A total of 17 Armenian organizations, initiatives and individuals have come together to form the Chemical Safety Coalition to jointly fight mining issues and reduce chemical safety risks in communities affected by the industry.
On September 14 and 15, 2024, the first major gathering of the coalition was held in Pokr Ayrum village of Alaverdi consolidated community, Lori region, during which the upcoming actions of the formation of a new platform were outlined, the vision of social-ecological and green, sustainable development of the communities was discussed, and clean communities were defined. and the need to ensure a healthy environment, human health, economic development, foreign relations, and strengthening democracy.
One of the important steps of the gathering and discussion was the adoption of the Coalition declaration (https://www.ecolur.org/hy/news/mining/15702/), which identifies challenges faced by mining-affected communities and steps to mitigate and overcome them.
The coalition unites Lori, Tavush, Gegharkunik, Syunik, Vayots Dzor and Ararat regions of Armenia. The members are from the communities where there is a problem of chemical pollution, they are the people who have been speaking up and fighting for their environmental rights for years.
Oleg Dulgaryan, co-founder of the coalition, President of "Center for Community Mobilization and Support" NGO, mentioned the important principles declared by the coalition in his interview with Ecolur. "Transparency in the field of mining, responsible management of waste, and protection of socio-ecologic rights of communities: the coalition was created around these goals. We aim to find solutions to the challenges faced by the Armenian society and the environmental community,” he outlined.
Meetings with members of the coalition are planned in different communities of Armenia in order to share their own experience, to carry out a needs assessment in order to unite communities around sustainable development processes.
Strategic Communication Expert Hayk Abrahamyan, who has a wide range of experience in working with coalitions, shared his own experience with the members during the two-day meeting, to support the coalition at the starting point.
According to Hayk Abrahamyan, the advantage of the chemical safety coalition is that it has a clear direction, mission and well-defined goals. "The coalition was formed with a bigger agenda and clear goals. It's a good start," he said.
Inga Zarafyan, co-founder of the coalition, President of "EcoLur" Informational NGO, noted that "The population of the polluted areas should be fully aware of the risks that contain toxic substances that enter the body through the drinking water that they and their children drink, the foods through what they grow in their gardens, and through the air that contains factory emissions.
We need to arm ourselves with knowledge and unite so that irresponsible business becomes responsible, and the state manages natural resources wisely and cares not only for the well-being of international and national investors, but also for the health and well-being of its citizens."
Henrik Mkhitaryan from "Green Change" Environmental NGO stated that the main reason for joining the coalition is the desire to get involved in the work aimed at mitigating the damages caused by mining in the territory of Armenia and preventing the opening of new mines.
According to her, the long-term experience of the coalition members is one of the strengths of the new platform.
Tigran Matevosyan, President of "Armash" Center for the Support and Development of Rural Communities" NGO, mentioned the problem of chemical pollution in Ararat Region.
Speaking about the upcoming actions of the coalition, she emphasizes that it should gain recognition both at the state and international level.
Movses Manukyan, a member of "Healthy Hrazdan" civil initiative, emphasized the importance of cooperation in the upcoming processes of the coalition. "There are many problems in Kotayk Region. We expect that all the members of the coalition will be involved together in solving the problems in the entire territory of Armenia," he emphasized.
Vahram Hoveyan, General Secretary of "Bayazet Center" NGO located in Gegharkunik Region, presented to Ecolur the problems they face and the vision of solving these problems as a result of joining the coalition.
"We expect to analyze the causes of chemical pollution and its consequences on the quality of life of the community population, proposing targeted directions for policy improvement. "Chemical Safety Coalition" is a platform that unites public organizations from different fields. This multi-layered approach gives an opportunity to delve into not only environmental, but also economic and legal reasons in order to provide logical and sound solutions to existing environmental problems," he said.
The meeting of "Chemical Safety Coalition" was organized by Czech "Arnica", Armenian "Center for Community Mobilization and Support" and "EcoLur" Informational NGOs within the framework of "Ecological Transformation of Armenia's Mining Regions" project with the financial support of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
October 01, 2024 at 12:53