Center for Sustainable Development
The Center was founded on March 2, 2012, based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Yerevan State University and the OSCE Yerevan Office.
Ways of targeted, efficient, and safe use of the mineral and water resources of RA are studied at the Center for Sustainable Development, to solve the socio-economic problems facing the country and ensure sustainable development without jeopardizing the opportunities of future generations to fully use the mentioned natural resources. The Center aims to support the RA Government in the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals at the national and local levels, ensuring public participation in all stages of environmental issues discussion and decision-making.
Round table discussions are regularly organized in the Center in the direction of man-made mineral waste problems of the RA mountain industry, reducing the risks of impact on the environment, water resources management, landslide phenomena, and risk assessment.
Based on research data, concrete proposals for solving problems are formed and presented to the Government of the Republic of Armenia, scientific articles are published. Data from the studies are also used in students' Master's theses.
The results of the Center's programs have an important role in terms of making changes in the legislative field and contributing to the development of the RA natural resources management strategy.
In 2014, the Center was included in the development processes of "Strategy of Natural Resources Management" and "Conceptual Approaches to Additions and Amendments to the Subsoil Code of the Republic of Armenia". The proposals of the center have already been accepted in the project documents. The main proposals developed by the Center were also included in the decision-making process of the "RIO+20" Assembly, in the "Mining industry activity, environmental protection and human health" section of the concepts of the national strategic plan for 2015-2025.
After the cessation of the activities of the OSCE Yerevan office in RA, the programs in the center are implemented in cooperation with various interested organizations.
