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PRESS RELEASE
United Nations Development Programme / Armenia
14 Petros Adamyan St., Yerevan 0010
Contact: Mr. Hovhannes Sarajyan, Communications Associate
Tel: +37410 566 073
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.undp.am
Regional and Local Perspectives on Social Cohesion
Yerevan, 19 October 2011 - An estimated 35 percent of people in the
post-socialist countries of Europe and Central Asia (ECA) are excluded
from society, ranging from 12 percent of the population in The Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to 72 percent in Tajikistan.
UNDP's Regional Human Development Report (RHDR) on social inclusion:
Beyond Transition: Towards Inclusive Societies looks at the vicious
cycle of poverty from the perspective of those who experience it
firsthand. It turns out that poverty is not just about money and
income.
"The report intends to initiate a discussion in the region and beyond
and focuses on what excludes people, and the ways that they can be
included in society. In our view, this is a promising way to achieve
our ultimate goal - improved human development through social
inclusion," said Dafina Gercheva, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP
Resident Representative in Armenia, during the launch of the RHDR at
"Erebuni-Plaza" Business Center in Yerevan.
According to data collected in a six country study (Kazakhstan,
Moldova, Serbia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Tajikistan, and Ukraine) - in all countries but Tajikistan, access to
social services rather than economic exclusion was the biggest reason
people are left out of society. The surveys carried out in these
countries suggest that the elderly, children, youth, those living in
rural areas, and the unemployed and undereducated are being left out
of society.
Recommendations from the report include improved vocational education
and active labor market policies, radical improvement of services for
the elderly, and a region-wide overhaul of social protection, as
current social policies do not promote social inclusion. The report
also calls for each country in the region to develop a strategy to
promote social inclusion, based on involvement of people and groups
who are experiencing social exclusion.
"We want policy makers to know that they can help to lift people out
of poverty by increasing access to income, social services and social
networks," said Balazs Horvath, UNDP Poverty Practice Leader in the
Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS.
As part of UNDP "Enhancing Dialogue and Trust Building in Armenia"
project, the social cohesion study in Armenia was also launched. The
research was carried out by UNDP, in partnership with the Caucasus
Resource Research Center (CRRC), and is the first comprehensive study
on social cohesion in contemporary Armenian society.
The nationwide survey was conducted with 3,200 adults over the age of
18 years old. UNDP's goal was to initiate an in depth assessment of
the status of social cohesion based on quantitative and qualitative
surveys and consultations. In other words, the research gives, for the
first time, an understanding of social cohesion that is based on solid
evidence and analysis. The research identifies practical ways and
recommendations to improve social cohesion and calls for a renewed
local and national collaboration as the way forward.
The study has revealed that Armenia has a huge resource of social
cohesion at the level of families, local neighborhoods and
communities. However, this resource is almost solely utilized to
address the problems of individuals or families. At the level of
community infrastructure, this resource remains idle, primarily due to
the lack of ownership of anything which goes beyond households,
e.g. community roads, school playgrounds, public parks or forests
adjacent to communities.
Based on the findings of the research, the spirit of survey's
recommendations to policy makers on national and local levels is that
any projects aimed at improving the lives of people - in every sphere
ranging from healthcare to construction - should include careful
planning of interaction with communities to ensure their engagement in
the process and ownership of the results. The implementation of such
policies will not require additional resources, but utilizing the
existing ones, which ultimately will lead to multiplier effects on
community level and beyond.
The study provides with Social Exclusion Index - a tool developed
within the framework of RHDR "Beyond Transition: Towards Inclusive
Societies" - a mechanism for policy makers to consider the social
exclusion component while drafting regional development programs. Its
application for regions in Armenia identifies Yerevan with the lowest
level of social exclusion, while Gegharkunik region has the highest
rate of social exclusion.
"This research is only the very initial step. UNDP expects that it
will trigger a countrywide discourse and more research. To that end,
we will share the available database with the government, think tanks,
universities and research centers across Armenia. UNDP expects this
exercise to influence decision-making processes at all levels with the
ultimate aim to equip national and local authorities with
comprehensive social cohesion strategies," concluded Dafina Gercheva.
***
UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and
connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help
people build a better life. We are on the ground in 177 countries,
working with them on their own solutions to global and national
development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on
the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners. UNDP in Armenia was
established in 1993 and supports the Government of Armenia to reach
its own development priorities and the Millennium Development Goals by
2015.
