USAID has invested about $1.3bn in Armenia - Armenia Mission Director
YEREVAN, 14 December. /ARKA/. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has invested about $1.3 billion in Armenia since the country's independence, USAID Armenia Mission Director John Allelo said.
In an interview with Armenian Public Television on Friday Allelo said USAID's ‘ project portfolio covers areas such as developing democratic structures, strengthening the country's resilience, and developing social inclusion with the focus on legal reforms, promoting anti-corruption activities, assisting the government in promoting the democratic agenda, and social inclusion.
According to him, USAID is now implementing a total of 32 projects in Yerevan and all regions of Armenia.
‘Our programmes are designed in such a way that the benefits for citizens are obvious. For example, we help women entrepreneurs, help small farmers apply innovative technologies, which raise yields. We also help establish a dialogue between the Armenian government and international donors,’ the USAID mission chief said.
Allelo noted that since 2018, funding for the Agency's Armenian Mission has increased by 75 per cent.
‘This proves that the U.S. government believes that Armenia is capable of developing into a democratic nation. Regardless of who is in power, we have tried to work with both the authorities and citizens. We seek to establish a dialogue between the authorities and the people of Armenia,’ he said.
Speaking about assistance to civil society and media, Allelo said that USAID seeks to bring the voice of the people to the authorities, to establish this dialogue so that the government can determine which programs are important to the citizens.
‘In terms of media, it is very important that citizens are actively involved in events, but for that to happen, they need to be properly informed. We promote media literacy, skills development so that the media provide more accurate information and citizens understand what is going on in the country,’ emphasised USAID Armenia Mission Director. -0-
