ASTGHIK MIRZAKHANYAN. Creation of Social Monitoring and Analysis System Project Coordinator

Transcription

1 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 1 ASTGHIK MIRZAKHANYAN Creation of Social Monitoring and Analysis System Project Coordinator Vulnerability is a term that has never been used in the Armenian legal and legislative context and, therefore, is not officially defined as a concept. Lawmakers and decision-makers of the country, however, aim to see vulnerability and its specific manifestations placed within the context of socioeconomic problems, linking them particularly to poverty. In the state family poverty benefit system, for example, the concept of social groups with an impact on the level of social disadvantage of families is used as the basis for assessing a family s poverty and includes groups such as the disabled, the elderly, children and women sixteen groups in total. The draft law on Employment and Social Protection in Case of Unemployment introduces the concept of groups not competitive in the labor market, which are, in essence, vulnerable groups and include the disabled, refugees, people with less than two years of work experience, etc. seven groups in total. The draft law on Social Assistance defines the concept of people in difficult situations, who are not able to overcome their problems on their own. The concept refers not only to the traditional groups of the disabled, lonely elderly, children deprived of parental care, but also to the recently-emerged groups of people with family conflicts, those subject to cruel treatment and violence, those cut off from society, etc. There is a fairly long list of government-approved groups in the population who are provided with special privileges for use of public services and medications. Based on the lists, the state guarantees free medical care, medical services and drugs for around twenty social groups, and the right to discounted (30 or 50 percent) drug prices for certain groups of the population. In particular, drugs prescribed for treatment of tuberculosis, psychological disorders, malignant tumors, sugar diabetes and other diseases are free. Adding the lists of groups in the earthquake zone and border communities, with certain socioeconomic privileges approved by various laws and bylaws, to the already mentioned lists, we can conclude that although the phenomenon of vulnerability, as such, is not defined by legislation, the problem is nonetheless referred to by defining vulnerable groups and communities in individual laws and government orders. Moreover, these groups differ from law to law and from order to order, depending on the context in which they are identified from the viewpoint of socially disadvantaged families, people with special healthcare needs, people not competitive in the labor market, limited capabilities for facing risks and various other aspects. In these circumstances, the purely practical intention of UN agencies in Armenia to study the legal framework pertaining to vulnerability, to summarize its various definitions, to identify the phenomenon s regional characteristics and to assess and classify vulnerable groups and vulnerability factors, is fully understandable. The issue became ever more urgent after the signing of the UNDAF document by UN agencies and the Prime Minister of Armenia on December 1, The document clearly states that The main objective of the UN system in Armenia is to

2 2 support the reduction of economic, social and civil inequalities 1. Based on the objectives of the UNDAF, it was also decided that the main target of activities planned in sixty-two program areas of economic, social, democracy and environmental fields will be the poorest and most socially vulnerable people and communities. Thus, UN agencies were faced with the serious task of identifying those groups. The problem of poverty in Armenia has been studied in depth, and poverty groups have been identified by various factors and characteristics 2, including legislative, while vulnerability issues need to be further studied and integrated conceptually. Even more so, if we consider the diversity of mandates of UN agencies (refugees, children, women, human rights, etc.) and the diversity in the legal framework of the country, with respect to social groups. Naturally, parallel to the final editing of the UNDAF, in June 2004, UN agencies initiated the Vulnerability Baseline Assessment joint project. The project was jointly signed by UNICEF, UNFPA, WFP, UNHCR and the UNDP. The main objectives of the project and its expected results were presented in an article by international expert Romina Woldemariam entitled UNDAF for Armenia. Vulnerability Assessment. Pages 5-6. Immediately after the objectives of the joint project for vulnerability assessment were determined and the document signed, a working group headed by UNICEF, with the participation of relevant specialists from stakeholder agencies, was formed. The working group summarized the ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS experience accumulated in various UN agencies with regard to vulnerability and formed a team comprised of international and national experts. The team, with the direct support of the UNDP project Creation of a Social Monitoring and Analysis System, developed the methodology of the vulnerability assessment survey and its organizational framework. The key component of the methodology, developed through a participatory process, was the qualitative survey. It was also decided that the survey should be conducted at three levels - each with its specific set of issues: At the community level, the objective was to determine how the vulnerable themselves perceive vulnerability and to identify vulnerability problems, through focus group discussions with the participation of vulnerable groups (or their caretakers). At the second, marz level, the objective was to identify regional characteristics, risks and factors of vulnerability. The main objective at the national level was to check the data and information collected in communities and marzes and formulate recommendations, through group discussion and in-depth interviews with national experts and relevant specialists. The details of the survey s methodology are presented in an article entitled Vulnerability Assessment Survey. Conceptual and Methodological Frameworks. Pages 7-9. From the viewpoint of the objectives of the UNDP Social Monitoring project, other than the collection and analysis of vulnerability indicators, importance is attached also to their localization and disaggregation, which would allow for calculating the social vulnerability index (SVI) 3 1 See UNDAF , Armenia, Yerevan See PRSP, Yerevan, Certain experience in producing similar indexes had already been accumulated in the UNDP Creation of a Social Monitoring and Analysis System project, from the first attempt for calculating the coefficient of disposition to poverty for Armenia s communities (see The Poorest Communities in Armenia s Marzes, Armenia Social Trends (AST), 3 rd issue) to the modified human poverty index (see AST 05) and rural residents deprivation index (see AST06) calculated by applying more complicated methodologies. All issues of Armenia Social Trends, AST are published in the Armenian and English languages on UNDP and Government of Armenia websites - and ahrc_mshtakan_gorc.htm

3 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA for each marz. In order to perform that task, first, it was necessary to study the international experience in measuring vulnerability. Second, it was necessary to apply international experience to the methodological bases and results of the VAS. And third, it was necessary to complement the qualitative evaluations of the VAS with quantitative indicators, which would allow for calculating the indexes. Hence, the marz indexes, calculated through a scientifically justified integration of statistical data with expert assessments, were fairly realistic assessments of vulnerability in the various marzes. Comparisons between marzes revealed the two most vulnerable marzes of the county - Gegharkunik and Tavush - with SVIs higher than forty-five percent, compared to thirty to thirty-eight percent for other marzes. Parallel to marz characteristics, marz data on vulnerability were studied and evaluated by a total of thirty-five vulnerable groups. Their classification, by degree of vulnerability, indicates that the three groups with the highest degrees of vulnerability in Armenia are the disabled, including disabled children, parentless children and the lonely elderly. The scientific justifications of these results, including the summary of the international experience in measuring vulnerability and the particular methodology proposed for calculating the SVI in Armenia, are presented in the article Social Vulnerability Index in Armenia and its Marzes by Nairuhi Jrbashyan. Pages Equally important to expert assessments and quantitative data were the overall perceptions and assessments of vulnerability by vulnerable groups, and of their own vulnerability in particular. Focus group discussions, with the participation of representatives from ten vulnerable groups in eighteen communities, revealed very interesting aspects of the phenomenon of vulnerability. Without the use of 3 complicated scientific terms, people tried to explain the manifestation of that phenomenon, based on their own experience or the experienced of fellow villagers (town residents). And interestingly enough, the perception of family vulnerability by the vulnerable is directly linked to family poverty and social disadvantage; personal vulnerability is directly linked to a person s limitations in finding employment due to age, and physical and mental abilities, and the perception of the general phenomenon of vulnerability is associated with the socioeconomic underdevelopment of the community, lack of access to public services, and awareness. The results of discussions with the vulnerable groups of the population, flavored with their direct speech and sharp observations, are presented in the report Vulnerability as seen by the Vulnerable Themselves prepared by Astghik Manukyan. Pages 19-21, 27-35, Within this context, the fate of vulnerable communities is extremely alarming. The unimaginably difficult situation of one of these communities Berkaber village in Tavush marz is presented by marz journalist Tatevik Nazinyan, Pages The description of the situation with regard to vulnerability in marzes, the analysis of marz data, as well as the summary of regional experts assessments, allow us to understand and compare the vulnerability of marzes. With the currently available statistical data it is not possible to disclose the transformations in Armenia s marzes, with regard to the emergence, spread and disappearance of certain vulnerable groups. In almost all marzes, young families and rural residents, regardless of any factor, have been considered as vulnerable groups. Experts from Lori, Aragatzotn, Ararat and Yerevan raise the issue of vulnerability of scientists, and in Vayots Dzor, Gegharkunik, Ararat, Aragatzotn marzes and in Yerevan, teachers already occupy a place

4 4 next to the classic vulnerable groups (the disabled, parentless children, etc.). Characteristics and specific features of vulnerability in the marzes are presented in the analytical articles of the staffs of marz monitoring and analysis (M&A) units. Pages Despite the newly identified vulnerable groups, the attention of the Government is still focused on the problems of the more common vulnerable groups officially recognized by the state. Information regarding the official viewpoint on vulnerable groups, the groups included in state assistance programs, the manner in which they are included and the measures taken for social protection of vulnerable groups, is presented in the articles of two experienced specialists of the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues Astghik Minasyan and Jemma Baghdasaryan. Pages At the same time, an attempt has been made to summarize the most important recommendations of national experts and NGOs for increasing the effectiveness and targeting of the state policy on vulnerable groups. Social partnership is an important mechanism which should be at the basis of the state social assistance policy for ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS vulnerable groups. See the article by Nelson Shahnazaryan and Ruben Yeganayan. Pages The contribution of the UN agencies to the study of vulnerable groups and their support is considered invaluable, and various examples of relevant UN activities are presented on Pages 26, of the bulletin. As always, this issue of Armenia Social Trends also includes quantitative indicators, informative maps and summary data on qualitative assessments characterizing the overall situation of vulnerability, and its various manifestations, which are presented in Boxes (pages ). Accordingly, the informational-analytical bulletin Vulnerability in Armenia s Marzes, prepared based on the results of the vulnerability assessment survey, is presented to the Government, civil society and donor community. We hope that the data presented, the phenomena disclosed, the summary recommendations and the experience presented will help us to join our efforts in ensuring better protection of, and society s care for, the vulnerable population.

5 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA United Nations World Food Program, WFP 5 Armenia UNDAF: Vulnerability Assessment ROMINA WOLDEMARIAM Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping (VAM) Officer, ODC Cairo Regional Bureau, Egypt The phenomenon of poverty is one that has been debated for decades. Over the years, the definition of poverty has evolved from a onedimensional depiction towards a more holistic one. Earlier definitions revolved around deprivations with regard to basic necessities, such as income or nutritional needs, while more recent ones have expanded the definition to include concepts such as social exclusion, exposure to violence, autonomy, and marginality. The inclusion of these other concepts into a broader definition of poverty has influenced not only the way we view poverty, but the way we address and combat it, as evidenced in the rights-based approach to development recently adopted by UN agencies. At the center of the rights-based approach lies the individual citizen, the claim holder, who has claim to legal entitlements and rights, and the duty bearers, the various levels of government who bear responsibility for their citizens. Under this perspective, the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) provides a systematic and integrated UN response to poverty reduction strategy priorities outlined by the government and civil society. In Armenia, the strategy focuses on reducing economic, social and political inequality. The work of the UN, from the rightsbased perspective, is about helping duty bearers to meet their obligations in creating an enabling environment for their citizens, while simultaneously empowering their citizens to claim their rights. This is achieved through joint UN programming at various levels, and focusing on involving claim holders to strengthen the capacity of the poor to contribute to their own well-being, as well as ensuring their participation in, and contribution to, Armenia s growth. Creating efficient programs that are tailor made to the targeted population involves identifying those who are persistently excluded from social, political and economic opportunities, and where the disparities in opportunities and participation are the greatest. It was decided to conduct an assessment designed for this specific purpose in order to shape the joint UN programming. In April 2005, representatives of civil society, UN agencies and the Government convened a workshop to tackle the issue of assessing vulnerability in Armenia. The participants represented a variety of backgrounds and interests, including statisticians, sociologists, economists, and psychologists. The workshop aimed to develop a methodological framework through a participatory process that actively engaged all stakeholders. Another workshop was organized a month later to design the methodological tools and instruments to be used in the primary data collection component of the assessment. All levels of the assessment were conducted in a participatory manner through a joint working group established for that purpose. The expanded view of poverty brings the concept of vulnerability to the foreground. Recognizing that the means by which we define vulnerability shapes the way we assess it, the first item on the agenda of the workshop was to develop a common definition of vulnerability. The WFP, for example, defines vulnerability from a food perspective: the probability of a sharp decline in access to food, or its consumption. The World Bank defines vulnerability as the risk a household will fall into poverty in the future. Under both definitions, vulnerability precludes neither those who currently enjoy food security nor people who are currently non-poor. Rather, it includes the non-poor at risk of falling into poverty, or

6 6 those currently enjoying food security at risk of losing that security. A broader common definition, that was not sector specific, was commonly agreed on as the probability that a person or a group of people will not have the necessary and sufficient motivation, capacity and resources to cope with a possible negative impact of internal and external factors and was adopted for the purpose of the assessment. Motivation is the inner inclination of the subject to undertake certain activity, while capacity characterizes the physical and/or intellectual and/or legal ability of the subject to implement certain activities. Resources are external opportunities or assets which influence the implementation of a specific activity. Risks are those events and trends that, while creating a certain degree of instability, can have a negative impact on the activities of the social unit. Risks can be caused by natural/ environmental, economic, political, and social factors. Although vulnerability and poverty are intrinsically linked and difficult to separate, the focus here is on the vulnerable which, in effect, encompasses everyone at risk: poor and nonpoor alike. The main objective of the assessment was to gain an in-depth understanding of vulnerable groups in order to improve targeting and to enable the design of tailored programs. Accordingly, a three-tiered approach was applied in order to consider all facets of the rights-based approach (i.e. what are the issues on the part of the claim holders, what social ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS protection legislation exists on the part of the duty bearers, and is the environment enabling in terms of accessibility for claiming entitlements). The model uses a series of tools and methods for each level. Using focus group discussions at the community level, the assessment sought to understand, from the most vulnerable groups themselves, what their self-perceived causes of vulnerability are, what risks they are exposed to, what their awareness of entitlements/policies pertaining to them are, and what their perceived needs are, including the possible policy changes they deem necessary to improve their situation. In parallel to the focus groups, semi-structured interviews were held with regional experts at the marz level to evaluate the impact of government policy and intervention in terms of social protection. Finally, at the national level, open round-table discussions were held with policy makers and poverty specialists to identify gaps in existing policies, the mechanism of transfer and accessibility of entitlements and rights, awareness levels, and to reflect on strategy and a course of action for moving forward. Prior to the field work, background work that involved researching the available extensive secondary data from the Armenian Government was analyzed to obtain quantitative information on vulnerable groups by marz in marzes where they are highly concentrated, and to capture an estimate of the numbers of vulnerable people by geographic location. At the same time, the social protection system and the existing legislation and entitlements, including the various types of available safety nets, the targeting, eligibility criteria, as well as the means for exercising these rights, were analyzed. The following pages reveal the results of this innovative approach to assessing vulnerability within the rights-based framework. The model has been conceived jointly by civil society, government representatives and UN representatives, i.e. all who have a vested interest in improving the quality of life for Armenians. It is anticipated that the results of this work will spearhead the design of integrated programs that will achieve the objectives laid out by UNDAF.

