On 4 December 2024, Armenia conducted its 22nd meeting of the National Policy Dialogue on Water. This regular cross-sectoral dialogue is part of the country’s long-standing efforts to reform water policies and practices along with national goals, EU and international commitments. This dialogue engages a broad representation of national and local government, academia and non-governmental stakeholders, as well as the international community.   

Chaired by the Ministry of Environment and organised within the framework of the European Union for Environment - Water Resources and Environmental Data Programme, the meeting focused on the development of Armenia’s Water Strategy with a whole-of-government approach to addressing socio-economic development and resilience in the context of increasing pressures, including climate change. The participants discussed the progress made since the updated Water Code came into effect and the results from water-related projects. They also defined the next steps and priorities for the Water Strategy progression. Lessons learnt from the joint monitoring of surface and groundwater resources with Georgia in the Khrami-Debed basin, and the next steps were identified. 

Lilit Abrhamyan, Head of the Water Policy Department of the Ministry of Environment, said: “The National Water Policy Dialogue, which has taken place in Armenia since 2006, is an important platform to discuss the priority issues in the water sector, ensure synergies and coordinate inter-sectoral policies. It is the perfect platform to progress with the development of the Water Strategy, which requires a whole of government consensus. By 2026, Armenia must fulfil several principal obligations undertaken according to the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership agreement with the European Union, and we expect that the strategy will drive progress here too. The National Water Policy Dialogue in Armenia will continue to play a crucial role in Armenia in the coming years as we track Strategy implementation.” 

Mr Frank Hess, Head of the Cooperation Section of the EU Delegation to Armenia, stated: “We are strongly committed to furthering EU-Armenia relations. Working for the benefit of people and the environment is our shared goal. We are happy to see that, with EU support, river basin management planning, water monitoring and economics, data management, transboundary cooperation, and water and health agenda have all advanced and can inform the implementation of the new Strategy. Working towards the adoption and implementation of the Water Strategy will be key for strengthening water resilience, which becomes ever more important for our societies and our economies. This cannot be achieved without meaningful stakeholder dialogue.” 

The meeting was attended by the members of Armenia’s Steering Committee for the National Policy Dialogue on Water. The cross-sectoral Committee consists of 35 members from the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Economy, Public Services Regulatory Commission, Regional Administrations and Universities, Institutes and NGOs. Representatives of the EU Delegation to Armenia and international projects and partners working in the Armenian water sector are also invited to attend the Committee’s meetings. 

Speaking on behalf of the EU4Environment implementing partners, Mr Alexander Zinke, Environment Agency Austria, highlighted the Government’s commitment and action: “With support from the European Union and other international partners, Armenia has made significant policy reforms to tackle its water management challenges, and strengthened transboundary water cooperation, especially with Georgia. Acknowledging several good advances in integrated river basin management, further steps are needed. We believe that developing the new water strategy will stimulate wider political attention and become another momentum for various pending reforms, thus moving Armenia faster towards reaching its environmental goals.” 

Background information 

Driven by overdemand, mismanagement and the impacts of the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, water stress is increasing worldwide. At the same time, water is essential for the resilience of both societies and the environment. 

In Armenia, water is a truly cross-sectoral issue touching all areas of the economy and the lives of citizens. Effectively handling water resources in a sustainable manner is thus crucial for the country's socio-economic progress. The revisions to the Water Code, which were adopted in July 2022, have set a strong foundation for continuing the water sector reforms. 

Armenia has committed to reform water policies and practices as part of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the European Union. This includes alignment with the EU water law, in particular, the Water Framework Directive (WFD).  

For over a decade, the European Union has provided comprehensive support for reforming the water sector in Armenia. Both investment and technical support projects are ongoing. 

On October 23-24, the first Water Data Hackathon was held in Armenia. The event, organized through the joint efforts of the European Union (EU4Environment - Water Resources and Environmental Data programme) and the U.S. Agency for International Development, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia, brought together 34 young people to collaboratively develop ideas for digital solutions aimed at the sustainable management of water resources.