United Nations Development Programme / Armenia
14 Petros Adamyan St., Yerevan 0010
Contact: Mr. Hovhannes Sarajyan, Communications Associate
Tel: +37410 566 073
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.undp.am
Regional and Local Perspectives on Social Cohesion
Yerevan, 19 October 2011 - An estimated 35 percent of people in the
post-socialist countries of Europe and Central Asia (ECA) are excluded
from society, ranging from 12 percent of the population in The Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to 72 percent in Tajikistan.
UNDP's Regional Human Development Report (RHDR) on social inclusion:
Beyond Transition: Towards Inclusive Societies looks at the vicious
cycle of poverty from the perspective of those who experience it
firsthand. It turns out that poverty is not just about money and
income.
"The report intends to initiate a discussion in the region and beyond
and focuses on what excludes people, and the ways that they can be
included in society. In our view, this is a promising way to achieve
our ultimate goal - improved human development through social
inclusion," said Dafina Gercheva, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP
Resident Representative in Armenia, during the launch of the RHDR at
"Erebuni-Plaza" Business Center in Yerevan.
According to data collected in a six country study (Kazakhstan,
Moldova, Serbia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Tajikistan, and Ukraine) - in all countries but Tajikistan, access to
social services rather than economic exclusion was the biggest reason
people are left out of society. The surveys carried out in these
countries suggest that the elderly, children, youth, those living in
rural areas, and the unemployed and undereducated are being left out
of society.
Recommendations from the report include improved vocational education
and active labor market policies, radical improvement of services for
the elderly, and a region-wide overhaul of social protection, as
current social policies do not promote social inclusion. The report
also calls for each country in the region to develop a strategy to
promote social inclusion, based on involvement of people and groups
who are experiencing social exclusion.
"We want policy makers to know that they can help to lift people out
of poverty by increasing access to income, social services and social
networks," said Balazs Horvath, UNDP Poverty Practice Leader in the
Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS.
As part of UNDP "Enhancing Dialogue and Trust Building in Armenia"
project, the social cohesion study in Armenia was also launched. The
research was carried out by UNDP, in partnership with the Caucasus
Resource Research Center (CRRC), and is the first comprehensive study
on social cohesion in contemporary Armenian society.
The nationwide survey was conducted with 3,200 adults over the age of
18 years old. UNDP's goal was to initiate an in depth assessment of
the status of social cohesion based on quantitative and qualitative
surveys and consultations. In other words, the research gives, for the
first time, an understanding of social cohesion that is based on solid
evidence and analysis. The research identifies practical ways and
recommendations to improve social cohesion and calls for a renewed
local and national collaboration as the way forward.
The study has revealed that Armenia has a huge resource of social
cohesion at the level of families, local neighborhoods and
communities. However, this resource is almost solely utilized to
address the problems of individuals or families. At the level of
community infrastructure, this resource remains idle, primarily due to
the lack of ownership of anything which goes beyond households,
e.g. community roads, school playgrounds, public parks or forests
adjacent to communities.
Based on the findings of the research, the spirit of survey's
recommendations to policy makers on national and local levels is that
any projects aimed at improving the lives of people - in every sphere
ranging from healthcare to construction - should include careful
planning of interaction with communities to ensure their engagement in
the process and ownership of the results. The implementation of such
policies will not require additional resources, but utilizing the
existing ones, which ultimately will lead to multiplier effects on
community level and beyond.
The study provides with Social Exclusion Index - a tool developed
within the framework of RHDR "Beyond Transition: Towards Inclusive
Societies" - a mechanism for policy makers to consider the social
exclusion component while drafting regional development programs. Its
application for regions in Armenia identifies Yerevan with the lowest
level of social exclusion, while Gegharkunik region has the highest
rate of social exclusion.
"This research is only the very initial step. UNDP expects that it
will trigger a countrywide discourse and more research. To that end,
we will share the available database with the government, think tanks,
universities and research centers across Armenia. UNDP expects this
exercise to influence decision-making processes at all levels with the
ultimate aim to equip national and local authorities with
comprehensive social cohesion strategies," concluded Dafina Gercheva.
***
UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and
connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help
people build a better life. We are on the ground in 177 countries,
working with them on their own solutions to global and national
development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on
the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners. UNDP in Armenia was
established in 1993 and supports the Government of Armenia to reach
its own development priorities and the Millennium Development Goals by
2015.