

One of the first preconditions for the development of Goris consolidated community, Syunik Region, is the collaboration between the local self-government body, non-governmental organizations, business companies and local residents, as Arthur Vardazaryan, President of New Horizons NGO thinks. During the meeting organized within the framework of "Social and Ecological Responsibility" project, Artur Vardazaryan mentioned how that cooperation could affect the development of the community.
"It is difficult to imagine any progress without cooperation with the community members, local government, and the civil society. The community, business, local government and government, public administration bodies must work in chains to see the progress. We need the participation of all these parties, including business participation in investments, responsibility and all other aspects," he noted.
From this view point, Narek Mnatsakanyan, Head of Financial-Economic and Revenue Collection Department of Goris Municipality, suggested making contributions from the dividends of the companies operating in the community. "Those who use the community's resources should pay some of their dividends to Goris community budget. It will be enshrined in law," he said. Narek Mnatsakanyan thinks that on the other hand, the share of the community in the subsidy programs should be reduced, and the share of the state should be increased.
In her conversation with EcoLur, Goris community resident Suzy Grigoryan attached much important to involving young people in solving community problems. "I think, first of all, it is necessary to create active youth groups, as well as to involve local government representatives, in that case we will achieve some success, we will have some progress," she said.
Armine Hovakimyan, Head of Public Relations, Education, Culture, Sports, Youth and Social Affairs Department of Goris Municipality, mentioned that the obstacle to the development of Goris community was the 44-day war, which brought the security issues of the community to the fore. "The vision of our community was the development of tourism. We have wonderful natural, historical areas, ancient historical sites, monuments. The epidemic and the war had a very serious impact on tourism. There is a big drop in the number of tourists. With the development of tourism, the hotel economy and construction were developing rapidly, but a lot has changed in terms of security. We are trying to make up for these shortcomings due to the war," she outlined.
Touching upon the possibility of introducing socio-ecological policy in the community as a result of the project, Armine Hovakimyan noted that it is difficult to implement the projects only with the community budget or to work out a certain policy mechanism. "It is possible to have such a developed policy so that we can carry out our functions better," she stressed.
Goris resident Hayarpi Avanesyan pointed out that another obstacle to community development is the brain drain. "We need human resources because there is a 'brain drain' from here. Many young people go to Yerevan to study, but never return. We have a shortage of staff," she said. Hayarpi Avanesyan is confident that there will be positive changes in the community only when each resident realizes that the development of the community depends on their work and activities. "It is necessary for all forces to work together, all people must contribute, develop this town, make efforts and energy to solve problems.
"People from different sectors from the IT sector, NGOs and local governments shall be involved. Everyone must join forces. If every clause of the policy is developed and written with everyone's participation, then we will have development," she outlined.
“Social and Ecological Responsibility” project is carried out by the NGOs involved in "Social-Ecological Consortium” - “Center for Community Mobilization and Support”, “Martuni Women’s Community Council”, “New Horizons”, “EcoLur” and “Forests of Armenia” NGOs within the frameworks of The Data for Accountable and Transparent Action (DATA) project.
“Data for Accountable and Transparent Action” (DATA) project is implemented by Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF) in a consortium with SOCIES Expert Centre NGO (Socies), Boon TV Foundation (Boon TV), Youth Cooperation Center of Dilijan NGO (YCCD) and Sose Women Issues NGO (Sose) co-created with and supported by United States Agency for International Development.
The Data for Accountable and Transparent Action (DATA) project is made possible by the generous support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of DATA Project are the sole responsibility of “Center for Community Mobilization and Support” NGO and project partners and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, EPF, and DATA Consortium.
May 13, 2022 at 12:48