3. Support to National Development Priorities

Social protection and education priorities saw a shift from long-term transformation to immediate social relief activities, including provision of life-saving and basic support to the displaced population. Economic development interventions focused on early recovery efforts, while disaster risk management (DRM) capacities and resilience-building gained renewed prominence.

The shift in the context and national needs naturally affected the UN’s strategic prioritization and planning processes, resulting in a delayed approval of the 2021-2025 UNSDCF until June 2021. On the positive side, the delay allowed the UN and GoA to adopt a more adaptive and conflict-sensitive approach, repositioning UNSDCF commitments in light of COVID-19 and post-war reality. Large and rapidly emerging vulnerable groups, including war veterans, women and girls with intersecting vulnerabilities, persons with disabilities, displaced populations, stateless persons and persons living in bordering areas, were placed in the center of our focus. UNSDCF development priorities were captured by the theory of change (TOC) diagram, illustrated below:

UNSDCF development priorities

UNSDCF 2021 Joint Work Plans (JWP) Delivery: Key Highlights

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Migration and displacement are often expressed in big themes and numbers: thousands of refugees, tons of humanitarian aid, hundreds of shelters. The reality is that displacement is more of a jigsaw puzzle of small fragments — memories, losses, and upheavals. Approximately 90,000 people, 88% of whom are women and children, have been displaced to Armenia in the recent flare-up of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between 27 September and 9 November 2020 - the heaviest fighting since the early 1990s. As of May 2021, 36,989 displaced people still reside in Armenia in desperate conditions. The UN in Armenia provided emergency assistance in the form of hygiene kits, animal feed, and other relief amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. And, as with other displaced people who have faced trauma and uncertainty, a step towards the community’s healing has been their ability regain their livelihoods and generate some income.

Migration and displacement in Armenia: Three stories of loss and perseverance