UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia and Members of the UN Country Team met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ararat Mirzoyan

6 October, Yerevan, Armenia – Today members of the UN country team in Armenia, headed by the UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia, Shombi Sharp, met with the RA Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ararat Mirzoyan, and his team. Deputy Minister Vahe Gevorgyan and other representatives of the Ministry also participated in the meeting.

The introductory meeting provided an opportunity to present UN agencies’ programmes in Armenia to Minister Mirzoyan while highlighting the strategic partnership ahead outlined by the new five-year UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2021-2025 (UNSDCF) and anticipated $ 230 million in development spending. The extensive results of joint efforts to address the humanitarian and socio-economic impact of overlapping challenges caused by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and COVID-19 were also recognized.

Mr. Sharp thanked Minister Mirzoyan for the continuous cooperation and highlighted the importance of achieving the eight UNSDCF outcomes together for the prosperous future of Armenia. He welcomed the Government’s decision to soon launch the SDG Council as a milestone towards UNSDCF implementation and underlined the importance as well of the Armenian Government’s role in global UN structures.

“We believe that together with Government, the international community, civil society and other partners, we can make major contributions to helping Armenia not only recover from crisis, but also build back better through the new Cooperation Framework. It is all about full achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030 in line with the national development priorities,” said Mr. Sharp.

The FM highly valued the UN in Armenia’s cooperation during these challenging times. He expressed appreciation especially for the assistance provided in response to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, support to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the efforts aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the country. Minister Mirzoyan stressed the importance to further strengthen the partnership focusing on development programmes in line with the country’s national development priorities.

The meeting reaffirmed the deep commitment towards working together to support Armenia and the people in Armenia through jointly addressing current challenges and leaving no one behind.