7 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 7 United Nations Development Programme, UNDP Vulnerability Assessment Survey (VAS): Conceptual and Methodological Framework The Joint Programming (JP) project document on Baseline Vulnerability Assessment was developed and jointly signed by UN RC/UNDP RR, WFP, UNICEF, UNHCR and UNFPA in 2004 in Yerevan within the framework of UNDAF. The overall goal of the Vulnerability Assessment was to assess the extents, causes and risks of vulnerability in Armenia. To achieve the mentioned goal the following objectives were set up: 1. identify vulnerable groups; 2. characterize vulnerability; Identify the needs of vulnerable groups; Identify the risks having an impact on vulnerability; identify the causes of vulnerability; identify the mechanisms for overcoming vulnerability; 3. study the perception, concept of vulnerability; 4. study the impact and coverage of vulnerability reduction policy. The subjects of the survey were vulnerable residents in Armenia s communities. The objects of the study were the vulnerability related issues at individuals, families, communities, regional and national levels. The results of VAS will be used for improving the effectiveness of the national social monitoring system (NSMS) and for reviewing the PRSP social assistance policies and programmes. In order to develop the VAS methodology, a three-day workshop was held on April 2005 in Yerevan with participation of the international and national experts, representatives from the various UN agencies, the Government and non-governmental organization. The scope of methodological issues concerning the definition and assessment of vulnerability were discussed during the workshop. As a result of the participatory discussions, the following methodological bases for the vulnerability assessment survey were defined: 1. Concept of Vulnerability. Within the framework of the survey, vulnerability characterizes the social unit, who, under in stable (normal) conditions or under the influence of physical, social, economic, political and environmental factors, does not have the necessary and adequate motivation and/or capacity and/or resources to counteract the negative impacts of the internal and external factors/risks, as a result of which he or she is subjected to the risk of human and income poverty. Such definition of vulnerability takes into account the vulnerability of not only individuals, but also groups such as households, communities, marzes, nations, etc. In this definition, motivation and capacity characterize the subjective measurement of vulnerability, and risks characterize the objective measurement. Motivation is the inner inclination of the subject to undertake certain activity. Capacity characterizes the physical and/or intellectual and/or legal ability of the subject to implement certain activity. Resources are external opportunities or assets, which influence the implementation of a specific activity. Risks are those events and trends, which creating certain degree of instability, can have a negative impact on the activities of the social unit. Risks can be natural/environmental, economic, political, social, etc. 2. Methodological Framework of the VAS. The study of vulnerability assumes receiving information from a number of sources: Secondary processing of data; Study of the available information, including publications, project documents, surveys, administrative and statistical reports, etc. This phase of literature review and mapping provided a comprehensive picture of vulnerability in the country. The following data bases were used: - administrative (marz governments, ministries, state and other structures);

8 8 - data bases of the family benefit system; - data bases of household surveys of the National Statistical Service; - data bases of surveys conducted by the UN Agencies in Armenia (NHDS, community survey, UNICEF, UNHCR specific surveys and other). The model of VAS for Armenia The model of qualitative surveys focus group discussions (FGDs) and expert assessments (EA) - has been selected for the VAS, which will allow to identify vulnerable groups, discover their needs and capacities through indepth interviews, as well as determine the causes of their vulnerability. The partcipatory approach The participatory approach has beed approved for the adjustment of the VAS methodological and organisational frameworks. Any tools and mechanisms developed by experts for the VAS should be presented to and largely discussed with all stakeholders, including representatives from the governmental and nongovernmental organisations dealing with vulnerability problems. Following the aforementioned basic requirements to the VAS, the main methodological instruments questionnaires and sampling were designed and presented during two-day workshop held on June The workshop partcipants the central and regional governments specialists, M&A staffs, statisticians, sociologists, NGOs representatives (in total, more than 30 persons) expressed their views regarding the presented methodological and organisational frameworks of the VAS. Moreover, UN Agencies involved in the Joint Programme (JP) on the VAS, as well as Ms. Romina Woldemariam, international expert especially recruited by WFP to assist the UN Team, provided their valuable inputs to the improvement of those frameworks. 3. Fieldwork organization. The VAS has combined two types of qualitative surveys that were conducted at three levels: a) focus group discussions (FGDs) at community level; b) regional experts evaluations (REEs) at marz level; c) national experts evaluations (NEEs) at national level. Table 1. The list of aggregated groups of vulnerable population and the number of FDGs. Children, up to 18 2 FGDs Refugees/ IDPs 1 FGD Jobless/Landless people 2 FGDs Women 2 FDGs Parentless children 2 FDGs Large scale families 2 FGDs Elderly 2 FDGs Disabled adults 2 FDGs Disabled children 1 FDG Young families 2 FDGs In total: 10 groups pf vulnerable population, 18 FGDs with their representatives ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS FGDs at community level. The objective of FGDs was to reveal the perception of vulnerability and priorities through targeted and deep discussions with groups representing vulnerable population. In total, ten (10) aggregated groups of vulnerable population were identified for the FGDs (see Table 2). In compliance with the international methods, it was decided to conduct 2 FGDs per each vulnerable group with exception of 2 of them refugees/idps and disabled children, taking into account the fact that the former group is quite studied and trends toward reducing, and the latter one is quite small and difficult to carry out at community level (see Table 1). The principle of targeted sampling was applied for selection of communities. As first stage of selection the marzes were identified on the basis of secondary analysis of household and administrative data on vulnerable groups. In particular, the data presented in the Social Panorama and Poverty in Armenia annual statisticalanalytical reports and in the Armenia: Social Trends semiannual information-analytical bulletins, as well as the specific data of the Ministry of Labour and Social Issues were thoroughly analyzed and mapped. Based on that mapping, 18 communities were selected with assistance of M&A regional specialists. Two main criteria were used for the community selection process: a) geographical location border and disaster zones, landless and mountainous rural areas, etc.; and b) typicality

9 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA Table 2. The list of FGDs cross-linked with list of communities/marzes Head of the NSS Regional Office; 9 Vulnerable groups Refugees / IDPs Jobless / landless people Children, up to 18 Women Orphans Large scaled families Elderly of some vulnerable groups elderly, disabled children, refugees/idps, etc. The list of communities crosslinked with the list of vulnerable groups is presented below. The team of professional moderators/facilitators, mostly sociologists and psychologists, was selected to conduct the FGDs in accordance with a guide and questionnaire especially developed by the UNDP National Consultant on VAS. According to the FGD guide, each focus group consisted of about participants represented one of the aforementioned vulnerable groups. The questionnaire of FGD was tested in the field (pilot survey) and corrected based on feedback. In total, 18 FGDs were carried out during 2-3 weeks. The transcriptions of the FGDs as well as a summary-matrix of each discussion were summarized and used for preparing a report on Communities/marzes v. Sipanik, Ararat t. Chambarak, Gekharkunik v. Merdzavan, Armavir t. Talin, Aragatsotn v. Tegh, Syunik v. Shamiram, Aragatsotn t. Goris, Syunik t. Vanadzor, Lori v. Garni, Kotayk v. Gagarinavan, Gegharkunik v. Aramus, Kotayk v. Pemzashen, Shirak v. Itsakar, Tavush t. Aratashat, Ararat Disable children Disabled adults v. Berkaber, Tavush v. Arevashogh,Lori Young people families t. Vayk, Vayots Dzor v. Akhuryan, Shirak marz In total: 18 FGSs were conducted in 18 communities, of which 6 urban and 12 rural. Vulnerability as seen by the vulnerable themselves. REEs at marz level. The regional experts evaluations (REEs) were conducted in each marz to assess the vulnerability regional specifics, the common and particular risks, needs and factors of vulnerability as well as positive and negative aspects/ impacts of the current policy at the marz level. The REEs were conducted by the M&A regional staff based on questionnaire specially developed by the UNDP Monitoring Specialist. About 20 experts represented the marz governmental bodies, local NGOs and CBOs dealing with either vulnerability problems or their risks were selected by the M&A regional specialist based on the following recommended list of the REEs: Heads of the Marzpetaran s appropriate departments; Members of the Regional Conseil on Social Assistance; Regional Representative of the EMA; Directors of scools, kindergardens, healthcare institutions; NGOs and CBOs representatives. In total, about 210 REEs questionnaires were filled out in all 11 marzes, including Yerevan, August-Septemeber The main findings and data of the REEs were presented in the analytical reports of the M&A regional staffs of this bulletin. NEEs in Yerevan. The national experts evaluations (NEEs) were required to ajust and check the information collected from the field. The NEEs have also helped to catch up the whole country picture and, based on that, to distinguish and identify the regional specifics collected from the vulnerable groups and the regional experts. The NEEs were conducted among the social policy-makers, social scientists, representatives of the experienced NGOs dealing with social and vulnerability issues at the country level. In total, 17 national experts were interviewed in September-October Parallelly, roundtable discussions and individual interviews were conducted with 34 experts of which 11 head officers and experts of state social assistance structures, 17 NGOs heads and 6 representatives of the local selfgovernanmental bodies. Main findings of the NEEs are summarised, analised and presented in the specialized articles of this bulletin.

10 10 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Social Vulnerability Index for Armenia and its Marzes NAIRUHI JRBASHYAN UNDP Consultant, Creation of a Social Monitoring and Analysis System project 1. The concept of vulnerability and available methodologies for its measurement. Summary analysis The concept of vulnerability started to be used in scientific and practical fields in the 1990s and, in the most general terms, is defined as the risk of being negatively affected by unforeseen events 1. The further refining and elaboration of this broad concept has resulted in the following concise definition of the concept of vulnerability: Vulnerability can be seen as a state of high exposure to certain risks and uncertainties, in combination with a reduced ability to protect or defend oneself against those risks and uncertainties and cope with their negative consequences 2. Thus, the concept of vulnerability assumes the presence of three components: risk, reduced ability to confront the risk and reduced ability to cope with the negative consequences of risks and uncertainties. The concept of vulnerability, defined in this way, is applicable in various contexts and for varying strata of the society from regions of the world and countries, to individual social groups and people. In order to ensure the measurability and practical application of vulnerability, four main aspects of vulnerability are currently distinguished and defined: Economic vulnerability Financial vulnerability Environmental vulnerability Social vulnerability 1.1. The concept of economic vulnerability is used to identify the most economically vulnerable developing countries in current conditions of globalization. The methodology for measuring economic vulnerability started to develop in the 1990s and was used, for the first time, in 2000 for calculating the Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI) for developing countries 3. The EVI is composed of five indicators characterizing the economic vulnerability of the country agricultural production instability, instability of export of goods and services, share of manufacturing and modern services in GDP, export concentration and the size of population. EVIs for various countries and regions are regularly measured and analyzed The method for measuring financial vulnerability is based on the methodology developed by the IMF. Financial vulnerability is measured in order to identify the most vulnerable countries with respect to financial crises and measure the level of that vulnerability. The IMF has produced a list of financial vulnerability indicators of countries, which is continuously monitored and analyzed 4. IMF vulnerability indicators are divided into four groups characterizing a country s external and internal debts repayment capacity, state reserves, stability of financial institutions and indicators describing the sensitivity of companies to changes in exchange rates and interest rates Environmental vulnerability, according to UN structures, is a significant hindrance to sustainable human development. Vulnerability of the population and ecosystems is linked not only to natural disasters, but also to the negative and disintegrating impact of human activities on natural systems 5. Vulnerability maps are prepared for measuring environmental vulnerability. The maps include environmental risks (natural and man-made), population, social (level of poverty), infrastructure and other indicators. As a result of the mapping, environmentally vulnerable regions, and even communities, are identified. 1 See Vulnerability and Poverty in Global Economy, UN DESA, New York, See Report on the World Social Situation: Social vulnerability: Sources and Challenges, UN, DESA, New York, Calculated by UNESCAP 4 See Vulnerability Indicators Fact-sheet, IMF, 2003 URL: 5 See Disaster Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, UNDP, 2003

11 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 1.4. Social vulnerability, instead of market related risks, is rather closely linked to social risks resulting from the specific characteristics of the given group. According to this approach, social groups and individuals are considered as vulnerable if they are not able to fully realize their capabilities in the given society, because of social uncertainties, tension, and a lack of protection or tolerance 6. The other three types of vulnerability, mentioned above are characteristic of fairly large social strata, such as region, country and community, while social vulnerability is characteristic of social groups and individuals. Social vulnerability has a causal relationship with poverty, but those two are not identical. Vulnerability is the risk of poverty and is characteristic of social groups which are not poor, but as a result of internal and external factors, face the risk of poverty (here and hereinafter by poverty we mean the broad concept of poverty, which includes opportunity deprivation, as well as income and human aspects income and human poverty). In this regard, vulnerability can be a cause of poverty. On the other hand, poverty is vulnerability, per se, in the broad sense, since the poor are at the highest risk of economic, natural and social shocks and, at the same time, are unable to cope with or adapt to them. In this regard, vulnerability is a consequence of poverty. Hence, vulnerability is a broader concept than poverty (see Figure 1). And thus, the vicious circle of vulnerability-poverty is formed. On the one hand, poverty further limits protection and coping mechanisms for people and social groups the poor are more vulnerable compared to other groups of population. On the other hand, the increase in the Figure 1. Vulnerability-poverty link Society The vulnerable The poor 11 number of vulnerable people, i.e. the increase in the number of people facing the risk of poverty, may cause the increase of poverty. Accordingly, vulnerability assessment and reduction is a crucial issue for countries enacting poverty reduction policies. One of the most effective means for reducing social vulnerability is the social protection system operating with the framework of the overall social policy of the country. But, measuring and assessing vulnerability is an indispensable precondition for having a social effective policy Methodologies for measuring and assessing social vulnerability There are two main methodological approaches to measuring and assessing social vulnerability. The first one is the approach adopted by the World Bank. It measures vulnerability based on the concept of income poverty 7. The assumption is that all the non-income components of human poverty/deprivation are indirectly, but nonetheless inevitably, manifested in income poverty. According to this approach, the vulnerable are those who are at risk of income poverty. Attaching importance to measuring vulnerability from the viewpoint of the risk of income poverty, the WB offers a list of vulnerability assessment indicators 8 which characterize vulnerability from the viewpoint of income poverty risk. These indicators include the share of employment in the informal sector among the urban residents, the share of those aged ten to fourteen years among the employed, the representation of those who make contributions to the pension fund, and the ratio of primary healthcare expenditures in the total healthcare expenditures share of GDP. The WB has also developed a methodology for vulnerability assessment, which is based on the absolute income poverty line US$2.15 (PPP adjusted) per capita daily consumption expenditures. According to this approach, people with less than US$2.15 daily consumption expenditures per capita are considered as poor, and those with per capita consumption expenditures of US$2.15 to US$4.30 per day are considered as vulnerable. The latter, not being poor, can end up in income poverty as a result of very small shocks 9. According to these estimates, around fifty percent of Armenia s population is poor, 6 See Report on the World Social Situation. Social Vulnerability: Sources and Challenges, UN DESA, New York, See World Development Report Attacking Poverty WB, New York, See World Development Indicators, 2001 WB, New York, See Growth, poverty and Inequality, Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, WB, New York, 2005.

