Armenia

Background and Context27. Gender is also given consideration in government planning at the marz (province)level, and within city planning in Yerevan. From 2011, standing committees on gender issueswere established in each marzpetaran (provincial government), Yerevan Municipality, andall of the administrative districts of Yerevan. 20 The standing committees are tasked withdeveloping annual action plans on gender equality and GBV, detailing activities for theirimplementation, and introducing local gender policy.28. Gender experts consulted during this assessment, however, contend that genderis not being meaningfully integrated into local planning processes. Gender mainstreamingis not a required part of the process of drafting 3-year community development programsor budgets at the marz level, and most marzpetaran have limited knowledge or resourcesneeded to undertake gender mainstreaming. Instead, work that is oriented towardwomen and children is generally highlighted as “gender projects” in plans. In some cases,gender issues are addressed in local planning through a few stand-alone and womenorientedprojects such as celebrations of Women’s Day. Such activities are not designedstrategically; they often have no targeted funding, and there is no monitoring of outcomesor impact. Several local administrations also have women’s councils, but this is not auniform practice, and their effectiveness varies.29. Experts working on improving gender integration at the local level suggest thatbecause the law on local governance is neutral about gender, the most effective approachto engendering local planning is to encourage greater inclusivity in democratic processes toimprove their effectiveness. In addition, the Law on Equal Rights and Equal Opportunitiesfor Men and Women calls for developing strategies and programs on gender equality at theregional level, which should improve how national policy is implemented in each marz.3. Donor Coordination on Gender-Related Projects30. A number of multilateral and bilateral development agencies, internationalorganizations, and private foundations support projects that either have a focus on womenor aim to address gender disparities in Armenia. Coordination of these efforts is managedby the United Nations GTG, which includes United Nations country team members,representatives of ministries and state structures, international development organizationsand banks, NGOs, think tanks, and independent experts, totaling about 50 members. 21 TheAsian Development Bank (ADB) is a member of the Armenia GTG. The GTG supportsgender mainstreaming in Armenia’s development agenda and in its members’ activities;serves to enhance cooperation and coordination among the government, United Nationsagencies, civil society, and other development partners on gender-related projects; andpromotes and coordinates gender-responsive development programming by providing avenue for regular sharing of information, tools, and experiences on implementing genderequality projects. 22 Although the GTG meets regularly for the purpose of joint planning, amore in-depth discussion of several specific gender issues in Armenia is still needed. TheGTG’s role in facilitating dialogue between government and civil society could also beenhanced.20 National Review of the Republic of Armenia on Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and the Outcomes ofthe Twenty-Third Special Session of the General Assembly (2000) in the Context of the Twentieth Anniversary of the Fourth World Conferenceon Women and the Adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 2015. p. 3.21 A full list of GTG members can be accessed from: http://www.un.am/res/Gender%20TG%20docs/list_GTG_final_for_website.pdf22 United Nations in Armenia. Gender Theme Group. http://www.un.am/en/p/gtg9