On April 1-2, 2024, Mr. Christophe Frering, Team Leader of the EC “Covenant of Mayors East” regional project, visited signatories of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy in Armenia and had meetings with the local administrations and staff of Talin, Parakar and Akunk communities.

This was already the second visit of the Team Leader to Armenia, after a series of meetings with communities held in October 2022, aimed at establishment of direct dialogue between the CoM East project management and the local administrations with the purpose of updating signatories on the planned project activities, calling for timely development and approval of SECAPs, encouraging to actively participate in the upcoming EU Sustainable Energy Week, as well as learning on implemented and ongoing mitigation and adaptation measures on local level.

In Talin community, one of the new CoM signatories, the meeting was held with the Mr. Artur Harutyunyan, Assistant to the Mayor and the staff of Development Programs Division, responsible for development of SECAP.

During the meeting Mr. Frering was informed about the process of amalgamation of Talin with 33 settlements resulting to a significant increase in the territory and population of the new enlarged community as well as expanding the spectrum of potential climate risks to be considered during development of an action plan.

It was emphasized that given the climatic conditions of Talin, in particular, the large number of sunny days and high solar radiation, widespread use of solar energy for electricity and heat generation was considered as the priority measure for GHG emission reduction in municipal and residential sectors. To this end, the local administration has already initiated installation of PV systems for power supply of municipal buildings and facilities such as the community pumping station. It is planned that by the end of 2025, the vast majority of municipal building in Talin and the settlements will be equipped with PV systems.

In Parakar community, the meeting was held with Mr. Gor Saribekyan, Deputy Mayor of Parakar, who updated the CoM East team on the process of SECAP development (first draft has already been submitted for evaluation of Helpdesk) and on plans of the community to take part in EUSEW 2024.

During the mission, Mr. Frering visited the municipal art school of Parakar as well as the wastewater treatment plant constructed with the support of GEF Small Grant Program and the “Water, Climate and Development in CACENA Region” DFID project. The plant serves about half of the community's population and provides mechanical and biological treatment of wastewater.

In Akunk community that joined the Covenant in February 2023, Mr. Frering met with the Mayor of the community Mr. Hunan Rubenyan. Like most of the CoM signatories in Armenia, Akunk has also been enlarged in the process of administrative-territorial reform that resulted in amalgamation of the community with 8 settlements, including three high mountain villages. Mr. Rubenyan informed the Team Leader about the ongoing projects of the local administration aimed at thermal insulation the municipal kindergartens, installation of PV systems for power supply of municipal buildings and use of renewable energy to power the drinking water supply systems of several communities.

On April 1, 2024, Mr. Christophe Frering, Team Leader of the EC “Covenant of Mayors East” regional project, met with Mr. Vache Terteryan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of RA (Covenant National Coordinator) and Mr. Emin Yeritsyan, President of the Union of Communities of Armenia (Covenant Supporter).

The event was aimed at informing CNC and CS about the first meeting of the CoM East Project Board held on March 14th in Brussels, discussing the activities planned within the framework of the project in Armenia and coordinating their implementation with the ministry.

In particular, Mr. Frering informed the national partners about functions of the newly established Board, acting as a regional strategic advisory, networking and coordination body for the CoM initiative in EaP countries, and about main topics discussed by the Board members, CoM East Secretariat and the invited stakeholders, such as current progress of the regional project, the plans for the project's development in 2024 and beyond in EaP countries, improved cooperation with the within the region and between the EaP and the EU, etc.

As for national level events, Mr. Frering updated the partners on organization of the third capacity building training for the Armenian signatories, planning of events and contests within the framework of the EUSEW, gathering the first meeting of the Practitioners’ Group and the upcoming visit of the group of Moldovan signatories to Armenia within the scope of “City to city” exchange program.

Mr. Yeritsyan, underlined the importance of the capacity building activities of the project, mentioning that the next training would target development and financing of project proposals, thus, helping signatories to transform local energy and climate initiatives into competitive proposals eligible for funding by international financial organizations and donors.

Mr. Terteryan thanked the project team for the work done and highlighting that the climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives of the Covenant of Mayors are consistent with the state policy in the field of climate and energy. The Deputy Minister assured that the Ministry, as the National Coordinator of the initiative in Armenia, is ready to continue supporting the implementation of the project within its capabilities and competencies, and has proposed more active communication between the local project team and contact persons in the Ministry.

Mr. Terteryan also welcomed the idea of organization of the study visit of the Moldovan delegation to Armenia, and agreed with the proposal to include into the mission agenda of the delegation a meeting with the Ministry to introduce the results of the territorial and administration (amalgamation) reforms, key objectives and outcomes of the state subvention program supporting communities with implementation of infrastructure projects and the results of liberalization of the Armenian electricity market that has opened new opportunities for local administration of communities and population for the production and use of renewable (solar) energy.

At the conclusion of the meeting, participants agreed to intensify cooperation to materialize the planned national events and prepare for the fourth meeting of the Covenant of Mayors Club in Armenia.

The report analyses insights and experiences of diversified groups of women regarding the climate change impacts from various locations in Georgia, to enable the development of more gender-inclusive national and local climate policies. The study based on extensive interviews identifies the main factors shaping women’s vulnerability to climate change. The social determinants of climate sensitivities include opportunities for political participation, social status, income, age, access and control over the assets and others are exacerbated by climate change. The impacts in urban and rural areas vary. The report can be used as an example of a climate vulnerability analysis focused on a specific group at the national and regional levels, including the approach to data collection, analysis, and presentation of results. The recommendations developed for Georgia may be relevant for other EaP countries.

EN

The report presents the latest data, research and other evidence reflecting the impact of climate change in Moldova, with a particular focus on climate hazards affecting children. The research identifies the main factors contributing to the vulnerability of children and adolescents at national and regional levels, including environmental and climate change factors (location in areas most affected by climate-related natural disasters, environmental and water quality) and socio-economic factors (economic development and poverty, food and nutrition, access to health services, education levels). The report makes recommendations to stakeholders, including UNICEF's future programming, policy and advocacy. The report can be used as an example of a climate vulnerability analysis focused on a specific group at the national and regional levels, including the approach to data collection, analysis and presentation of results. The recommendations developed for Moldova may be relevant for other EaP countries.

EN