12 12 and another forty percent is non-poor, but vulnerable. In total, around ninety percent of Armenia s population is either poor, or at risk of poverty (2003 data). The representation of the poor and vulnerable among the population has increased (by around two percentage points) from 1998/99 through 2003, and, at the same time the representation of the poor has decreased (by about seven percentage points, i.e. fourteen percent of the poor have come out of poverty, but are still vulnerable 9 ). Social groups facing the highest risk of poverty are children, the rural population and residents in small towns, the unemployed, and those with a low level of education. Another broader approach for assessing social vulnerability is used by the UN and its agencies. The key concept in this approach is that the lack of stable income in not the only cause of vulnerability. Abilities to combat threats and their consequences become limited not only due to financial constraints. Other important factors of vulnerability are poor health, inability to afford and lack of access to healthcare, educational and other basic services, as well as social-cultural and traditional relationships (non-formal institutions), which are the cause of social isolation of certain social groups 6. In effect, this approach links vulnerability with human poverty/deprivation and takes into account numerous factors which make vulnerability assessment a more complicated task. Therefore, individual groups who are socially most threatened from the mentioned aspects are identified. And the knowledge about the specific causes and manifestations of their vulnerability allows for enacting relevant polices for each of those groups. Groups comprised of a priori vulnerable individuals (for example children, disabled, elderly, poor individuals, etc.), who, based on their specific features are more prone to the negative impacts of various shocks and are most vulnerable to them, are identified among the socially vulnerable groups. These groups are officially recognized as vulnerable in Armenia and are beneficiaries of the governmental social protection system (sixteen social groups; see the corresponding article in this bulletin). ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Other types of socially vulnerable groups are those which are comprised of individuals who become vulnerable at some point, as a result of the impact of economic, social, cultural and other factors. These groups include, for example, migrants, refugees and internally displaced people, the unemployed, young people entering the labor market, people involved in socially harmful activities, etc. The list of these types of vulnerable groups is radically different in different countries, and depends on factors emerging from their specific socio-economic conditions Vulnerability assessment survey as a tool for identifying vulnerable groups in Armenia and assessing their vulnerability In order to have more targeted social protection and assistance policies in Armenia, it is necessary to identify the vulnerable groups at national and regional levels, and assess the degrees of their vulnerability. Various vulnerability surveys have already been conducted in Armenia. Themes of those surveys included the distribution of social groups officially recognized as vulnerable by marzes and communities 10, identification of groups of population at the highest risk of income 11 and human 12 poverty, typology of the most vulnerable communities 13, individual vulnerable groups who are beneficiaries of various governmental agencies, donor organizations and international and national NGOs (the disabled, refugees 14, migrants, children with malnutrition, elderly, young labor force 15, women at reproductive age, victims of trafficking, sex workers, etc. 16 ). Some of these surveys expose vulnerability only from the viewpoint of poverty, and the others only identify the problems of certain vulnerable groups in Armenia. However, we have not had a comprehensive survey of vulnerable groups, factors and risks of vulnerability, which would allow for determining the priorities of the social policy for vulnerability reduction in the broad sense. Hence, within the framework of the joint UNDP/ Government of Armenia project - Creation of a Social Monitoring and Analysis System a comprehensive vulnerability assessment survey was conducted from 10 See Humanitarian Assistance and Community Development Needs in Armenia, UNDP Armenia, See Social Panorama and Poverty in Armenia, NSS, 1998, 2000, 2002, See Armenia Social Trends bulletin, No. 4, 5, 6, UNDP Armenia/Government of RA. 13 See Armenia Social Trends bulletin, No. 3, UNDP Armenia/Government of RA. 14 See Poverty of Vulnerable Groups in Armenia, UNDP, UNHCR Armenia, See Education, Economic Activity and Poverty in Armenia, UNDP Armenia, Numerous reports and working papers of the NSS, as well as UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, ILO, IOM, UNHCR, WFP, DFID, UNIFEM, OXFAM and other international and local organizations.

13 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA June through August It was conducted in two main directions: The first one was the experts survey for vulnerability assessment. The objective was to obtain expert assessments of the overall picture of the most socially vulnerable groups and vulnerability factors, and consequently outline the vulnerability reduction priorities at both national and marz levels. The second direction was focus group discussions with vulnerable groups. The objective was to determine how the vulnerable groups themselves perceive vulnerability in the country, its factors, and mechanisms for its eradication. The analysis of the main results of the experts survey for vulnerability assessment is presented below. These results served as the basis for the methodology for calculation of the vulnerability index. The calculated vulnerability index allowed for assessing the overall severity and depth of vulnerability problems in the country, as well as in each marz. 2. The methodology for expertsþ survey for vulnerability assessment and its main results 2.1. The experts In total, 227 experts were included in the experts survey. Fifteen to twenty experts were included from each marz heads of sections and departments in marz governments, representatives of marz PRSP structures, staffs of marz social monitoring and analysis units, heads of marz divisions of statistical, social, employment, emergency situations services, representatives of local NGOs working in the social filed, and other representatives of civil society. Two hundred and ten experts in total were interviewed in marzes. The survey also included seventeen national experts from the National Statistical Service, the Social Insurance Fund, Ministries of Labor and Social Issues, Finance and Economy, Agriculture, Healthcare, Education and Science, Culture and Youth issues, Department of Migration and Refugees, Committees of the Government of Armenia, and the staff of the Human Rights Ombudsman Questionnaire Each expert filled out the questionnaire mentioning the ten most socially vulnerable groups in the corresponding marz (national experts did the same for the entire country). As a result, the list of socially 13 vulnerable groups was produced for the entire country, as well as each marz. At the same time, the experts assessed and classified the mentioned groups by degrees of vulnerability from the most vulnerable (ten points) to the least vulnerable (one point). This allowed for assessing the average degree of vulnerability of each vulnerable group and identifying the most vulnerable - groups with the highest degree of vulnerability in marzes and in the country. The experts also assessed vulnerability factors and classified them from the most influential (seven points) to the least influential (one point). This exercise allowed for identifying the main vulnerability generating causes Analysis of the expert survey The results of the survey of marz experts in each marz are summarized in the articles presented in the chapter Vulnerable population in the marzes of Armenia of this bulletin. The list of vulnerable groups, the most vulnerable groups, the most influential vulnerability factors, etc. are presented for each marz. In other words, the overall picture of expert assessments of vulnerability in Armenia s marzes is presented. Measures taken for various vulnerable groups in the marz and a situational analysis are also presented. The Annex of the bulletin presents official marz statistics, mainly on the representation of officially recognized vulnerable groups. These data have also been mapped. In this article we will present the overall main results of the experts survey, which will be used for calculating the social vulnerability index Main results of the expert survey The list of vulnerable groups Experts mentioned vulnerable groups 2,262 times in total. The mentioned vulnerable groups are fairly diverse, and they were grouped into thirty-five vulnerable groups of our population (see table 1). Analysis of the list resulted in the following main conclusions: The experts have most frequently mentioned those groups which are officially recognized as vulnerable and belong to one of the social groups enjoying the state s social protection (disabled, parentless children, single mothers and their children, elderly/pensioners, lonely elderly, families with numerous children, children, and families of martyred freedom fighters).

14 14 Vulnerable group # Table 1. The list of vulnerable groups mentioned by experts Title Number of times noted ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Percentage in the total number of notes Percentage in the total number of experts (N=227) 1 Disabled (including children) and their families Parentless children (deprived of one or both parents) Unemployed Lonely elderly or families comprising of lonely elderly Families with numerous children Refugees Elderly/pensioners Families of martyred freedom fighters Single mothers and their children Young families Young people/students Employees of budgetary organizations/civil servants Rural residents/farmers Benefit-receivers (family allowance)/the poor Injured freedom fighters and veterans Families with numerous members Landless rural residents Residents in remote, border, mountainous and earthquake zones Those without dwelling/homeless Other Households headed by women People affected by natural disasters Families abandoned by men Mentally ill people and their families Children Detainees and their families Women Teachers Beggar and street children People with inadequate level of education Scientists and academics Residents of small towns Employees hired in the informal sector People who have applied to the family allowance system but were not included Ethnic minorities TOTAL 2, The groups most frequently mentioned by experts were the disabled (including those disabled from childhood) and parentless children. These vulnerable groups were mentioned by all experts 17. These groups are the ones which are undoubtedly defenseless and helpless with regard to risks. Accordingly, they have also been mentioned most frequently among the most vulnerable groups (with ten points of vulnerability). A large majority of experts (eighty-four percent) mentioned those with no opportunities for paid employment, i.e. the unemployed as a vulnerable group. Vulnerability of the unemployed is not only comprised on the risk of income poverty, but also the risks of social and psychological isolation and human poverty. A significant number of experts link vulnerability directly to social disadvantage and poverty (sixty-five experts, or percent), and mentioned family benefit-receiving (i.e. those officially recognized by the state as poor) families, the poor and those families who considering themselves to be poor, have applied to the family benefit system, but have not collected the necessary points and are not included in the system. Despite the programs, measures taken by the government and the naturalization process with a fifteen-year history, more than half of the experts (fifty-nine percent) mentioned refugees as a vulnerable group. Their vulnerability is explained not only by living standards and material disadvantage, but also, at this phase, by poor housing conditions and socio-cultural and traditional isolation. Around one-third of the experts link vulnerability to natural-geographic factors, mentioning people living in remote, border and mountainous areas, as well as the earthquake zone, or have been affected by natural disasters, as vulnerable. Experts consider families of martyred freedom fighters (thirty-four percent), who receive certain 17 In one case 299 and in the other case 239 responses. The mentioned number of responses exceed the number of experts, since in the first case the disabled children, and in the second case children deprived of one or both parents, were mentioned by certain experts as individual vulnerable groups, i.e. were repeated.

15 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA support from the state, as well as injured freedom fighters and WW II veterans (24.7 percent) as vulnerable. Women were mentioned as a vulnerable group by 6.2 percent of experts, and families headed by women by 14.5 percent (correspondingly 0.6 and 1.5 percent of responses). The list of vulnerable groups also includes the socalled Other groups (2.1 percent of responses). Around twenty-one percent of experts mentioned one vulnerable group among the ten which we could not think of a title for. These were mainly people who are involved in activities, or are living a life containing social risks (drug users, alcoholics, sex workers, sexual minorities, etc.) and also people who correspond to the definition of vulnerability only to some extent, and thus do not form a vulnerable group as such. A significant number of groups in the list mentioned by the experts (around thirty percent of responses) reveal the presence of specific manifestations of vulnerability in our society. Their analysis is presented below: Some specific manifestations of vulnerability, revealed through the experts survey. In the period of transition to market economy, the transformations in our society have caused the vulnerability of certain social strata. On the one hand, totally new categories of vulnerability have emerged, such as beggar children and street children, landless rural households. The survey, on the other hand, reveals groups, which are defenseless against income and human poverty risks, but enjoyed real guarantees for protection against risks in the previous system (USSR), and enjoy aforementioned guarantees in the majority of countries with average economic development (which comprise Armenia as well). Some of these specific vulnerable groups are presented below: Scientists (mentioned by 4.0 percent of experts), though they comprise of a rather expensive human recourses and form the scientific capacity of the state and, as a result, its economic power. Rural residents (27.0 percent of experts), as well as landless rural residents (22.0 percent of experts). Experts link the vulnerability of rural residents with the risks relating to the means of ensuring their livelihoods, such as land cultivation, 15 irrigation and marketing of products. And the vulnerable group of landless rural residents is a new phenomenon - considering the mass privatization of lands in This is the result of the fact that, on the one hand, new formed rural families have not participated in land privatization and are not in equal conditions with other households with regard to land ownership. And on the other hand, land consolidation processes are under way, which might result in deeper polarization in rural area and greater risk of poverty. 29 percent of experts, mentioned young families and the youth in general, particularly students, among the 10 vulnerable groups they noted. Experts link the vulnerability of young families to the difficulties in ensuring the fulfillment of their own and their future children s educational, healthcare and other basic needs, and the risk with regard to employment and ensuring a decent living. The vulnerability of young people is linked to the very limited opportunities for first time job-seekers. The vulnerability of students is linked to the risks related to difficulties in affording the costs of education and dropping out of the educational system, in conditions of limited opportunities of entering the labor market. People employed by budgetary organizations have been mentioned as a vulnerable group by 27.3 percent of experts. Despite the fact that during the recent years the salaries of employees of budgetary organizations have been continuously increasing, the experts perceive the vulnerability of this group as the risk of income poverty, due to their low salaries. Experts mention especially teachers (mentioned by 5.7 percent of experts) and employees of cultural sphere as vulnerable. But these two groups form the educational and culturalethical capacity for next generations. Beggar children and street children (5.3 percent of experts) is a new phenomenon in the Armenian reality, for the moral-psychological atmosphere of the society and its traditional institutions, and is linked to the vulnerability of children to poverty Assessing the degree of vulnerability of vulnerable groups. The methodology for assessing the degree of vulnerability of each group mentioned by experts was developed using the classification of the mentioned groups provided by experts, in order to summarize the results of the experts survey. According to the

16 16 methodology, each vulnerable group has been ascribed with a value characterizing its degree of vulnerability (V i ), using the following formula: V i 100 = K 10 where: i is the order number of the vulnerable group mentioned by experts; X j ik j= 1 k= 1 j k is the order number of respondent expert, k=1;k, K=227 j is the degree of vulnerability ascribed to the vulnerable group by experts (can have values in the range of 1-10, 1 - the lowest degree of vulnerability, 10 - the highest degree of vulnerability), j=1;10. 1, = 0, X j ik If vulnerability degree of j was ascribed by the expert number k to the vulnerable group number i If vulnerability degree of j was not ascribed by the expert number k to the vulnerable group number i ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS The values of the degree of vulnerability calculated by this method (V i ) are in the range of and increase in parallel to the number of times the group was mentioned by experts and to the expert classification of the group s degree of vulnerability. The results of calculation of the V i values are presented in Table 2. The table reveals that: By the value of the degree of vulnerability, vulnerable groups can by classified into four groups: 1. extremely vulnerable, whose degree of vulnerability is extremely high at more the 50 percent ( ), 2. very vulnerable, whose degree of vulnerability is in the range of percent ( ), 3. groups of average vulnerability, whose degree of vulnerability is in the range of percent ( ), 4. groups with degrees of vulnerability, which are not obvious and are difficult to assess, whose degree of vulnerability is lower than 15 percent ( ). Table 2. Degrees of vulnerability of various vulnerable groups Vulnerable groups Degree of vulnerability V i Grouping by degree of vulnerability 1 Disabled, including children, and their families Parentless children (deprived of one or both parents) Lonely elderly or families comprising of lonely elderly Unemployed Elderly/pensioners Families with numerous children Refugees Benefit-receivers/the poor Families of martyred freedom fighters Single mothers and their children Rural residents/farmers Young families Families with numerous members Young people/students Employees of budgetary organizations/civil servants Injured freedom fighters and veterans Residents in remote, border, mountainous and earthquake zones Other Those without dwelling/homeless Landless rural residents Households headed by women Families abandoned by men People affected by natural disasters Mentally ill people and their families Beggar and street children Children Women Detainees and their families People with inadequate level of education Teachers People who have applied to the family allowance system but were not included Scientists and academics Residents of small towns Employees hired in the informal sector Ethnic minorities 0.3

