PFA issues report on Armenia’s environmentJanuary 10, 2011 - 11:13 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Policy Forum Armenia (PFA) issued a report on the State of Armenia’s Environment. The report provides an overview of environmental challenges facing Armenia and highlights the severity of the current situation. It is intended to serve as a reference to a complex set of environmental problems and issues that are closely intertwined with the country’s development. Corruption and environmental activism are also discussed in some detail in the report. The report argues that improving environmental governance requires increased transparency and public participation in key policy decisions as well as the effective implementation and enforcement of existing environmental laws. The open pit mining operations in Northern Armenia - the Teghut case explored in the report - is an example of one facility where both urgent policy changes and adequate enforcement of existing policies are needed. Section I of the report provides the general motivation behind the study. Section II offers an historical overview of environmental conditions during the Soviet period as well as problems that emerged in the early years of independence and were aggravated by the hardships of the energy crisis. Section III examines a number of current environmental threats facing Armenia. Section IV provides a case study on mining operations with a detailed examination of the controversial mining project in the Teghut forest. Finally, Section V concludes the analysis. This is the second report in PFA’s State of the Nation series, which aims to provide an assessment of developments of critical importance taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora. Neither the authors nor the reviewers of the Report have received any compensation for their contribution, PFA press service reported. Policy Forum Armenia is an independent non-profit association aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia's economic development and national security and through that helping to shape public policy in Armenia. Top stories David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Partner news | Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. |