On 30 November, the “Urban Innovation Day” Forum was held with participation of representatives of the network of member communities of the “Mayors for Economic Growth” (M4EG) project and partner organizations of the development sector.

During the discussions, the participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the innovative solutions for community development, as well as to present their own experience and the progress of community development. This event was a unique opportunity for community leaders and partners to network and share innovative experiences.

RA Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan, Mayor of Yerevan Hrachya Sargsyan, Deputy Head of Cooperation Section of the EU Delegation to Armenia Silja Kasmann, and UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia Natia Natsvlishvili welcomed the participants of the forum. Then, Mayor of Yerevan Hrachya Sargsyan presented to the participants the reforms of Yerevan Municipality aimed at the development of the capital city and improvement of the quality and efficiency of services provided to citizens.

“Introducing innovation and new approaches to development challenges is at the core of the UNDP mandate. M4EG is a relevant and timely mechanism that seeks to shoulder local communities’ recovery after the compound crisis. It intends to develop the capabilities of relevant partners to promote inclusive and green economic recovery and job creation,” said UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia Natia Natsvlishvili.

The second phase of the “Mayors For Economic Growth” (M4EG) project was launched in 2021 and is implemented by UNDP in Armenia with financial support from the European Union. The proposed actions aim to promote inclusive economic growth and job creation in communities by boosting the capacity of local self-government bodies to test and adopt innovative tools that will bring maximum tangible benefits to citizens.