hovsepyan delivered speeches. UNDP Climate Change Programme Coordinator Diana Harutyunyan, and members of UNDP-GCF NAP project presented results of activities carried out during the project.

In her welcome speech, Deputy Minister of Environment Gayane Gabrielyan summarized the main achievements of the year in the context of climate action and thanked UNDP partners for their support.

“Financing of the climate agenda is prioritized around the globe today, and the state that can transform and adapt the fastest will have greater financial capacity, and will be able to build capacity within itself more quickly. Next year, we are going to focus on the Laws on Climate and Eco-education, the Environmental Strategy and adding the green agenda to the Constitution. During the implementation of all this, of course, the Ministry of Environment will need the support of all present departments and partners, because the wide range of climate change impacts equally covers all sectors of the economy” concluded Deputy Minister Gabrielyan.

Launched in 2019, the "National Adaptation Plan to advance medium and long-term adaptation planning in Armenia" was implemented by the UNDP in Armenia under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment with the funding from the Green Climate Fund. The project aimed at supporting the RA Government in the process of developing a national adaptation plan, contributing to the strengthening of the fundamental capacities of sustainable development through coordinated continuous actions and prioritizing the implementation of climate change adaptation measures in six vulnerable sectors: agriculture, water resources, settlements, health care, tourism and energy.

In her welcoming speech, UNDP Resident Representative Natia Natsvlishvili emphasized the timeliness and importance of actions aimed at building resilience towards climate change challenges and mitigating its effects in Armenia.

“NAP project has been addressing one of the most critical challenges of the country and around the world. Even though, we often witness - as Ms. Gabrielyan has also referred to - a conflict during making some decisions what to prioritize, there is no doubt in our feelings and in our understanding as UNDP that climate action cannot be postponed any longer. The climate action shall take priority in every decision discussed at the local, national and global levels. We hope that this project has been such that will create and make yet another contribution to making right climate decisions in Armenia.

This project has indeed been putting its contribution into identifying the right way for the country to adapt through generating evidence knowledge, awareness, policies into various sectors and we will hear all of those details later today.

What is ahead of us is of course the implementation. We will all need to roll up our sleeves and go ahead with implementing those recommendations and priorities and the policy actions that have been outlined through the policy documents in the framework of this project and beyond. And in this let me once again confirm UNDP’s commitment to stand next to the Government in supporting and providing every possible assistance towards the transition to the climate smart decisions and the green sustainable development trajectory of the country” said Natia Natsvlishvili.

Over 80 representatives of Ministries of Environment; Territorial Administration and Infrastructures; Health; Economy; Education, Science, Culture and Sports and Emergency Situations, Urban Development Committee, Statistical Committee, "Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center" SNCO,  Public Administration Academy of RA,  foundations, UNDP and international institutions attended the event and participated online.