This document outlines the purpose and key points of a presentation on Armenia's Country Work Program (CWP) under the EU's ENPI East Countries FLEG II Program. The presentation addresses: (1) links to results from the previous FLEG Program; (2) why proposed country activities are strategic; (3) how activities correspond to global strategies; and (4) potential synergies with other country programs. It identifies priority topics for FLEG II, including legal reforms, building human resources, public awareness/monitoring, sustainable forest management, and improved planning/monitoring. It also notes links between Armenia's activities and priorities in the Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine CWPs.

1. EUROPEAN NEIGHBORHOOD AND
PARTNERSHIP INSTRUMENT
EAST COUNTRIES FOREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AND GOVERNANCE II PROGRAM
(ENPI EAST COUNTRIES FLEG II PROGRAM)
Comments to Armenia CWP
Steering Committee Meeting
October 1, 2013
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Minsk
Prepared by Arusyak Alaverdyan

2. The purpose of the presentation
The purpose of this presentation is to answer
the following four questions:
1. What are the links with the results from FLEG 1?
2. Why are the proposed country activities strategic?
3. How do they correspond to a global strategy?
4. What are the potential synergies with other country
programs?

3. What are the links with results from FLEG1
FLEG1
Area 1 - Increased awareness and
commitment of key stakeholders on FLEG
Area 2 - Effective national and regional
FLEG action processes in place
Area 4 - Improved regional and subregional collaboration and knowledge
sharing
FLEG2
Area 3 - Public awareness and public
monitoring of the forests
Area 4 - Strengthening sustainable forest
management in Armenia through activities
with model forest units
Area 7 - Sustainable forest management
practices implemented
Area 1 – Legal and institutional review
Area 3 - Increased national ownership and
capacity
Area 5 - Effective engagement of key
trading partners
Area 6 - Continuation of the formal official
Europe-North Asia FLEG process
Area 2 - Building human resource capacity
to address FLEG issues
Area 5 - Improving the FLEG planning and
monitoring at the national, regional (local)
and international levels

4. Why are proposed country activities strategic?
 The Government’s strategy (Armenia Development Strategy
2013-2025) in addition to efforts for improving the rates of
economic growth envisages measures to reduce as much as
possible associated environmental risks. In particular:
• environmental risks associated with the expansion of the mining
industry as a result of higher prices for metals in international markets;
• illegal forest logging resulting from higher gas prices;
• overexploitation of water resources due to rapid development of
subsectors using underground water resources and as a result of
climate change;
• increased desertification risk.
 Moreover, the Government plans to improve and strengthen
climate resiliency of the sectors most affected by climate
change, including agriculture, energy, and forestry.
 Also, improvement of control mechanisms against illegal
logging parallel to forest plantation and restoration activities is
envisaged.

5. How do they correspond to a global strategy?
The EU FLEGT Action Plan is part of a global
strategy that has an objective to discover new
scientific knowledge to environmental problems
including forest management.
Sustainable forest management, including
dealing with the issue of illegal logging (FLEG)
and related trade in illegal timber (FLEGT),
both within and outside the EC, is the EU policy
as part of its involvement in the World Summit
on Sustainable Development.

6. The following five directions were identified as priority topics to
be elaborated on throughout Phase II of the ENPI FLEG
program:
 Because of quite significant discrepancies in the different legislative
documents regarding the forestry field, there is a need for legal and
institutional review and reforms.
 Building human resource capacity to address FLEG issues, including
need for education and knowledge exchange (forestry specialists,
journalists, university lecturers and students, as well as internationally
between ENPI FLEG countries and with EU member states),
training of trainers (TOT) programs.
 Public awareness and public monitoring of the forestry sector.
 Strengthening sustainable forest management in Armenia through
activities with model forest units such as forest protected areas and
activities on sustainable use of forest resources with involvement of
adjacent communities.
 Improving the FLEG planning and monitoring at the national,
regional (local) and international levels.

7. What are the potential synergies with
other country programs?
Examples:
 Azerbaijan CWP includes a priority activity “to develop
modifications and amendments to the relevant laws and
normative legal acts”;
 Similarly, Russia CWP has a priority area “Building up
human resource capacity to address FLEG issues”;
 Georgia CWP indicates as a priority area “Human resource
capacity building”;
 Moldova CWP includes “Piloting a inter-communal forest
entity (ICFE) to enhance economic activities and
involvement of local population in forestry activities”; and
 Ukraine CWP has a priority activity “Dissemination of
Knowledge and Training, Support to Decision-making”.

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