Communities take action to address climate change

A resident of Aygehovit, Armenia adapts to climate change by installing a hail net

The village of Aygehovit, Armenia experienced a string of 18 hailstorms in the past five years. Hailstones – some the size of chicken eggs – caused $125,000 in losses in this remote area that relies on its vineyards as a mainstay of its economy.

The local authorities conducted a risk assessment together with UNDP and, for the first time, hail nets were identified as the solution. Some 3,000 square metres of vineyards were covered with hail nets. Many see this as a model for other villages facing changes in climate.

The new thinking is not only apparent in Aygehovit. Communities in two other countries – Moldova and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – have come to realize that they are being adversely affected by a changing climate. Supported by their governments and by UNDP, they are developing local solutions to deal with the risks.

Georgia: Vocational training equips youth for careers

TBLISI, Georgia – 5 February, 2013 – Georgia is strengthening its system of professional education, ensuring that thousands of young people are equipped with the knowledge and experience to compete in the labour market.

Nino Narmania is one of thousands who has reaped the benefits. Last year, this 19-year-old learned she needed computer skills to pursue her goal of sewing and making clothes. She enrolled in a college-level professional tailoring programme in Poti, a provincial town in western Georgia.

"I am learning how to work in Photoshop and Corel, and how to use modern sewing machines," Narmania says. "We have university professors to teach us computer technology and there are online classes from a professional college in Germany," she said.

Seeds of Knowledge

TBILISI, Georgia – 17 November, 2011 – Isolda Kitesashvili became a farmer to help her family out of extreme poverty. She was over 50 and did not expect much success. Isolda was surprised to find agriculture professionals ready to help her become a successful farmer. With assistance from an agriculture centre, established with support from UNDP, Isolda’s fruit garden is now a model site where people come to learn about new farming methods. 

Cutting out the middle-person: social media in the education sector

YEREVAN, Armenia – 7 July, 2011 – While the Ministry of Education and Science in Armenia embarks on an ambitious programme of reforms, UNDP looks at the Government’s new approaches to engaging with stakeholders and its pursuit of sustainable development of the education sector. Exclusive interview with the Minister of Education and Science in Armenia.

Georgia: Hydro power boosts development in the country’s poorest regions

TBILISI, Georgia - 18 April 2011 – With support from UNDP the German Development Bank (KfW) has launched a 5 million euro Georgia Renewable Energy Fund for the development of small hydro power plants. The renewable energy fund is the first of its kind in Georgia and currently the only source of low interest loans for developers of small hydro projects in the country.

Mine Action in Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan – 4 April, 2011 – Since 1999, the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) has cleared 158,374,397 square metres of land and destroyed 650,836 mines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs). In 2011, ANAMA is expected to clear approximately 27 million square metres of land contaminated by mines and UXOs.

Georgia: Criminal justice reform - one man's story

TBILISI, Georgia - 3 January, 2011 - "I spent a year in jail, falsely accused because I could not afford a lawyer. If it hadn't been for free legal aid, I guess I would still be in jail, even though I did not commit the crime I was accused of," said Kakha Kisishvili. See: Photos from refugee centres and legal aid offices Watch: Kakha Kisihvili's story on CNN Tell us: what you think

ARMENIA: EU advisors support the country’s ambitious reform agenda

YEREVAN, Armenia – 26 October 2010 – EU advisors in Armenia have contributed to strengthening national capacities and building capable institutions, advancing the Government’s ambitious reform agenda. UNDP is providing operational and strategic support to the partnership of the Government of Armenia and the EU Advisory Group, which providing policy advice on its reform agenda – as part of implementing the European Neighbourhood Policy.

From crisis to development in Georgia – EU, UNDP complete early recovery programme

GORI, Georgia – 10 November 2010 – With 4.4 million euros in European Union funding, UNDP rehabilitated or fully rebuilt more than 20 infrastructure sites, such as water supply, irrigation and drainage systems, schools, and roads. View: Photos from the project Watch: Videos - A Year After the War and From Small Beginnings

Georgia: Renewable energy brings change to mountainous regions

TBILISI, Georgia – 28 September 2010 – A new mini hydro power plant opened in the village of Chiora in the Racha region of Georgia. With 70 kilowatt (kW) capacities, it will produce about 400 thousand kilowatt-hour (kWh) energy per year, providing village residents with a year-round energy supply. View: photos from energy efficient intiatives in Georgia

Migration Presents Challenges and Opportunities for Armenia New Report Says

Yerevan, Armenia, 12 May 2010 – Armenia’s migration policies should be built on a human development framework, a new report says. The 2009 National Human Development Report advocates for migration policies that contribute to the country’s long-term social and economic development. Read: 2009 NHDR Migration and Human Development: Opportunities and Challenges Read: 2009 NHDR Migration and Human Development: Opportunities and Challenges (Armenian)

UNDP Georgia's new Quick Capacity Assessment Methodology

Ivane Shamugia shares UNDP Georgia's new "Methodology for Quick Capacity Assessment(s)" (pdf) and jumps head first into the ongoing discussion between "Short vs. Long" when it comes to capacity development....

Have a look at the new methodology and join the conversation!