Gayane Hovsepyan, head of the Water Resources Management Department at the RA Ministry of Environment, emphasized the importance of the initiative in actively involving young people in water resource management and making the field more attractive for emerging experts. She stated, "During these two days, young people presented many diverse and innovative ideas. We will further discuss, study, and definitely apply these ideas to manage water resources in the best possible way. I hope that the experience and knowledge gained during this time will inspire interest among young people, encouraging them to pursue careers in water resource management as specialists in the future."

Over the two days, participants had the opportunity to work with French experts from the International Office for Water (OiEau) partners of the EU4Environment - Water Resources and Environmental Data programme, from the USAID "Improved Water Management in Armenia" programme, and specialists from the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia. They deepened their knowledge of the field and acquired skills in data analysis, processing, and application.

The 3 top-performing teams will receive funding to further refine their ideas and transform them into digital solutions.

Pictures: Gayane Igityan

On 1 October 2024, Mrs. Madalina Laxton, from the European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment, and Mrs. Zuzana Sorocinova, from the EU Delegation in Armenia, visited the laboratory of the "Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center" under the Ministry of Environment of Armenia. They were accompanied by Vahagn Tonoyan, the Armenian representative of the EU4Environment – Water Resources and Environmental Data programme. 

During the visit, Levon Azizyan, the Director of the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center, welcomed the guests and provided an overview of several EU-funded initiatives that have been instrumental in upgrading Armenia’s environmental monitoring infrastructure. These include the EU Water Initiative Plus (2016-2029), EU4Environment – Water Resources and Environmental Data (since 2022), and EU4Sevan programmes. These efforts have contributed to the technical re-equipment of the laboratory, professional training for staff, laboratory accreditation, and the modernization of surface and groundwater monitoring stations, all in alignment with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). 

The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss future steps in Armenia’s monitoring system development, particularly in areas covered by the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), such as the Water Framework Directive and the Air Quality Directive. Levon Azizyan expressed gratitude for the continuous EU support and highlighted the importance of further collaboration to implement these key environmental directives. 

Read more about the accreditation of the Armenian Water Laboratory on our website: https://eu4waterdata.eu/en/blog-news/30-armenia/370-armenian-water-laboratory-internationally-accredited.html 

The second public consultation workshop on the Quantitative Water Management Plan for the Kasakh River Basin took place in Aragatsotn Marz, Armenia, on 27 August. The workshop was organised by the EU4Environment Water and Data Programme under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment of Armenia.  

This plan is crucial for the development of specific recommendations for the management of water resources in times of drought and water scarcity. 

The event brought together 31 participants, including representatives from the three Water User Associations (WUAs): Aragatsotn, Kotayk and Ejmiatsin; Veolia; regional authorities; the municipalities of Ashtarak and Aparan; and national authorities: the Ministry of Environment, the Water Committee, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, and the Ministry of Economy. 

Presentations highlighted the seasonal dynamics and quantitative water management challenges 

Following a first workshop in June 2023, the aim of this second workshop was to present the progress made in the development of the quantitative water resources management plan for the Kasakh sub-basin. The meeting was chaired by Lilit Abrahamyan, Head of the Water Policy Department of the Ministry of Environment. The Armenian experts from Tsaturyan Consulting, contracted by the EU programme to develop the plan, presented their work on water balance, environmental flows, water use and deficit in the Kasakh River Basin.  

Naira Mandalyan from the Statistical Committee of Armenia delivered a presentation on water accounts for the Kasakh Basin. She provided a detailed analysis of water supply and use by quarters, which proved to be a very useful and awareness-raising exercise for the stakeholders. 

Following the presentations, a dedicated session allowed stakeholders to provide feedback on the plan, which have been integrated into the revised thematic summaries.  