17 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA The most vulnerable (the ones with the highest degree of vulnerability) in our society are the disabled, including disabled children and their families (vulnerability degree of 94.2 percent). Three extremely vulnerable groups are distinguished among all the groups. Those are the disabled, parentless children and lonely elderly. The degree of vulnerability of the unemployed is close to the mentioned a priori vulnerable groups (48.8 percent). The degree of vulnerability of the elderly and families with numerous children is also relatively high at percent. Those three groups are among the very vulnerable. Refugees and benefit-receiving families have an average level of vulnerability. Values of the degree of vulnerability of the remaining vulnerable groups are lower than 15 percent. 3. Calculation of the social vulnerability index at national and marz levels Based on the list of vulnerable groups and the assessments of their degrees of vulnerability 17 obtained from the results of the experts survey, we have calculated the social vulnerability index (SVI) for the country and each of its marzes. The vulnerability index was not calculated for assessing the quantitative representation of vulnerable people, but rather the accumulation and severity of the problems of vulnerability, i.e. its degree. Thus, the index is basically a qualitative assessment. The calculation of the vulnerability index includes those vulnerable groups, who have an average or higher degree of vulnerability (more than 15 percent). Groups with lower vulnerability degrees were not included in the calculation, considering that their impact is difficult to assess, they are fairly intertwined with the most vulnerable groups (especially the group of benefit-receivers) and information on their spread is often lacking. The calculation of the vulnerability index includes 8 socially most vulnerable groups mentioned by experts (see Table 2, rows 1-8). Vulnerability indexes for each marz and for the country as a whole have been calculated using formulas (1) and (2) correspondingly 18. Table 3. National and marz social vulnerability indexes Disabled, including children Representation of vulnerable groups in marzes (R ij), % of marz population Parentless children Lonely elderly* The unemployed* Elderly Families with numerous children* Refugees** Family benefitreceivers Social vulnerability index Degree of vulnerability V i=94.2 Degree of vulnerab ility V i=68.2 Degree of vulnerab ility V i=51.0 Degree of vulnerab ility V i=48.8 Degree of vulnerab ility V i=34.4 Degree of vulnerab ilit y V i=33.2 Degree of vulnerab ility V i=25.1 Degree of vulnerab ility V i=18.3 SVI 1 Yerevan Aragatzotn Kotayk Gegharkunik Tavush Lori Shirak Ararat Armavir Syunik Vayots Dzor TOTAL * Data on the indicators of the spread of the given group, i.e. representation in the population at national and marz levels are obtained from the results of the National Human Development Survey. See Armenia Social Trends bulletin, No. 5, Annexes ** Data on the representation of this group in the population at national and marz levels are obtained from the UNHCR. See the corresponding article in this bulletin. The remaining data is official statistics. 18 Vulnerable groups included in SVI calculations, of course, have intersections. Some individuals will undoubtedly belong to a number of those groups at the same time. The intersection of vulnerable groups increases the value of the index. But considering the index measures not the quantity, but rather the accumulation and severity of vulnerability problems, the inclusion of intersections in calculations is not only justified, but even desirable.

18 18 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS SVI i = 8 V j R j= j (1) percent (see Table 3). At the same time, significant differences in social vulnerability between marzes are disclosed (see Map on the page 125): SVI = 11 8 i= 1 j= V i j R M where: j is the order number of the vulnerable group, j=1;8 i is the order number of the marz, i=1;11 M the total number of marzes (M=11) V ij is the value of the degree of vulnerability of the vulnerable group j in marz i R ij is the spread of the vulnerable group j (%) in marz i. The index has a value in the range of and increases in parallel to the concentration and severity of vulnerability problems. Calculations of the social vulnerability index reveal that the social vulnerability in our country is 36.6 i j (2) The vulnerability index is at its highest in Tavush and Gegharkunik marzes and is over 45 percent. This means that the problems of vulnerability are most severe in those marzes. Syunik and Kotayk marzes have a slightly higher vulnerability compared to the national average. In other marzes, vulnerability is lower than the national average. The lowest vulnerability indexes were those of Amavir and Ararat marzes and Yerevan at percent. Marz differences of the social vulnerability index can serve as the basis for drafting and enactment of social policies for marzes. And the components of the vulnerability index can be helpful in defining the priorities of marz social policies. This is especially relevant today in the context of the ongoing PRSP review and development of marz PRSPs.

19 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 19 Vulnerability as Seen by the Vulnerable Themselves (results of discussions with vulnerable groups) ASTGHIK MANUKYAN UNDP expert on vulnerability According to the methodology developed for vulnerability assessment, focus group discussions with the participation of ten different vulnerable groups were conducted in eighteen communities of Armenia in July, There were three topics of discussions: 1. Which groups in the community are vulnerable, why are they vulnerable (vulnerability factors and risks), and what factors account for the overall situation in the community. 2. How is the perception of one s own vulnerability in the vulnerable group itself, and what are the group s problems, needs, risks and expectations. 3. How do the vulnerable see the solution to their problems, in particular, and the problem of vulnerability in general. The analysis presented summarizes the main results of focus group discussion with vulnerable groups, as assessed by the author as an expert. The perception of vulnerability among vulnerable groups of communities The perception of the phenomenon of vulnerability among vulnerable groups is varied but, at the same time, very simple and understandable. Without using complicated scientific terms, which is totally understandable, people tried to explain vulnerability by remembering their own experiences, or the experiences of others living in their community, in dealing with the manifestations of vulnerability. Thus, studying the manifestations of vulnerability mentioned during discussions, we can draw conclusions with regard to the perception of vulnerability by vulnerable groups. Summarization of the results of discussions on manifestations of vulnerability in various focus groups provided the following picture: A family s vulnerability is perceived to be directly linked to its poverty and socially disadvantageous situation; A person s vulnerability is perceived to be directly linked to the limitations of the ability to work due to age, as well as physical and mental abilities; and The phenomenon of vulnerability, in general, is perceived to be associated with the underdeveloped socio-economic conditions of the community, lack of access to public services, and not being able to exercise legal rights. 1. The fact that vulnerability is considered the same as poverty and social disadvantage is clearly seen in the examples of the manifestations of vulnerability mentioned by people in vulnerable groups. Some of these examples are presented in the Manifestations of Vulnerability in Communities section. In effect, vulnerable people have assessed the manifestations of vulnerability using exactly the same criteria they would use for assessing poverty. The primary criterion used was the level of deprivation regarding basic needs (food, clothing, dwelling), including utilities (water, gas, electricity, telephone, etc.). Manifestation of vulnerability in communities - Socially disadvantaged families are vulnerable, especially since there are many officially registered sick people, and the pension they receive is not enough for solving the family s problems. Merdzavan - We understand about vulnerability, when power or water is cut off. - For many families daily bread is the priority concern. Goris - We are vulnerable, since there are many families who live in awful conditions, in dug out houses, without furniture, and lay their clothes on the bed to sleep. Garni

20 20 Unemployment as the main cause of vulnerability - Parents with many children do not work, do not have money to sustain their children, or buy clothes, so they would feel embarrassed by their poverty. Jambarak - There are extremely poor people in the community who do not have jobs, as in other places in Armenia. - There are also families and lonely people who are poor. The main reason is unemployment. - Nobody, old or young, would work for five thousand drams. - A good job is the one which needs qualifications and pays well. Akhuryan The most vivid examples of the fact that social disadvantage and vulnerability are perceived by families to be identical are linked to the perception of unemployment as the main cause of vulnerability. Incidentally, unemployment is not defined very clearly, and activities generating little income, or short-term employment (see quotations) are sometimes considered as unemployment. Young people are considered as vulnerable based on the criteria of unemployment, as well as social disadvantage and its above-mentioned manifestations. It should be noted that the definition of this group is not identical in all focus groups. In one case they are referred to in the classical meaning of the term, in another case, young people are defined as anyone not belonging to the groups of children and elderly. The vulnerability of young people is justified not only on the basis of unemployment, but also their forced emigration, as well as problems related to cultural life and entertainment. With regard to the latter, young people are even considered as the main target group. Young people as a vulnerability target group - young people are the ones who suffer from lack of jobs, they are the vulnerable ones. Old people at least are able to survive, buy something with their pensions. Itzakar - Young people are especially vulnerable.. - This situation has made them all vulnerable; there are no jobs, and they drink since they have nothing better to do. - Everyone is standing against the walls with a bottle in hand. Vodka is 350 dram; they find the money somewhere and drink. Jambarak ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS 2. The basis of the perception of personal vulnerability is the given person s characteristics and abilities. The following were the most frequently mentioned during discussions: Age; and Physical and mental abilities. Characteristically, the person s inability to compete in the labor market, or his physical limitations in work, are justified by those characteristics. The most notable examples are children and elderly, whose vulnerability are repeatedly mentioned by participants and is generally linked to their inability to work. At the same time, discussing the problems of those groups, participants mainly referred to the classical perception of vulnerability limitations in dealing with various risks. Thus, naturally enough, the two subgroups of lonely elderly and parentless children were distinguished within those two groups. Inability to counteract threats - Lonely elderly are also needy; they don t work, have no caretakers, they are very pitiful. They receive the pension, and spend all of it directly on utility fees. There are many such people. - The disabled are also vulnerable. Gagarin Physical and mental abilities also play a role in a person s perception of vulnerability. In this case, as well, the justifications were the same, and the vulnerable group, naturally, was the disabled. 3. In many focus groups, everyone, meaning the entire community, was mentioned as vulnerable. Such a perception of vulnerability is closely linked to the serious socio-economic problems of communities, which have an impact on the living standards of all residents and the moral-psychological environment in the community. The fact of considering the entire community, or everyone in it, as vulnerable brings about the concept of vulnerable community. The most unfortunate example of vulnerable communities is the Berkaber village in Tavush marz (see the corresponding article in this bulletin). The moral-psychological environment in communities of the earthquake zone, as well as former labor towns that have turned into rural communities, was difficult and depressing on the whole. Consequently, all rural residents were mentioned as vulnerable in focus group discussions in such communities. Only the fact that they were unlucky enough to be born and live in a rural community is considered to be the highest level of vulnerability.

21 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA Finally, referring to vulnerable groups and their needs, we think it is important to mention two other groups: "Vulnerable communities" 21 Those not being public officials, or not having relatives holding public offices; and Those not having relatives living or working abroad. The first group has been repeatedly mentioned as vulnerable, since without a public position or relatives holding public positions, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to solve various problems from registering for poverty benefits to resolving legal protection issues. In the case of the second group, relatives living or working abroad are primarily regarded as a means of emigration, and secondly as an important source of income (remittances). Those who are not included in these two groups, according to the perception of vulnerable people themselves, are deprived of the mentioned guarantees and are thus vulnerable. - Eighty percent of the village is in an extreme situation, one cannot say this group is OK; the other group is in bad conditions. Twenty percent who have relatives in Russia are able to live. Berkaber You have come to a place where, after the earthquake, everyone is vulnerable. The stress conditions are already part of our genetic pool; tens of generations are needed for it to come out, not to mention the surroundings - you must come to see the situation. All this together are the reasons for vulnerability. After the earthquake, housing issues were not resolved, and this is a continuous process. There are people still living in shanties, or families have grown, children have married, numbers have increased, but they have received an apartment the same size that they lost in the earthquake. Akhuryan SUMMARY In people s minds, vulnerability is mostly perceived as social disadvantage and poverty. The main causes of vulnerability are: Unemployment; Small old-age pensions, disability pensions and benefits; Disability; Not having an official public position or relatives having official public position; Absence of remittances from abroad; and Limited possibilities for emigration. The main manifestations of vulnerability are: Basic needs not being met (food, clothing, dwelling); Inability to afford utility fees (electricity, water, gas, telephone, etc.); Inability to afford social or public services (healthcare, education); and Inability to afford entertainment and participation in cultural life. The most frequently mentioned vulnerable groups are: The poor and socially disadvantaged; The unemployed; Young people; The elderly, especially the lonely elderly; The disabled; Children, especially parentless children; Families with numerous members; Refugees; and Rural residents. The concept of vulnerable community has been coined, which is conditioned by the type of community: Border communities; Earthquake zone communities; Former industrial communities; Rural communities in general. (To be continued on the page 26)

22 22 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Social Picture Of Armenia s Marzes From The Viewpoint Of Family Poverty Benefit System ASTGHIK MINASYAN Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, Head of Family Benefit Department Poverty eradication is at the center of the attention of all prominent international organizations. The UN Millennium Declaration, which is considered as a guideline for the new century, has declared Eradication of extreme poverty and hunger as the first Millennium Development Goal. The Investing in Development. A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals document prepared by the independent advisory body UN Millennium Project established by the UN General Secretary defined the proposed PRSP priorities for each region, which referring to the CIS (Europe) in particular, states: Investment strategies should focus on the development of the potential of the governance system, the acute shortages in healthcare and educational systems and environmental sustainability. In addition, countries with transition economies should provide targeted assistance to social vulnerable (isolated and marginalized) groups. Thus, the link between the MDG and PRSP is already predetermined and the discussions of the poverty reduction strategy and its realization are viewed within the context of these two important documents. The Government of Armenia approved the PRSP by its Oder No. 994 dated 8 August 2003, according to which the following poverty reduction priorities were adopted: 1. Revising redistribution technologies, including those in political, economic and social sectors; 2. Effective social and income policy; 3. Increase in financial potential of the state; 4. Increase in the volume of public investment programmes; 5. Promoting self-employment and small businesses; 6. Increasing access to healthcare; 7. Improving housing conditions of refugees and IDPs. From among the mentioned priorities, our article refers to the second one effective social and income policy and will focus mainly on the social aspect. The social aspect of the priority has two components social assistance and social insurance. The largest social assistance programme in the country is the family poverty benefits programme. The programme is the largest by both the number of citizens included and the allocations from the state budget. The family poverty benefit programme is implemented on the basis of the system assessing the families neediness, which was created in 1995 based on the expert assessment of the accumulated experience in the field of social assistance. In brief, the system can be characterized as follows: The level of neediness of families is determined by the social group of each member of the family, number of members who are not able-bodied, place of residence of the family, its income, housing conditions and other indicators. Later, the surveys of household budgets regularly implemented by the NSS and the dynamics and trends of poverty available already from 1999, allowed for more justified conclusions to be drawn from the available data. Since then, the development of the system is exclusively based on data from surveys, which results in a much substantial link between the programme and the overall changes in the picture of poverty in the country. Thus, the year 1999 was a milestone for the development of the families neediness assessment system. It was also notable for the fact that, by the

