Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of the COVID-19 outbreak in Armenian communities

The COVID-19 pandemic is far more than a health crisis, it is also a humanitarian and development crisis that

threatens to leave deep social and economic scars in the years to come, particularly for the most vulnerable and

marginalized groups in society. The pandemic has moved like a wave, affecting the systems and peoples across

the globe least able to cope. Armenia has been no exception, requiring urgent actions from Government, civil

society, businesses and the international community to cope with the unfolding crisis beyond the health sector, to

mitigate the potentially devastating impact it may have on the economy, social service provision and communities.

Assessing the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis is nonetheless fundamental to tailor responses

that are integrated, evidence-based, risk-informed and address current as well as emerging vulnerabilities and

inequalities. To this end, under the overall leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator, the UN Country Team,

with UNDP’s lead, conducted a rapid Social and Economic Impact Assessment of the COVID-19 outbreak in

Armenian communities between May and July 2020. We hope that the findings and suggested recommendations

presented herein will help the Government of Armenia, development partners, IFIs, the private sector, civil

society organizations and other stakeholders to design and carry out evidence-based, risk-informed and gender-responsive recovery initiatives both at national and local levels.