UNDP Country Office in Armenia was established in 1993. The first Programme of Cooperation of UNDP with the Government of Armenia was approved in 1997 for three years. The second Programme of Cooperation constituted the basis for UNDP cooperation with the Government for the period 2000-2004. Since 2005, UNDP operates in Armenia based on the Country Programme Document for 2005-2009. The total volume of UNDP programme in Armenia for 1993-2007 amounted to US$ 40.4 million, which included UNDP core resources and donor cost-sharing.

The main objectives of the democratic governance portfolio are to expand civic participation, strengthen governance institutions, including the Office of the Human Rights Defender.


Human Rights: UNDP continues its support to national capacity building of the Ombudsman’s office, to exercise its mandate with technical capacity. The promotion of the concept of tolerance in the Armenian society through both formal and informal ways is another area of work with the Ombudsman Office, engaging both formal and non formal education institutions, non-governmental organizations and the media in promoting tolerance among youth, developing and supporting traditions of people’s diplomacy and peaceful dialogue with neighbors. .


To promote gender equality the Gender and Politics in the Southern Caucasus program targets women’s more active participation in decision-making processes, and raises public awareness on gender-related issues.


UNDP facilitates the continued development of a national framework to address the problem of human and drug trafficking at the policy and institutional levels and nurturing civil society monitoring networks. Major areas of the Anti-Trafficking Programme are: victims’ assistance, awareness-raising and capacity building. For 2008, the Programme will continue tackling both sex and labor trafficking issues.


Anti-Corruption: UNDP provides policy-level advice and support to the government anti-corruption initiatives for the development of the second phase of Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2007-2009, with a special emphasis on compliance and implementation of the UN Convention Against Corruption. Parallel to that, UNDP supports more active engagement of the civil society in combating corruption, especially in the health and education sectors, and raises awareness on corruption-related issues through media programmes.