With the support of the European Union, a new report entitled “Strengthening Civil Society Monitoring of CEPA Implementation (Monitoring of Article 52 points ‘a’ and ‘b’ and Article 54 points ‘b’, ‘c’, ‘d’, ‘e’, and ‘f’ of CEPA)” has been prepared.
The report presents the monitoring results of the implementation of the climate-related articles of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed between the Republic of Armenia, on one side, and the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community, and their member states, on the other, during 2021–2024. It also analyzes climate-related legislation and outlines current localization challenges and reform recommendations.
Specifically, the implementation of Armenia’s climate change mitigation and adaptation policies has been examined in the sectors of Forestry, Agriculture, Energy, and Waste Management. Issues and gaps were identified, and recommendations were developed for the relevant authorities.
1. Forestry Sector
- The data on Armenia’s forests from different sources varies, making it unusable for setting new climate targets related to increasing forest cover.
- Of the 50,000 ha of new forest required to achieve the 12.9% forest cover target by 2030 (under the Nationally Determined Contributions/NDCs), only around 1.64% was planted during 2021–2024.
- Since the 1993 state inventory of forest lands, Armenia has lost 126,200 ha of forest land. Between 2021–2023 alone, this decreased by 200 ha. Forest-covered land specifically has decreased by 45,000 ha; 100 ha of this decline occurred from 2021–2023.
- According to Armenia’s GHG inventory for 1990–2019, CO₂ absorption in the Forestry and Other Land Use sector dropped from -550.1 Gg CO₂e in 2010 to -373.0 Gg CO₂e in 2019.
2. Agriculture Sector
- Between 2021–2023, agricultural land area decreased by 1,100 ha.
- Climate resilience systems such as hail protection, insurance, irrigation, and early warning systems for hydro-meteorological hazards remain underdeveloped.
- During 2021–2023, only 18.5% of irrigable lands were irrigated on average by “Jrar” CJSC.
- Key reasons for land remaining uncultivated—such as limited access to irrigation water, insufficient water accumulation in reservoirs, and land fragmentation—have not been resolved.
- From 2021 to 2024, agriculture’s share (including forestry and fisheries) in Armenia’s GDP dropped from 11.1% to 7.9%.
3. Energy Sector
- Armenia is on track to meet its NDC target of doubling the share of renewable energy, as the share of electricity generated by small hydropower and solar plants grew from 8.57% to 19.4% during 2021–2024.
- According to Eurostat’s definition, 58.6% of Armenian households are energy poor. CEPA lacks specific provisions addressing energy poverty.
4. Waste Sector
- Most of the requirements outlined in Annex 3 of CEPA under “Waste Management” have not been fulfilled.
- Due to low volumes of waste sorting and recycling, most municipal solid waste is sent to landfills. Economic mechanisms to encourage businesses in the waste sector are insufficient. Under such conditions, it is unlikely Armenia will meet its NDC targets.
- Most water extracted in Armenia is not connected to the sewage system. Biogas is not collected from wastewater treatment plants, contributing to increased GHG emissions.
- Problems with sewage systems in 580 settlements remain unresolved.
- Armenia lacks a development plan for the wastewater management sector.
5. Communities
- Communities have not assessed their climate risks or developed climate mitigation and adaptation programs/strategies.
- Legislative gaps, lack of tools, and contradictions between legal acts hinder progress toward local climate targets.
- A shortage of technical resources and experts remains a barrier.
The report was prepared within the framework of “Support to Civil Society in Armenia for Monitoring CEPA Implementation” project implemented by GOPA Partners in Action for Change and Engagement. The report’s author is Victoria Burnazyan, project expert and Deputy President of “EcoLur” Informational NGO.
You can read the full report here.
July 22, 2025 at 15:44