On October 19th, 2011, the presentation on the survey of the level of social cohesion in Armenia was held at the Erebuni Hall, Erebuni Plaza, Yerevan, Armenia. The presentation was opened by Ms. Dafina Gercheva, UN Resident Coordinator/Resident Representative, and Mr. Vache Terteryan, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Territorial Administration, and hosted more than 50 people from different institutions. Hans Gutbrod, Regional Director, CRRC, presented the data with accents on challenges in socio-economic environment, apathy, distrust, opportunities, etc. The presentation was followed by a Q/A sessions that provide an arena for a lively discussion on the matters of a general concern.
The survey was conducted by CRRC-Armenia within the frames of UNDP "Enhancing Dialogue and Trust Building in Armenia" project and is the first comprehensive study on social cohesion in contemporary Armenian society. The nationwide survey captured 3170 records with adults over 18 years. Through quantitative and qualitative survey methods, CRRC-Armenia tried to outline the ways and patterns to improve the situation of social cohesion and to provide practical recommendations to those institutions that decide on the policies towards the change in the sphere. The survey revealed the potential in Armenian families, neighborhoods and local communities, and its main message is that whatever reforms are undertaken they should be targeted at local community’s level.
As UN residents coordinator Dafina Gercheva stated: "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.”
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