23 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA Order of the Government, the system until then used for distributing humanitarian assistance transformed into the foundation for enacting the state s social assistance policy. Inclusion of the factor of vulnerability in the procedure for assessment of familiesþ neediness The procedure for assessing families neediness allows for a comprehensive evaluation of each family, with regard to the assessment of vulnerable groups (see Box). The place of residence of the given family, with its characteristic features, has also been taken into account. Armenia is distinguished by its specific natural-climatic conditions. It has a vertical zoning one can see 4 different natural-climatic zones on a short distance. This fact has a significant impact on the level of incomes from farming, living conditions, etc. For example, the town of Armavir, Vagharshapat and Baghramyan regions, all in the Armavir marz, are totally different with regard to natural-climatic vulnerability. Accordingly, it is more appropriate to make the assessment by settlements (communities), rather than marzes. As a result, the procedure for assessing the neediness of families was revised in and coefficients for settlements, living in which was already an indication of the vulnerability of the family, were introduced 1. The social assistance policy for vulnerable groups also changed in It was replaced by a group approach for determining the targeting, based on the overall assessment of the neediness, i.e. poverty, of the family. Issues of improving the targeting of social assistance Activities for improving the targeting of family benefits are implemented by the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues in two directions. First, the formula for assessing the neediness of families is further elaborated; Second, amounts freed up as a result of the 23 changes to the formula for determining the size of benefits are directed toward the groups vulnerable to poverty. The revision of the formula for assessing the neediness of families is mainly based on the data of surveys of household budgets conducted by the NSS, as well as recommendations received from citizens and regional social services agencies. It must be noted that changes are not of a radical nature. They are made in order to polish the existing imperfections, clarifying the mechanisms, and creating more favorable conditions for applicant families to exercise their rights. As a result of studies and analyses for improving the targeting, the list of most vulnerable groups of population has also been updated at the Ministry, as follows: 1. Families with numerous members, particularly numerous children, mostly those with 3 or more children under the age of 14 years; 2. Families with unemployed or low-paid members; 3. Refugees and post-conflict groups, especially those living in dormitories and under temporary shelters; 4. Families living in high-mountainous settlements. It is perfectly clear, that it is not possible to resolve the problems of all the mentioned groups through the family poverty benefit system. The problems of families with unemployed and low-paid members are addressed in another block of the social policy, namely regulation of wages and incomes; the solution of the problems of refugees and post-conflict groups, especially those living in dormitories and under temporary shelters, is a matter for the targeted state housing policy, etc. Nonetheless, an attempt was made to include, to the extent possible, the assistance to families with numerous children, as the most vulnerable among the mentioned vulnerable groups, in the procedures for assessing the neediness of families through differentiation of the size of family poverty benefit (this 1 When the system was being created, the place of residence of the family was taken into account if it was located in the earthquake-stricken zone or a near-border community.

24 24 Table 1. Proportion of benefit-receiving families, Table 2. Proportion of families with children in the family benefit system, Registered families (% of total number of families) Benefit receiving families (% of total number of registered families) Benefit receiving families (% of total number of families) Source: MoLSI Benefit receiving families (% of those registered) Benefit receiving families with children (% of those registered) Source: MoLSI ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS differentiated approach started in 2004 and was further elaborated in 2005). As a result, the ratio of benefitreceiving families registered in the system to the total population changed to some extent (Table 1) - the number of benefit-receiving families with children increased at the expense of the drop in the total number of benefit-receiving families (see Table 2). Data in Table 1 reveal that the number of families registered in the system has dropped, which is a result of reduced poverty in the country, since there are no preconditions for registration, it is voluntary and every family, expecting assistance from state structures, can apply and register. The reduction in the number of families registered in the family poverty benefit system, i.e. families considering themselves as poor, is a proof of the reduction of poverty in the country, as well as high level of awareness among the population regarding the right to family benefit. Vulnerability as a factor limiting family incomes Family income has its role in the procedure for assessing the neediness of families. It has a coefficient which has an impact on family s neediness points. The lower the average monthly income of the family, the higher is the family s neediness points, and visa versa. Objectively, among family members only children and adults who are not able-bodied (the disabled) cannot have incomes. The other members of the family can receive wages, incomes from selfemployment, unemployment benefits, old-age or other types of pension. Periodic increases in wages and pensions (according to the PRSP action plan), as well as improvements in the tax system, allow for a better registration of incomes. As a result, families with increasing average monthly income (real or due to better registration) lose their right to benefits, but at the same time more favorable conditions for receiving benefits are created mostly for families with numerous children. This is another justification of data in Table 2, from the viewpoint of vulnerable groups with no income. The same trend is noted with regard to the disabled. The proportion of families with disabled member(s) in the total number of benefit-receiving families is more than 35 percent. The number of benefit-receiving families in Armenia in 2005 was around 6000 less than in 2004, amounting to 129 thousand families compared to 135 thousand in the previous year. The number of families registered in the system has also reduced from 210 thousand to 198 thousand. In 2005, the average monthly benefit is AMD12,000, compared to AMD8,900 in the previous year. Introduction of the differentiated approach to the size of the benefit As already mentioned, until 2003 the size of family poverty benefit was not linked at all to the level of neediness of the family. Efforts made for better targeting of the system allowed for differentiating the size of benefit based on the level of neediness (according to the vulnerability factor) of the given family.

25 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA According to the current procedure, the size of the benefit is determined through the following approach: the family receive the base benefit with an addition for each member under the age of 18 years. In 2005, the Government of Armenia has defined a limit point for establishing the right to benefit families neediness points (compared to points in the previous year) and base benefit of AMD6000 (compared to AMD4500 of the previous year). At the same time, differentiations are introduced with regard to both the size of benefit and the neediness points of families, based on the 2 important factors of vulnerability: a) child(ren) in the family and b) place of residence of the family. Currently the differentiated approach is applied as follows: For the range of AMD3000, and for near-border and high-mountainous settlements AMD3500; For the range of AMD3500, and for near-border and high-mountainous settlements AMD4000; For the range of and higher AMD4000, and for near-border and high-mountainous settlements AMD4500; Another novelty is that in 2005 the one-time monetary assistance component of the social assistance system was complemented with two clearly defined directions. Firstly, the family entitled to benefits received AMD35,000 for the birth of a child and secondly, it receives AMD20,000 for enrollment in the first grade of the school. Marz comparisons of the size of benefit The differentiated approach to the size of benefit resulted in differences of average monthly benefits in various marzes and regions of the country. For the national average monthly benefit of AMD12,103 (2005): The highest average monthly benefit is recorded in Gegharkunik marz with AMD13,445.6; The lowest average monthly benefit is recorded in Yerevan with AMD10,657; The highest amount of benefit is recorded in Tzaghkahovit region of Aragatzotn marz with AMD16,141, The lowest amount of benefit is recorded in Arabkir AMD8,974 and Center AMD8,983 districts of Yerevan. 25 Analyses of the level of poverty reveal the same proportions, which indicates the high level of targeting of the current benefit system and the newly introduced approaches. Indictors lower than the national average are recorded in five marzes - Yerevan, Lori, Syunik, Tavush and Vayots Dzor. These data, without consideration for the level of inclusion of benefit-receiving families, can possibly be misinterpreted, since the size of the benefit is linked not only to the value of the neediness points, but also the number of children. Thus, large amounts of benefits indicate both the high level of neediness and the large number of children. Studying the level of inclusion of benefit-receiving families by marzes, in case of a national average indicator of 16.3, we will have the following picture: The lowest indicator of inclusion is recorded in Armavir marz with 9.0 percent; The highest indicator of inclusion is recorded in Shirak marz with 35.4 percent; Only five marzes had indicators lower than the national average Yerevan, Ararat, Armavir, Kotayk and Syunik. Future steps for the development of the system Measures for developing the system in the near future will aim to ensure better targeting for the system, which will be implemented in the following directions: Creating preconditions for introducing community systems for provision of social service; Enhancing professional abilities and skills of social workers in paying home visits to families of citizens who have applied to the community or the regional social services agency; Developing and establishing feedback mechanisms for control over the quality and accessibility of social services, including benefits; Ensuring more active operations of social assistance boards of regional social services agencies. The involvement of the public in the implementation of state programmes of social assistance is very important and expedient, since it allows for the participation of the public in the process of the use of public money, and will make the process more transparent, democratic and effective.

26 26 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA Family Social Passports For each family applied for the Family Poverty Allowance State System, the corresponding regional social services unit produces a social passport, where the following indicators describing the given family s socio-economic conditions are included: 1. the social group of each member of the family 2. the number of family members who are not ablebodied 3. place of residence 4. housing conditions of the family 5. availability of personal vehicle 6. involvement of any member of family in business activities 7. the quantity of electricity consumed by the family in summer months 8. average monthly cost of family s long distance phone calls 9. customs duties paid by any member of the family for import or export of goods 10. facts on transactions related to property 11. family income 12. the conclusion of the regional social services unit on the socio-economic conditions of the family The most important component of the family poverty assessment system is the social group of the member of family, and the groups in the family poverty benefit system are 16 in total. The vulnerability point of the social group increases based on the level of its vulnerability (see Table 1). The classification of vulnerable groups presented in Table 1 is made based on the degree of influence on family s vulnerability. Thus, it can be concluded that the highest points of vulnerability in the family poverty benefit system are awarded to children deprived of both parents (50 points), disabled of the I group (48 points) and disabled children up to 18 years of age(45 points). Table. Titles of the social groups in the family poverty benefit system, their codes and vulnerability points Title of the social group Code of the social group Vulnerability points of the social group 1. Disabled I group D11 48 (II) 2. Disabled II group D Disabled III group D Disabled child D44 45 (III) 5. Child up to 2 years of age C Child from 2 to 18 years of age C Child deprived of one parent CWPP Child of lonely mother CWP Child of divorced person CWP Child deprived of both parent O56 50 (I) 11. Student (up to 23 years of age studying in public paid section) S Pregnant woman (20 weeks or more) PW Unemployed U Pensioner P Lonely non-working pensioner P Old pensioner (75 years of age and above) P86 39 Source: The legal framework for social assistance to the vulnerable in Armenia report, authored by Arusyak Gevorgyan, UNFPA, Yerevan, 2005.

27 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 27 General Problems Of Vulnerability ASTGHIK MANUKYAN UNDP expert on vulnerability The results of focus group discussions revealed two types of problems: general problems, which were mentioned by nearly all the groups, and are generally characteristic to any manifestation of vulnerability; and specific problems, which are characteristic to the given vulnerable group. More detailed studies revealed that general problems are the most probable causes of vulnerability, while specific problems are usually the consequence of one or another aspect of the general problems. In this part of the article we have tried to summarize the general problems of vulnerability, as seen by the vulnerable themselves. The order in which the problems are presented corresponds to their level of importance. - If I work construction I will have permanent employment, but I cannot do anything with that employment; my family would not feel that I work as the payment is that low. Vayk 1. Problems of employment Problems of employment were the most frequently mentioned during the focus group discussions. Vulnerable people referred to the problem from a number of aspects, the most important of which were: Joblessness was of the deepest concern and was the subject of heated discussions in all meetings, being the priority problem of the community, as well as the country; - There are things we also have in the public sector. They adopted the law on Civil Servants, so that things would improve, people would not bring in their relatives, but at the end everything is the same... who gets the job? The one who has friends and relatives. I don t want to insult people, but this is what really happens, I am telling you what I have seen with my own eyes. Vayk - The bad thing is that young people too don t have anything to do... manual jobs are also for friends. Aramus Low wages, with the result being that jobs do not yet provide for a decent living standard and therefore do not alleviate the risks of vulnerability; Unfair distribution of jobs which, according to participants, was the result of the family-clan approach to recruitment, when employers prefer to recruit their relatives, in many cases without consideration for the ability of the person to perform the required tasks; - If you work in the private sector, they do not record that you have worked, for example, during the previous month, and this is a violation of your rights. You might have a job, but for any legal transaction you do not have the documents to prove that fact. Vayk The unregulated nature of the private segment of the labor market, the most frequently mentioned aspects of which were: not registering the employee legally, violations of working conditions and standards, arbitrary payments of wages, sociopsychological pressure, etc.; and Farming, which often is not considered as employment by rural residents because of the disproportion of the efforts made to the products produced and, consequently, the income generated from farming. - There are private greenhouses, but they do not give you a job, but rather exploit you with very little money. - There are no limits on working hours; you have to do anything they ask for, regardless of the job you have been recruited for. Aramus - I am twenty-one years old and work in Hrazdan in the private sector for a thousand or thousand five hundred drams per day. At the end of the day they either give you the money or not, or they give only part of it. Gagarin The quotations presented clearly reveal the importance of these problems.

28 28 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS The Matrix Of The Assessments Of The Problems Of Vulnerable Groups (Summarized By The Expert) The problems of vulnerable groups were classified on a scale of 1-4; 1 the problem, in general, is not characteristic of the given group, although it might exist for certain individuals of the group; 4 this problem is characteristic of the group, or the group especially suffers if this problem is present (for example, the problem of drinking water has a particularly severe impact on women and the lonely elderly). In the matrix, the numeric scale is replaced by the symbolic equivalents, where the symbol means that the problem is quite typical for the group (i.e. corresponds to 4), means that the problem is typical for the group (corresponds to 3), means that the problem is slightly typical for the group (corresponds to 2), means that the problem is not typical for the group (corresponds to 1). Vulnerable groups mentioned by focus group participants Problems mentioned by focus group participants Unemployed Disabled Families of disabled persons Elderly Lonely elderly Children Parentless children Refugees Families with numerous children or members Young people, young families Women Single mothers Pregnant women 1. Unemployment 2. Agricultural problems 3. Food insecurity 4. Housing 5. Housing conditions 6. Healthcare problems 7. Education problems 8. Drinking water problems 9. Cultural problems 10. Legal problems 11. Social isolation 12. Emigration

29 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA - We planted potatoes and they dried up, so planted eggplants and they also dried up. We fetch water from a few kilometers away. Sipanik 2. Farming problems The main farming problems underlined by focus group participants were the following: Lack of access to, and high prices of, irrigation water, in particular inappropriate payment timetables and high water fees; Lack of land or poor quality of land, especially in communities with no farming history (labor towns) and, consequently, no agricultural lands; and - These are lands which require large amounts in order to make these remote dry lands useful. - Our income comes from the 1,000 sq m of backyard land, it is not enough. Aramus Lack of access to, and unaffordable prices for, economic infrastructures, which includes lack of access to, and poor quality of, machinery, seeds and pesticides, problems of marketing, sales and processing of agricultural products, etc. These problems already render agriculture, as such, a vulnerable sector, and farmers as an individual vulnerable group (see quotations). - The problem is the marketing of produce; we give it away very cheaply. Not all of us can take the produce to the city, and then there are retailers who buy the produce very cheaply. - It would be good if we had a carrot processing factory in the village; we would have jobs and the problems of sales would also be resolved. Aramus 3. Healthcare problems Lack of access to healthcare is one of the most difficult problems of vulnerable groups. The problems of lack of access to services and drugs were highlighted in particular. People were particularly annoyed not by the high level of officially set prices for services, but rather by the demands for additional informal payments. This problem, in effects, results in corruption in the healthcare sector. 29 Groups with privileges, which are often the same as vulnerable groups, are not able, in practice, to use their privileges with regard to fees and drugs. As people with those privileges have mentioned, they are - You take your child to the hospital not knowing whether you can take him back or not. You must give money. They make you wait until they collect all the money then they discharge your child. I, for example, cannot pay, but I know people who have gone to the hospital but could not take their child because they did not pay. Akhuryan subjected to indifference and poor treatment if they do not directly pay the fees, and consequently prefer to pay in order to properly use the services. With regard to drugs, the problem is that often the most necessary and expensive drugs are not available at healthcare facilities, and these patients have to purchase them on their own. - Not all vulnerable groups can afford drugs. Pensioners, for example, we have one at home, we say he is socially disadvantaged, but there is neither public paid privileges, nor a normal pension. Vayk Lack of access to healthcare services is mostly a problem of rural communities, especially those far from marz capitals and healthcare facilities providing a comprehensive range of services. The poor technical provisions of healthcare facilities, quality of services, and the short period of time during which the healthcare provider attached to the community is actually available, were also mentioned by vulnerable people as problems. The mentioned healthcare problems are, undoubtedly, general, but they have a more negative impact on - Regarding healthcare, I have to say that there is no primary care. We have a nurse who comes at 11:30 and leaves at 4. She cannot stay as she is from another village. Shamiram vulnerable groups who use those services, or need to use those services, more often. Those groups include the disabled, elderly, pregnant women and children.

