The funds of the state budget are often insufficient, especially in a country like Armenia, which ranks 113th in the world by its gross domestic product (GDP) (WB 2023). But is the lack of financial resources the only obstacle to the development of communities in Armenia?
Do municipal governments have sufficient skills to manage existing resources more effectively, attract additional financial resources and ensure sustainable economic development in their communities?
Armenia's 71 communities are endowed with broad self-government powers, which enables them to independently define the economic priorities of their communities, develop strategic development initiatives and attract necessary funds.
Meanwhile, the municipal authorities continue to be guided by the outdated, inefficient management logic left over from the centralized management system, and the main source of attracting additional financial resources for development continues to be state subsidies.
This method of traditional management causes another deep problem. residents of communities do not perceive local authorities as fully self-governing bodies, which deprives them of the motivation to participate in community development. Meanwhile, ensuring motivated community participation is key to achieving long-term success.
What does the "Community Leaders for Economic Development" initiative (Community Leaders for Economic Development), which is a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the European Union (EU), offer to community authorities? learn, change and change.
At the core of the RAMTZ initiative is the development of the capacities of community authorities, the main ones responsible for community development, through training programs, presentation of global best practices, consulting support from international specialists, and providing an opportunity to apply what has been learned in practice.
The curricula were created based on the results of studies conducted by the United Nations in 55 countries on the effectiveness of various community development programs, which highlighted the basic capacities, the lack of which prevents community authorities from ensuring sustainable development in their communities.
"For more than 30 years, the international development programs implemented in Armenia have provided some progress, but there is a significant opportunity to achieve much more effective and sustainable results in the direction of community development," says Christ Marukyan, the coordinator of the Armenia program of the RAMTZ.
Narine Hovhannisyan
