COUNTRY SPECIFIC PROGRAMMES FOR CAPACITY BUILDING
 

ARMENIA

 
Activities in 2011

1st series of field visits in 5 pilots municipalities (Areni, Parakhar, Vanadzor, Dilijan and Goris, 27-29 April)

organised to revise existing strategic municipal plans and make them more comprehensive, project oriented and locally owned
Elected representatives and officials of the 5 pilots municipalities introduced to the Council of Europe municipal planning methodology and trained on planning techniques aimed at defining vision, goals, objectives, programmes and projects
Bilateral meetings and a Joint Evaluation Workshop (Yerevan, 21 and 22 November respectively) organised with officials of the 5 pilot municipalities resulting in identification of key objectives, programmes and projects for the period 2012/2017 in each of the municipalities’ strategic plans
 
Key outcomes in 2011
 
Municipalities introduced to the SMP methodology and trained on planning techniques aimed at defining precise goals and objectives
Strong sense of local ownership of the planning process promoted
Discussion and SWOT analysis of draft community profiles and draft municipal vision and projects proposals for each of the 5 pilot municipalities
Key objectives, programmes and projects were identified and clearly stated for the period 2012/2017 in each of the pilot municipalities” strategic municipal plans.
 

Activities in 2010

New Programme on Strategic Municipal Planning launched in June 2010

Activity description
The programme builds on the Communities’ Association of Armenia’s request and the success of previous Leadership and Strategic Municipal Planning Programmes implemented by the Council of Europe in Albania and Georgia.

Activity Aims
Develop the municipal planning capacities of Armenian local municipalities
Help them to improve their standards by providing them with the opportunity to take responsibility for their own improvement, and
Assist them in identifying clear visions, goals, objectives, programmes and projects to carry out and meet citizens’ needs.

Participants
Communities Association of Armenia
Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration, in 10 pilot municipalities: Yerevan, Goris, Vanadzor, Dilijan, Gyumri, Akhuryan, Meghrashen, Aragats, Mkhchyan and Areni.
Ministry of Territorial Administration
Elected representatives, officials and experts from pilot local authorities involved in the Albanian and Georgian Leadership/Strategic  Municipal Planning Programmes. These will be invited from time to time to participate in some of the programme’s activities to favour exchange of know-how and experience with their Armenian counterparts. Such cooperation falls, in particular, within the framework of the agreement that the Communities’ Association of Armenia and the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG) signed in 2009.
Armenian Ministry for Territorial Planning is also following the Programme implementation closely with the view probably to draft specific legislation and/or amend the current Organic Law on Local Self-Government in order to introduce items concerning the approach to strategic municipal planning to be used in all Armenian local authorities, and make the proposed Council of Europe’s methodology compulsory. The drafting of four-year municipal plans is already an obligation under Armenian Law but no specific approach is recommended.

Programme finish date: 2012

Activites
- Launch workshop
Date: 26 June 2010
Participants: elected representatives of the 10 pilots.

- Two training sessions with pilot officials
Dates: 24 and 25 November 2010
Participants: pilots officials responsible for planning/municipal planners
One training specifically on City of Yerevan– special attention to this city on account of its size and socio-economic importance but also because, as opposed to most other pilot municipalities, it has some extensive planning experience.

Two workshops
Theme: Key elements of effective democratic leadership and strategic municipal planning at local level,
Material Examples from existing practices in UK, Albania and Georgia
Discussions: current needs, priorities and challenges of the Armenian municipalities and more especially of the pilot municipalities, as well as their current approach/experience of municipal planning were examined. draft action plan of the Armenia strategic municipal planning programme was discussed and agreed upon.
Publicity: An information leaflet about the programme was then produced and disseminated to all 10 pilot local authorities with the support of the Communities Association of Armenia.

Link to information on actvities from 2004 - 2008

Previous activities

Revision of the National Training Strategy

Activity description
Revision of the 2004 National Training Strategy (NTS), as requested by the Association of Communities, by a qualitative research carried out in 2008 and a survey in 2009.

Action carried out
Survey conducted on a representative, country-wide sample of 341 municipalities, out of which 291 village communities and 50 town communities, January to September 2009,
CoE expert assisted the Armenian Association in analysing the results of the survey.
Training activities have since been carried out within that framework by the Communities Association of Armenia and the Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration but without direct Council of Europe involvement.