30 30 4. Problems of education In the education sector, problems of lack of access to, and quality of, education were mentioned by focus group participants. Mentioning the unfavorable impact of those problems on the entire community, people were especially dissatisfied with the following: All preschool institutions being tuition based; - Kindergarten is also no good; they want money. I don t have 1,000 drams to give my child for kindergarten. I have three children who could easily go to kindergarten, but I cannot pay for that. Tegh Lack of access to secondary school textbooks, which is particularly highlighted by families with numerous children; Lack of access to specialized education, especially for those who incur additional costs for studying far from home (room rent, transportation, etc.); Lack of access to special education, mentioning that children in rural communities do not have the opportunity to attend arts, music, sports and other educational groups; and - My child has been admitted to a university in the tuition-based section, but there is no dormitory and I do not have money for renting a room. Talin Received education not being relevant to the jobs available in the community. 5. Problems of community infrastructures Issues raised repeatedly during discussions related to drinking water, electricity supply, gas supply, telecommunications, roads and transportation - Even young people cannot find jobs. I am young, but there are no jobs, and I am willing to work. One cannot do any work. One learns a skill but cannot find an appropriate job. Sometimes you come across a job not suitable, but others say look at this one, he is looking for a job, and here is a job he wouldn t take. And it is difficult to explain that you do not have the corresponding skills for that job and therefore you cannot do it. Merdzavan ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS systems, as well as activities of intellectual-cultural and informational facilities, were summarized in the subgroup of Problems of Community Infrastructures. The main focus of discussions was the problems of lack of access to these infrastructures, particularly for socially disadvantaged families. The problems of the poor operational quality of these infrastructures have equally negative impacts on the entire community, and thus have been included in the group of general problems. The following problems of community infrastructures were mentioned during focus group discussions: Access to, and quality of, drinking water, including the poor conditions of water pipelines, as well as the quality and safety of the drinking water; and Cultural and informational problems, which are mostly mentioned in relation to the absence of entertainment facilities for young people, as well as - We pay the water fee and drink rusty water. - Last year children got sick with intestinal infections because of the water. Aramus in the context of limited social contacts and social relationships between community residents, and limited information exchange. The impact of drinking water problems is especially serious for women, children, the disabled and elderly, especially lonely elderly. Women are - There is no water. We have a tap in the yard, but no water. In this heat it is already two months that we have not seen any water. Women suffer the most from this. - When there is no water everyone suffers. We need water to take baths. My family suffers from that, my mother, father, husband, children. - We do not have water to do the laundry, to water greens in our garden in order to eat them later. We have nothing. - The entire village suffers from this water problem. Farmers suffer, people suffer. Nobody does laundry, nobody takes a bath; there is almost no drinking water. We keep livestock, but there is no water to wash our hands. The livestock suffers. Shamiram

31 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA affected by this problem to a greater extent since they are responsible for solving the problems related to using drinking water in the household. The disabled and the elderly, and especially the lonely elderly, are particularly vulnerable to these problems due to their special healthcare needs and limited possibilities for obtaining drinking water on their own. - We cannot pay for weekly or daily newspapers, or get information from anywhere else. There is no place to receive information. The main source is the newspaper. We have four channels: H1, H2 and two Russian channels, and this is not enough. Vayk 6. Legal problems Legal problems in general, and rights protection and corruption in particular, are global problems affecting the entire society. It is difficult to make a distinction in the degree of their impact in the form of more and less vulnerable groups. This circumstance is also acceptable to vulnerable groups themselves. Lack of rights awareness is another universal problem, but - We do not know the laws and we cannot exercise our rights. - We do not know our rights. people with better living standards, younger people, urban dwellers, healthcare and educated people, undoubtedly, have better opportunities for being informed about their rights and ensuring that their rights are not violated. This is the cause of the higher degree of vulnerability of the vulnerable groups. Heated discussions revealed that vulnerable groups are most concerned about: Corruption; Rights protection; Lack of rights awareness; and Increase in crimes We don t know who to refer to. For example, we have spent $600 on various fees for changing the ownership of the house. Aramus Vulnerable groups and their specific problems Vulnerable groups were already selected at the beginning of the focus group exercise, based on various criteria. Those criteria were: Unemployed Children Children deprived of both parents Disabled children Disabled elderly Young families Families with numerous members Refugees Elderly Women The analysis of the specific problems of these vulnerable groups is presented in accordance with the level of vulnerability (from highest to the lowest), in accordance with our expert assessment of the results of discussions. 1. The unemployed The most frequently mentioned vulnerable group at focus group discussions and, at the same time, the most common vulnerable group, was the unemployed. The specific feature of this group is that their vulnerability is mainly linked to the material insecurity of the family and various negative manifestations of the moral-psychological atmosphere resulting from unemployment. In this case, a solution to the primary problem of unemployment will result in the partial solution of the problems of vulnerability or their mitigation. Thus, it is more appropriate to consider the unemployed not as a vulnerable group, but rather unemployment as a problem, and target the state policy to the solution of the unemployment problem Through focus group activities with the unemployed, we were able to see that informal employment is a fairly widespread phenomenon in almost all

32 32 communities. The majority of the invited unemployed had jobs, but were not registered as employed and thus considered themselves as unemployed. Participants of other focus groups also confirmed the widespread nature of such cases. In effect, there is a problem of the perception of the status of unemployed by the unemployed themselves. If the unemployed person perceives himself as vulnerable, it is clear and understandable. But it is difficult to understand why an informally employed person would consider himself as unemployed. This issue, in our opinion, needs detailed studies which are outside the scope of our survey. 2. Children This age group is vulnerable by definition, since children do not have adequate skills and resources to counteract the negative impacts of various factors. Parentless and disabled children have also been specified as groups in need of special attention. The vulnerability of the first group becomes more severe since they do not have the support and care of parents in overcoming their difficulties. Children in the second group have limited mental and physical skills, and need additional help from their caretakers in order to survive and counteract the negative impacts. - There is no cultural facility; there are no parks where you can take your children. The only center is in Yerevan; there are many shortcomings and everything is concentrated in Yerevan. - Children s problems are important, everything should be done for children. For example, June 1 is the children s protection day, but none of us took our children anywhere. Vayk The distinguishing feature of the children s focus groups was that discussions were held with the participation of their parents and caretakers. These focus group discussions revealed the following specific problems: Food and clothing; Education; Healthcare; and Cultural issues. It should be noted that during discussions on ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS children s problems, another vulnerable group, namely the group of parents, was discovered. Parents are considered as vulnerable from the psychological point of view, since they cannot properly carry out their functions as parents and ensure the proper living conditions for their children. Obviously not all parents, but only parents of socially disadvantaged children, are vulnerable from this point of view. - Textbooks should be free for parentless children, but this is not the case. Only one out of four children receives free textbooks. Aramus The specific characteristic of children deprived of both parents is that their problems are similar to the above-mentioned ones, but are more severe compared to the other groups of children. This group has more limited possibilities for coming out of its disadvantaged situation, and consequently greater difficulties in using services. Nonetheless, the following problems are typical of this group: Inability to exercise their privileges in education and healthcare sectors; and Psychological dejection stemming from their status, which becomes a barrier to using their privileges. Specific problems of disabled children are more numerous: Healthcare services are not properly provided, since again they are provided within the framework of the public funding plan. Cases have been recorded where a disabled child needed drugs which could not be afforded due to the small disability pension; Disabled children are generally not included in the educational system due to the attitude of others and the lack of relevance between the curricula and their abilities. The low level of parents knowledge on children s disabilities is also another important problem; They have limited access to specialization education, which makes for an uncertain future. In effect, without a caretaker, they are deprived of any possibility to manage their lives; The absence of entertainment facilities specially designed for their use is another serious problem, especially when considering that their absence makes caretakers vulnerable too, since they

33 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA must always be with the children and thus have no time for their personal matters; The negative attitude of others toward disabled children, and others refusal to accept and tolerate disability, hinder their integration into society. Cases have been mentioned where such attitudes have been noted not only on the side of other people, but also parents and close relatives 1.; and Legal problems for receiving the status of disabled are also a matter for concern. Corruption in the system is mentioned as its main cause You are asking about jobs, but I am a disabled person. You know, someone complained about jobs and they gave him a job, but it involved using hands and he doesn t have arms, what should he do? The job should be relevant to the disabled person. I cannot do manual work now. I need to have a relevant job. This needs to be highlighted. Berkaber person s viewpoint since it hinders the realization of his abilities. 3. The disabled The healthcare group of the problems of the disabled generally coincides with the problems of disabled children, but there are, nevertheless, certain specific aspects as well: First, the issue of employment of the disabled and accordingly their need for specialization training is raised; - My leg hurts very badly, but I cannot afford treatment. I don t have the money to go to the hospital. And it is not only me, there many others who would not even risk going to the hospital. - I became dizzy one day and fell down in the yard. I went to a doctor, he subscribed drugs, but I feel embarrassed to tell you that I did not have money to buy them. There is no money, what can I do? - I am a Category II disabled and receive 4,000 drams, how can I live on that? I have debts, etc., etc. Berkaber, disabled The problem of limited possibilities of the disabled in rural areas for farming is also urgent; The unacceptably low level of benefits and pensions for the disabled who are unable to work; and The problem of additional burdens on families is especially serious for families with disabled member(s) of Category I, where one of the members is forced to stay home, even if he has opportunities for work. This can be considered as a threat from the 4. Young families This group has been mentioned and is in fourth place with respect to the degree of vulnerability. It has its own specific problems, the most important of which is the problem of housing. The majority of young families live in large households where many generations live together, since they cannot afford to live separately. The housing problem is one of the most serious hindrances (second only to unemployment) for young people in starting a family. Participants in this group are of the opinion that they are ignored in the comprehensive state policy (on employment, business, entertainment, sports, cultural life and other issues). At the same time, it should be noted that young families generally do not perceive themselves as vulnerable. - Young families cannot have a separate household due to the absence of land. Aramus - There are people still living in shanties, or families have grown, children have married, numbers have increased. We live in such a dwelling, and although the number of family members has increased, we still live in a two room apartment. This is also a problem, and buying another apartment is very difficult for us, it will take years. Akhuryan Families with numerous children and members Discussions with representatives from this group revealed yet again that there is a need to recognize 1 The attitudes of people are determined by the child having a mental or physical disability. Children with physical disabilities are relatively more tolerated, but those with mental disabilities are subjected to extremely negative attitudes. People have certain fears of disabled persons, as if thinking that their disability is a communicable disease and they might catch it. The consequence is the social isolation of the disabled.

34 34 - All the young people are in a bad situation. Here we are sitting together, how many of us are here? In any young family, even if one person has a job, that is already something. Jobs, employment. We are young families, who among us has a place in Akhuryan to take the children to stroll and relax? What you see in Yerevan, you will never see here. The majority of young families have housing problems. Today all young couples prefer to live separately from families, but there is no possibility. Of course the entire country is in this situation, but we have been forgotten. Akhuryan them as a group in need of special attention. Such families are under the threat of becoming socially disadvantaged due to the number of nonworking age members, as well as inadequate incomes for meeting the needs of a large family. Here also, as in the previous group, the problem of housing is serious. In many cases families with numerous members, in effect, are comprised of a number of families who, because of the housing problem, simply cannot afford to live separately and start their own households. - I have five children, my husband works, received 40,000 drams per month, and that is why I don t receive benefits. They tell us that is enough for you. In September four of my children will go to school, and all of them must pay for textbooks. - We are nine in the family. I am a pensioner, only one family member works, how can we survive? Gagarin Small pensions; and ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Need to work in order to sustain the family. Lonely elderly This group of elderly was mentioned by participants of all focus groups as an especially vulnerable group. Their specific feature, compared to other elderly, is the absence of caretakers, and sometimes also weak social ties, which make them even more vulnerable. - I am 68 years old. When I came my mother-in-law was 50 years old, she would sit all day, wouldn t do anything on the farm and lived as she wanted to. I am 68 years old now and work on the farm all day. I suffer a lot but there is no use. Hail takes everything away. We are abandoned people. Itzakar Another specific characteristic of this group is that although they perceive themselves as vulnerable, at the same time they think that young people are more vulnerable than them. This is linked to the fact that the solution to young people s problems will be reflected on the elderly in the form of improved well-being. In addition, the elderly believe that the favorable conditions will avert the emigration of young people from rural communities and will increase their potential for ensuring socio-economic development. 5. Refugees Refugees, having numerous problems similar to those of other vulnerable groups, nevertheless attach great importance to the problems of housing and creation of normal human conditions in temporary shelters. To some extent, but not very emphatically, they also have a problem integrating into society. The inadequate integration is manifested particularly in the high rate of emigration, and the disposition toward emigration. It is important to note that the group perceives itself as vulnerable. 6. Elderly The problem of access to healthcare services is especially important for the elderly. Other specific problems of the elderly are as follows: - We are pensioners with 35 years of work experience and they pay us 5,000 drams for those 35 years. How can we survive? - The pension is very small, not enough for anything. - They do not care that I am 74 years old, and lonely; let them exempt me from electricity and water fees. But they collect it every month, as if their aim is to take away my 9,000 dram pension. Shamiram 7. Women Women have been studied as a separate vulnerable group due to: Larger threat of unemployment; Double burden if employed (at home and at work); and