This consultation is an important step towards the sustainable management of water resources in the Kasakh Basin, and aims to build a consensus on water use that can be replicated in other water-stressed sub-basins in Armenia or in other Easter partnership countries. The EU-based methodology used by Armenian experts for this plan was presented at a regional workshop in June. The presentations are available at the link below. 

Regional Workshop on Quantitative Water Management Planning  

The laboratory of the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Centre under the Armenian Ministry of the Environment's recently received ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, issued by the National Accreditation Body of Armenia (ARMNAB), which is now valid for four years. This accreditation covers a wide range of inorganic parameters for monitoring surface and groundwater, including mineral water, industrial wastewater, treated and untreated running water, as well as atmospheric precipitation of metals and other elements. Certified analyses can be provided also for sulphates, nitrates, chlorides, fluorides, bromides, ammonium, nitrites, phosphate ions, electrical conductivity, pH and many other indicators (Home (armmonitoring.am))

The laboratory underwent major refurbishment of its infrastructure between 2018 and 2019 and was upgraded thanks to substantial support from the European Union over more than seven years. This support was provided through the EUWI+ (2016-2021) and EU4Water&Data (2022-2024) projects, under the continued expert guidance of the Environment Agency Austria. The Armenian Deputy Director, Ms. Gayane Shahnazaryan, underlined the crucial role of this international cooperation in achieving this high level of performance.

Over the past two years, the EU support focus has been on training in the analysis of EU priority substances, including groups of organic parameters such as pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic carbons (VOCs) and phthalates. This training aims to prepare the laboratories of the Hydrometeorology Centre as well as those of Kyiv-Vyshgorod, Chisinau, Tbilisi and Baku for the next phase of accreditation and for full compliance with the Water Framework Directive (WFD).

Learn more:

• Success in Water Quality Monitoring with EU Support
• EU-Supported Additional Surveys on Surface and Groundwater Status in Moldova
• Training on Surface Water Data Analysis for Eastern Partnership Countries
• Laboratory in Ukraine Achieves International Accreditation with EU Support, Ensuring Quality in Water Monitoring.

The consultation meeting on the Programme of Measures for the Northern River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) was held in Dzoraget on 23 July 2024. This gathering aimed to engage various stakeholders in developing a sustainable water resources management plan for the Northern River Basin. 

The meeting was attended by 35 participants, including representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures, Statistical Committee of Armenia, as well as Lori and Tavush regional authorities, water users' associations, local communities, and donors. The public consultation meeting was co-chaired by Lilit Abrahamyan, Head of the Department of Water Policy of the Ministry of Environment, and Gayane Hovspeyan, Head of the Department of Water Resources of the Ministry of Environment. 

During the morning session, the Armenian experts responsible for the development of the RBMP highlighted the main issues and presented the proposed measures to address the issues. Participants engaged actively, posing questions to the expert team and the ministry representatives. The afternoon session featured group discussions aimed at prioritizing measures and planning the next steps for the RBMP implementation. 

Attendees appreciated the meeting's role in strengthening cooperation between central and local authorities. questions were raised about the need for more comprehensive data to better understand the river basin's health, including information on domestic, industrial, agricultural and mining pollution or on water abstraction. 

Key measures discussed included the rehabilitation and construction of new wastewater treatment plants, the rehabilitation of abandoned mines (tailings), the improvement of waste management to prevent pollution from landfills, the enhancement of water monitoring capacities, and the construction of reservoirs. 

RBMP development is a collaborative process that enables stakeholders to develop a shared vision for managing and protecting their water resources for future generations. In Armenia, this process is also mandated by the Water Code. Alignment with the EU Water Framework Directive and other EU water-related directives is part of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed between Armenia and the European Union in 2017, which entered into force in May 2021. The Armenian government aims to adopt RBMPs for all six river basins districts by the end of 2024 and ensure their harmonised implementation from 2025.