To develop cooperation in the field of the demography of the Republic of Armenia, exchange best practices, and implement effective joint programs, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan, Head of the Armenian Office of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Tsovinar Harutyunyan, and General Director of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Albert van Jaarsveld, signed a memorandum of understanding in Austria.
Armenia's Permanent Representative to the OSCE, Ambassador Armen Papikyan, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Davit Khachatryan, and Head of the Unified Social Service Eduard Petrosyan were also present at the document signing ceremony.
In the framework of the memorandum, the parties have agreed to do the necessary work in the direction of expert evaluation of the RA demography strategy and implementation of practical solutions through various research methods.
Referring to the priorities defined in the demography of the Republic of Armenia and the work aimed at overcoming the existing challenges, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan emphasized the importance of developing a comprehensive strategy of demography. According to the minister, the RA Ministry of ASD is in the experimental stage of evolving systems. With the support of the United Nations Population Fund, necessary work is being carried out to create a demography strategy and improve the current situation.
Narek Mkrtchyan also emphasized that the RA government continues to direct its efforts to develop such programs, which provide an opportunity to implement more targeted measures to improve the demographic situation in Armenia. In this context, the exchange of experience with international partners and the implementation of practical steps that will make it possible to mitigate the adverse effects of the demographic situation has been emphasized.
During the meeting, the parties again emphasized the importance of constructive and continuous interaction.