35 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA Loss of husband due to emigration. With respect to unemployment, women are more vulnerable since generally they are the ones registered on the official unemployment lists. This problem, however, is more prevalent in urban communities, and in rural areas the problem of the double burden is more prevalent since women are - Women are also vulnerable. - Women are recruited for work less often than men. - There are university-educated women who cannot find jobs. Vayk involved in farming activities and take care of the family at the same time. Women end up in a vulnerable situation from the viewpoint of emigration since, first, due to the demographic imbalance many women are deprived of possible candidates for marriage and consequently do not marry. Second, a number of emigrated men do not continue their contacts with their families, and even if they do 35 maintain contact, the burden of caring for the family is, nevertheless, on the shoulders of women. Single mothers Discussions on the issue revealed that the situation of de facto single mothers, who are registered as married but have husbands who have been living abroad for a long time, is particularly difficult. The problems they have mentioned are as follows: Limited possibilities for divorce (it is also possible that they avoid divorce so that they are not labeled as widows); Dealing with children s problems alone; The negative attitude of others toward them; and Socio-psychological dejection. The last two problems also weaken social ties, which make it even more difficult for them to overcome their difficulties. SUMMARY There are general problems which have an impact on all vulnerable groups to varying degrees, and often affect the entire society. The most important of those problems are: Unemployment, employment-related problems; Corruption; Access to, and quality of, healthcare; Access to education; Legal problems; and Housing problems. Accordingly, the solution to these problems will have a positive impact not only on the vulnerable groups, but also the entire society, and will hinder the addition of new groups to, and inclusion of new people in, the already existing vulnerable groups. Other than the strategy for the mentioned problems, the following groups also need special attention: The disabled; Children; Lonely elderly; and Families with numerous children and family members. (To be continued on the page 95)

36 36 UN AGENCIES ABOUT THE VULNERABLE GROUPS ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS United Nations Childrenþs Fund, UNICEF Children in state orphanages In , the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, jointly with the UNICEF, initiated the deinstitutionalization of children project. The first phase of the project was the study of the situation of children in orphanages under the authority of the Ministry, and identification of the problems of their care, education and rehabilitation. The second phase of the sub-project was the study of the families of children residing in orphanages, during which the status of families of children residing in orphanages, reasons for giving their children to orphanages and the possibilities for children s return to their families were studied. According to the report, there are 8 state and 4 nongovernmental orphanages in the country, where more than 1,150 children receive care. Only in the 8 orphanages under the authority of the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, according to data from 1 January 2005, there were 940 children under care, of whom 320 resided in specialized orphanages. In recent years ( ) a significant increase in the number of children in orphanages has been recorded (17 percent). The results of the study of orphanages reveal that the major part of the increase in the number of children has occurred in specialized orphanages for children with disabilities, which is a consequence of the deepening poverty of the population, high prices of medicines and medical services, shortage of skills and absence of care services for children. Other than orphans, children, whose parents have refused to care for and children whose parents are deprived of their parental rights, also end up in orphanages, which indicates the further deepening of the phenomenon of social orphanhood in the country. Studies have revealed that in state orphanages: only 14.2 percent of children are parentless, including 3.6 percent deprived of both parents. This means that the majority of children have parents, and 46 percent even have two parents; 41.5 percent of children are from Yerevan, 12.3 percent from Gyumri, and the proportion of children from other marzes varies between 1.2 and 9 percent; 30.5 percent of children have ended up in orphanages due to the poverty of their families, another 13.1 percent due to difficult housing conditions of parents or total absence of housing; 63 percent of children maintain their contacts with families and relatives. Table 1. Dynamics of children residing in state orphanages, Title of institution Age of Total number children Yerevan Children s Home Vanadzor orphanage Gavar orphanage Gyumri "Children's Home" (specialized) Nor Kharberd specialized orphanage Yerevan Zatik orphanage Yerevan special orphanage Gyumri Hope orphanage TOTAL Source: Situational analysis of children residing in Armenia s state orphanages and their families. Prepared by Armine Tanashyan, MoLSI and UNICEF, Yerevan 2004.

37 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA UN AGENCIES ABOUT THE VULNERABLE GROUPS 37 United Nations Childrenþs Fund, UNICEF Children in special / boarding schools Children with special needs, who have chronic physical, as well as developmental and behavioral disorders, required more attention compared to their peers with respect to provision of social services. The specific aspects of the social needs of these children are primarily linked to the specific nature of their health problems, such as slowed physical growth, retardation of mental development, bone-muscular pathologies, disorders of nutrition, etc. There are children who have special disruptions in developing learning capacity, such as delayed reactions and inability to communicate, which are basically linked to hearing and mental problems. The Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Armenia estimates that, as of 2005, as many as 60 percent of all institutionalized children are so placed because of the vulnerability of their families rather than because of any physical or mental disability. Many of these socially vulnerable children are placed in the special /boarding schools for disabled without any attempts being made to implement differential diagnoses or personalized treatment /educational plans or to re-integrate with their families. According to official statistics, there are more than 10,500 children attending the boarding schools (as of September 2005), out of which more than 4,000 are staying on full board. There are currently 53 boarding schools for vulnerable children in Armenia. In Yerevan, the majority of these children 54 percent are permanent residents of the schools. In the marzes, most of the children reside in the school during the day and return home at night to sleep. Although these children may not necessarily be deprived of a home environment, their rights in other spheres of life may be severely compromised because of their attachment to an institution. Neither the national budget nor local municipal budgets allocate resources for communitybased social services to assist vulnerable children in the schools and their families. In this regard the role of UNICEF is invaluable. It continuously pays particular attention to the urgent problems of access to and quality of social services for children with special needs. In 2004, with the support of UNICEF, the Association for Protection of Children s Health conducted as assessment of the health conditions of children with special need in four special / boarding schools of the capital city. The assessment was based on the standards developed by the Ministry of Education and Science for children with such needs. The results of the assessment, to put is mildly, are alarming. 1. In the schools studied, 24 percent of children were absent throughout the duration of the assessment (February-April 2004) - were left out of the regular process of education and special treatment. According to the explanations of the staff, the main reason for absenteeism was to support families in farming activities after long winter vacations. Another reason mentioned was the transportation costs and lack of access to transports for returning to school. 2. In Nubarashen school No. 11 for mentally retarded children, 52 percent of children did not mental developmental problems, and could have attended formal basic education schools. But it is already too late for that due to their neglected social-pedagogical situation. These children were from socially vulnerable families, have drug or alcohol abuser family members, who often resort to violence and other forms of abuse of children. 31 percent of children were parentless, and 13 percent did not even have birth certificates. 3. The majority of the mentioned children was from Yerevan or Ararat marz, while children who really has mental developmental problems, were not from nearby, but rather from remote regions, such as Tavush and Syunik percent of the children attending schools for mentally retarded had totally different health problems, especially related to impaired hearing. The reason behind the disruptions of learning capacity among those children was not mental retardation, but rather hearing problems. Attending schools which do not correspond to their needs, they are not able to receive proper education and medical care. Their hearing aid devices were outdated and not suitable for use.

38 38 5. The bases for enrolling children in special schools are: difficult socio-economic conditions of the family, being deprived of both parents, unemployment of parents, and violence on the side of parents due to abuse of alcohol and drugs. Thus, a large number of children attend special schools not based on special healthcare needs, but in order to ensure minimum food and clothing and to protect themselves from parents suffering from social diseases. 6. In the studied schools, on average, 16 percent of children attended schools not corresponding to their needs. The reason Figure 2. Number of students in special schools /97 ac. Year 2003/04 ac. Year ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS behind their attending the given institution is, first of all (nearly 50 percent of cases) financial, followed by divorce of parents, abuse of children in families, disability of parents and difficult socio-economic conditions. Source: Assessment of health conditions of children with special educational needs report, UNICEF, prepared by Association for protection of children s health, Yerevan, Figure 1. Number of special schools Total Yerevan Marzes 1996/97 ac. Year 2003/04 ac. Year Total Yerevan Marzes Orthopedic disorders 0,2 Figure 3. Representation of students in special schools by type of school, academic year , % Speech disorders 1,8 Special fostering 2,5 Socially vulnerable 2,9 Hearing disorders 3,1 Vision impairments 8,9 Mental retardation 12,5 Health resort 16,8 Other direction 25,4 Senior crafts school 25,8 Source: Social panorama in Armenia, NSS, Yerevan, Social indicators of povety, NSS and UNDP, Yerevan, 1998.

39 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA UN AGENCIES ABOUT THE VULNERABLE GROUPS 39 United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA State programmes for children deprived of parental care Due to impoverishment of families and their moral degradation, the number of children, who have parents but are nonetheless deprived of parental care, has increased in childcare institutions. The current system for social protection of childhood provides adoption, kinship care, foster care, institutional care alternatives in cases, where the care of children cannot be ensured for any reason. Considering the importance of protection of children deprived of parental care and the increasing trend in the phenomenon of social orphanhood, the Government of Armenia approved two important instruments in 2004 the National Action Plan for Protection of Children s Rights in the Republic of Armenia, and the pilot project on Introduction of the Caregiving Institution 1. The latter plans to decentralize the child protection system, particularly its subsystem for care and social protection of children at risk, which assumes child care based on family and community, through full social integration of children. Already from 2005, 2 community centers for sociopsychological rehabilitation of children will start operations in Shengavit community of Yerevan and in Gyumri city 2. The centers pursue the objective of solving the problems of children deprived of parental care or under the risk of that deprivation, as well as those living in conditions unfavorable and threatening to their growth and development, through provision of educational, healthcare, socio-psychological and advisory services. Another daycare center will open in Five such centers will be operational by 2008 through allocations from the state budget. At the same time, from 2005 the institution of caregiving for children made as similar to family care as possible will be tested. It assumes ensuring the care and fostering of children deprived of parental care for various reasons in another favorable family, under some sponsorship provided by the state. Relevant services will be established in Gavar and Yerevan for coordinating the activities for introduction of the caregiving institution. Source: The legal framework for social assistance to the vulnerable in Armenia report, authored by Arusyak Gevorgyan, UNFPA, Yerevan, UNICEF Armenia office provides methodological-conceptual and financial support to the development and introduction of both programmes. 2 Activities are implemented with the support of the Japanese Social Development Fund, within the framework of the Reforms of the Childcare System project. United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA Social assistance to children in orphanages and their graduates There are 8 orphanages under the authority of the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, where 935 children receive residental care. Two of the orphanages are specializes foster care organzations for mentally retarded children 1. Annually, residents reaching the age of 18 are discharged for the orphanages. In order to provide social assistance to such children, as well as based on the provisions of the law of the Republic of Armenia on Social protection for children deprived of parental care, the Government of Armenia has approved and since 2003 implements the State assistance to the graduates of children s foster care organizations programme. The programme plans to 1 In 2004, the Government approved the minimum state social standards for care and fostering of children in orphanages.

40 40 provide the following to graduates of orphanages through resource allocated from the state budget: housing professional orientation, training, re-training adequate income to meet basic needs medical assistance legal assistance social patronage and other measures. In order to implement the mentioned measures, the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues has organized the central registration of children deprive of parental care. ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Since 1991, around 300 graduates have been discharged from orphanage since they reached the age of adulthood, from whom 220 are currently living in various dormitories, drift from one dwelling to another and live under extremely unfavorable conditions. The Ministry has already registered 270 orphanage graduates and has entered 13 of them in housing waiting lists. In 2005, as a new measure for programme beneficiaries, it is planned to provide one-time monetary assistance of AMD50,000. Source: The legal framework for social assistance to the vulnerable in Armenia report, authored by Arusyak Gevorgyan, UNFPA, Yerevan, United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA Social protection of parentless children According to the classification of the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, the most vulnerable group of population is the group of parentless children, whose problems are regulated by the law of the RoA on Social protection of children deprived of parental care. Children deprived of parental care are children under 18 years of age, whose parents (or parent) are deceased, or have lost their parental rights, have been pronounced to have legal incapacity, refuse to foster their children or protects their rights and interests, as well as have been pronounced dead, lost or unknown in accordance with regulations defined by the legislation 1. The state policy for social protection of children deprived of parental care (hereinafter parentless children) included the following directions: 1. Parentless children with formal basic or secondary (full) education are admitted to preparatory courses in state secondary vocational or higher educational institutions and study free-of-charge. 2. Parentless children are admitted to public paid sections of state secondary vocational or higher educational institutions on a competition basis through collecting the minimum of points needed for admittance to tuition based sections. 3. Costs of the study of parentless children in state secondary vocational or higher ducational institutions are covered by the resources of the sate budget. Parentless children studying in state secondary vocational or higher educational institutions receive stipendiums amounting to 150 percent of the stipendium defined for the given educational institution. 4. Parentless children receive public paid medical care guaranteed by the state, they can also receive sports-health camps, resorts, and in case of medical justification health resort packages. 5. For the protection of the rights of parentless children in difficult life situations, the regional social services units, fostering, medical and social protection institutions, regardless of the form and status of their organization, should devise individual socio-psychological rehabilitation programmes for children in compliance with the minimum state social standards defined for the care and fostering of children. Source: The legal framework for social assistance to the vulnerable in Armenia report, authored by Arusyak Gevorgyan, UNFPA, Yerevan, Children deprived of parental care individual aged years, whose parents (or parent) have been deceased, or have lost their parental rights, have been pronounced to have legal incapacity, refuse to foster their children or protects their rights and interests, as well as have been pronounced dead, lost or unknown, in accordance with regulations defined by the legislation, prior to their reaching the age of 18.

41 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA UN AGENCIES ABOUT THE VULNERABLE GROUPS United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR 41 Human displacement has always been a common occurrence throughout Armenia s history. The most recent large scale influx of refugees occurred in as a result of the conflict over Nagorno- Karabakh. Over 360,000 persons fleeing from Azerbaijan arrived in Armenia and were registered with the Armenian Government. As of August 2005, there were 233,083 refugees officially registered in Department of Migration and Refugees (DMR) database 1. However, social and economic difficulties of the post-soviet transition period have led a considerable number of refugees (according to Government s estimates, some 64,000), and even larger numbers from among the local population, to emigrate in search for better opportunities and employment. REFUGEES AS A VULNERABLE GROUP Table 1. Number and percentage of registered refugees by age and sex (as of August, 2005) Ethnic Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan Age Group Male Female Total Percent ,138 (3.6%) 7,559 (3.2%) 15, ,599 (21.7%) 57,137 (24.5%) 107, and > 48,904 (21%) 60,746 (26%) 109, Total 107, , , While refugees enjoy the same legal rights as Armenian citizens, there are still a number of constraints to their successful social and economic integration in Armenia. These include the group s demographic profile (some 47% are over 55 years old), their skills and background. The majority of refugees (approximately 80%) were urban residents with higher education, although an estimated 70% of them have been placed in rural areas (see Table 2) of Armenia and have had to face the difficulties and challenges of the rural lifestyle. Despite all the measures taken, the socio-economic situation of the mentioned group of refugees is still Table 2. Breakdown of refugee population by marzes alarming. Surveys showed that, compared to the local population, the unemployment rate among refugees is 1.5 times higher, and there are 3 times fewer refugees with permanent employment. Thus the difficult socioeconomic circumstances, in which they have ended up, including the absence of job opportunities and inadequate housing, have resulted in the fact that many refugees are among the poorest groups of the population in Armenia. In view of the level of poverty within the refugee population, there is a crucial need to continue the social, legal and material assistance, which is provided to refugees in Armenia by UNHCR since Given that the durable solution for refugees from Azerbaijan is local integration, the potential for achieving a solution to the refugee situation has been progressively realized through the Implementing Partners, including the State Department for Migration and Refugees and NGOs, over the past several years. The sustainable local integration of refugees in Armenia requires substantial long-term efforts to incorporate refugee rights, as well as their social and economic needs, in the existing frameworks and those to be developed. A key to local integration continues to be the solution of refugees shelter problem, which is actually the most serious obstacle on the way to integration. Until now the shelter problem of refugees has been addressed in two directions: by funding from the state budget and through financial assistance of international organizations. About 300 refugee families have been provided with housing Yerevan Ararat Kotayk Gegharkunik Armavir Lori Syunik Tavush Aragatsotn Vayots Dzor Shirak Total Number of refugees 50,982 46,549 30,060 26,227 24,079 16,589 13,773 9,949 7,165 3,917 3, ,083 Percentage The data above is based on the survey conducted by the GoA in Since the end of 2002, the age group of 0-4 years is removed from statistical reports for ethnic Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan, since based on the 1995 Law on Citizenship, they acquire Armenian citizenship by birth.

42 42 Figure 1. Percentage share of houses built by UNHCR ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Figure 2. Houses for refugees built by UNHCR and other international organizations in , by marzes of Armenia Syunik Y ere van Kotayk Aragatsotn Ararat Armavir Vayots Dzor Shirak Lori Gegharkunik Tavush UNHCR Other Table 4. Distribution of refugees who have received Armenian citizenship by marzes Location Yerevan Ararat Kotayk Gegharkunik Armavir Lori Syunik Tavush Aragatsotn Vayots Dzor Shirak Total Total number of naturalized refugees 18,291 11,945 6,873 7,134 2,846 4,839 3,856 3,630 1,528 1, ,366 through the state budget and over 3,500 families (all over Armenia) received apartments through international organizations such as UNHCR and NRC (see Figure 1 and Figure 2). Figure 3. Naturalization of refugees in ,000 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 up to Number of naturalised refugees However, according to the latest survey conducted by the Department of Migration and Refugees, there are still 3,470 vulnerable families in desperate need for housing. This unresolved housing problem is one of the main reasons behind the slow rate of integration of refugees in the society. The other consequence is that some refugees, despite the facilitated procedure, are quite reluctant towards acquisition of Armenian citizenship. The number of naturalized refugees currently amounts to 64,000. Figure 3 shows the dynamics of the naturalization process. Table 4 provides the exact number of those who have acquired Armenian citizenship up to now. Taking into consideration the difficulty of solving the housing problems of refugees only through the efforts of international organizations, the Government of the RoA approved a project to develop a comprehensive housing strategy under the responsibility of the Ministry of Urban Development (MUD) for refugees and naturalized former refugees living in sub-standard and temporary accommodations in nine marzes of Armenia (excluding Yerevan and Kotayk, which will be addressed in the upcoming years). The process has already started and continues effectively so far. Alongside the Government s programme, UNHCR continues the remodeling of communal centers, as well as the building of cottages and completing the construction of unfinished buildings. Actually, this activity is complementary to the efforts made by the state and provides housing to families, both refugees and naturalized, who are left out of the Government s programme. Rosa Minasyan UNHCR Armenia Office

43 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA UN AGENCIES ABOUT THE VULNERABLE GROUPS 43 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR Social assistance of refugees Since 1999, UNHCR and the international community have been co-funding activities conducive to economic self-reliance of refugees. A micro-credit scheme targeting low-income beneficiaries (around 65% of households headed by refugee women) was implemented based on revolving credits, group guarantees and skills trainings. Credit services were made accessible to some 1,100 households. Assistance is provided also through the Mission Armenia NGO to the most vulnerable groups of refugees, mainly the elderly, who constitute 47% of the refugee population. Mission Armenia continues to provide basic health care, vocational trainings, community development and self-reliance programmes, as well as social support and individual assistance to those in severe need. It is planned to provide assistance to some 7,800 refugees in 2005, including 2,500 seniors. In the future it is planned to promote the concept of Foster Family for Elderly. Rosa Minasyan UNHCR Armenia Office United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA State Support To The Most Vulnerable Groups Of The Unemployed Attaching due importance to the role of the system of social protection guarantees provided by the state, the Government of Armenia has drafted the law on Employment and social protection for the unemployed and submitted it to the National Assembly for further processing. If the draft law is passed, the following unemployed job-seekers having problems in finding jobs and unable to properly compete in the labor market will have the right to additional social protection guarantees: 1) The disabled; 2) Persons, who have returned from penitentiaries, or facilities for mandatory medical treatment, and have applied to state employment services within six months after their return; 3) Children, who have reached the working age and are deprived of parental care and persons classified as children deprived of parental care, in case of having the status of unemployed for at least one uninterrupted year; 4) Persons, who have been registered with state employment services after returning from mandatory military service, in case of having the status of unemployed for at least one uninterrupted year; 5) Unemployed persons with at least thrity-five years of insurance history, who acquire the right stipulated in the third paragarph of Article 28 of this law within five years; 6) Persons having the status of unemployed for more than three years; 7) Refugees. In order to help persons in the mentioned groups of the unemployed to find jobs, the state employment service jointly with the national and regional agreement committees will develop and implement specialization training, as well as wage compensation programmes for promoting employment. Source: The legal framework for social assistance to the vulnerable in Armenia report, authored by Arusyak Gevorgyan, UNFPA, Yerevan, 2005.

44 44 UN AGENCIES ABOUT THE VULNERABLE GROUPS ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA Social protection of pensioners and lonely elderly According to the National Statistical Service s year end data for 2004, 65+ people constitute 13.8 percent of the total population of the country, while they constituted only 5.2 percent in 1989 and 8.4 percent in The pension system in the country is regulated by the law of the RoA on State Pensions. In particular, the law defines the two main types of pensions - insurance and social. Insurance pensions, in their turn, are divided into the following types: 1) old-age; 2) with privileges; 3) long work experience; 4) disability; 5) loss of breadwinner and 6) partial. The most widespread type of insurance pension is old-age pension, which is granted to those above 63 years of age with 25 years of insurance history. Old-age pension is granted for life. Social pension types are as follows: 1) old-age; 2) disability; 3) loss of breadwinner. According to data from the state pension fund of the RoA, there are nearly 11,000 lonely heirless pensioners, the majority of whom are in need of social services and care. In order to improve social services for lonely elderly, it is planned to expand the provision of social services to lonely elderly at their homes and organize services in marzes of the country. Since 2001, the state budget allocates certain amounts to social services for 1,200 lonely heirless pensioners (or less than 10 percent of their total number). Mission Armenia NGO has an invaluable input in home services to the elderly and the disabled and it provides services to 5-6 times more lonly elderly than the state. In particular, they are provided with social and household services, legal and psychological advisory servies, primary heatlhcare services, etc. At the same time, residential social, meidcal and psychological assistance, care and services for the elderly are organized in specail state structures. There are 6 residnetial homes in the country 1, where services are provided to nearly 900 elderly. The state budget allocates on average AMD2,400 per day per residents to those organizations. Currently, the applicants for residnetial homes wait 1-2 months for admission. The only republican center for socail services to the lonely elderly and the disabled at home operates in Yerevan. Source: The legal framework for social assistance to the vulnerable in Armenia report, authored by Arusyak Gevorgyan, UNFPA, Yerevan, From among the 6 residential homes in the contry, 4 are in the system of the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues and 2 are private.

45 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA UN AGENCIES ABOUT THE VULNERABLE GROUPS 45 United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA Secondary analysis of survey data (vulnerability risks by sectors and marzes) The study of materials published on vulnerability in the country in the last 3-4 years allowed us to distinguish groups of people and community, who are exposed to the phenomenon of vulnerability and its problems, but have not been properly studied yet: 1. Shortage of pre-school institutions and low quality of services According to data from the National Statistical Service, 18.5 percent (2002) of children aged 1-6 years were enrolled in pre-school institutions. There are no daycare centers and kindergartens in the majority of villages. Morbidity rates among children attending kindergartens exceed the total number of children in some marzes percent in Gegharkunik, percent in Aragatzotn and percent in Armavir. 2. Absence of special/boarding schools in marzes Statistical data reveal that special/boarding schools are mainly concentrated in Yerevan. All four schools for children with hearing, speech and musculoskeletal disorders are in Yerevan, two out of four schools for visually impaired children are in Yerevan - the other two are in Lori and Syunik marzes. Aragatzotn, Ararat, Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor, Lori and Tavush marzes do not have schools for mentally retarded children. Families with children, who need to attend those schools, are forced to send them to schools outside the marz in an alien environment and very often cannot afford to visit to their children. Some parents refuse to send their children to a faraway place, and thus condemn them to isolation and illiteracy. In such cases, even if parents are able to afford it, they nonetheless cannot ensure education and healthcare for their children with special needs, since dealing with those children requires proper specialization and skills. 3. Young people who cannot afford to continue their studies in universities According to data from the Ministry of Education and Science, every year 4 to 5 thousand young people drop out of universities, the majority of whom are those studying in tuition based sections. But the number of students, who study in the public paid (i.e. free-of-charge) section, and nonetheless drop out of universities due to financial constraints is already a matter for concern. Their number is on the rise and has reached the level of1000 students per year. Many of these students are from marzes, and are not able to afford the costs of living in Yerevan. 4. Shortage of healthcare facilities The closure of healthcare facilities in regions, the poor conditions of those which operate and the fact that the majority of healthcare facilities are in large cities, basically in Yerevan, render medical services inaccessible for those living in remote and particularly rural areas. This situation is at its worst in villages of Shirak marz, where there is only one ambulatory for every 9 rural community. In Vayots Dzor every seventh and in Syunik every sixth community has a healthcare post. 5. Aging of communities Demographic indicators of Armenia allow us to conclude that a signficant number of Armenia s village communities can be considered as aging communities. Lori, Tavush and Vayots Dzor marzes have the highest numbers of pensioners per 1000 people correspondingly 199, 209 and 246 elderly (2005). By this indicator alone, the mentioned marzes can be considered as having a high level of vulnerablity. Source: Vulnerability assessment: Secondary analysis of surveys and data for Armenia authored by Anahit Mkrtchyan, UNFPA, Yerevan, 2005.

46 46 UN AGENCIES ABOUT THE VULNERABLE GROUPS ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS United Nations Development Programme, UNDP Unprotected human rights as a manifestation of vulnerability The United Nations Development Programme in Armenia and the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia initiated a new project on human rights. The project included a national survey conducted by Turpanjyan social survey center of the American University of Armenia interviews in total were conducted in Yerevan and all marzes of Armenia from October The average age of respondents was 43 years, 63 percent were women, 57 percent attended or had already graduated from universities, colleges and vocational training schools, and 62 percent were from families with at least one employed member, who worked full or part-time, including the self-employed. Interviews revealed the subjective assessment of respondents regarding various human rights issues linked. Some of the questions were devoted to the assessment of the degree of protection of human rights in Armenia, by various fields of rights. The respondents assessed the situation using a 10 point scale, where 1 stood for the given right not being protected in the country at all, and 10 for it is always protected. The average values of the distribution of respondents opinions are presented below: Field of human rights Average Mode Median Freedom of religion Freedom of movement Children s right to be protected from domestic violence Equality of men and women Freedom of the press Freedom of associations and gatherings The right to participate in free and fair elections The rights of prisoners and detainees The right to receive information from the government The right to protection of health The right to a fair trial The right to participate in governance The right to employment The right to social security Source: What we know about human rights. National survey 2004, Armenia report, UNDP, Yerevan, 2005.

47 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 47 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA ARMAVIR MARZ Despite rapid economic growth and continuous reforms in the social security system made by the Government over the last five years, there is still a high level of poverty and inequality in the country. Given this situation, the identification of groups of the population which, due to the impact of various factors have a critical need for social assistance but have been left out of the system and have not received the necessary care, is important from the viewpoint of improving the targeting of the social security system and adjusting the policies for the most vulnerable groups. The table below presents the distribution of certain vulnerable groups, which are typical of the marz and are recognized by the state, the marz capital, and urban and rural communities (based on data from the marz government) as of January 1, VARDAN ALEKSANYAN Armavir marz government Social M&A Unit Tel. (0-237) Table 1. Vulnerable groups in Armavir marz Vulnerable groups Marz capital Urban communities (except marz capital) Rural communities Households receiving family benefits (percentage of marz's households) Disabled (percentage of marz's residents) Disabled children (percentage of marz's residents) War veterans (percentage of marz s residents) Pensioners, including: (percentage of marz s residents) Lonely pensioners (registered in the family benefit system [percentage of marz s residents]) Parentless children (percentage of those aged 0-18 years) Households which have suffered from natural and man-made disasters (percentage of marz s households) Registered unemployed (percentage among those aged 16+ years) Households living in temporary shelter (percentage of marz's households) Farms with no land (percentage of marz s farms) In order to identify the vulnerable groups of Armavir marz, the characteristics of their vulnerability, and its quantitative and qualitative manifestations, an expert assessment survey was conducted in July, 2005 with the participation of nineteen experts. Summary of the results of the expert survey The experts have identified twenty-one vulnerable groups in the marz which differ in their composition and factors causing their vulnerability. Analysis of survey results reveals that (see Figure 1): The vulnerable groups most frequently mentioned by the experts are the disabled (and families with disabled members [including children]), parentless Total Percentage children, families with numerous children, the unemployed and benefitreceiving families. Interestingly, a significant number of experts consider families receiving family benefits and thus recognized by the state as poor as vulnerable, taking into account that small changes in external factors, regardless of the care provided by the state, result in their poverty. It must be noted that the marz has 5,456 benefit-receiving families which received AMD739.7 million (all currency amounts are AMD, i.e. dram) from the state budget in 2004, and million dram in Other than the groups recognized by the state and receiving the

48 48 corresponding care, families which have suffered from natural disasters, rural families with no land, people with no permanent dwelling, and young families have also been mentioned by the experts as vulnerable groups. ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS government to 2,547ha of fertile apricot trees damaged by spring frosts was calculated by communities and farms, and the amounts were submitted to the government for compensation of irrigation water fees tons of early potato Figure 1. Vulnerable groups mentioned by experts, % of total responses (N=190) Disabled and their families 13.1 Children deprived of both parents 8.9 Benefit-receivers Unemployed Families with numerous children Single mothers and families headed by women Lonely elderly or families consisting of lonely elderly Affected by natural disasters Landless people Refugees Families of martyred freedom fighters Those without permanent dwelling/homeless Injured freedom fighters and veterans Pensioners Young families Beggar and street children Other People who have suffered from natural disasters Spring and winter frosts and hail in 2003, 2004 and 2005 caused serious damage to agriculture and created a new vulnerable group in the marz: rural households which have suffered from natural disasters. This group has more than 3,627 households (or around ten percent of marz s rural households). The working group for examining the consequences of the hail and wind damage of 2004 has assessed the damaged land plots based on the extent of crop damage. During the inspection, specialized advisory services and support were provided to more than 6,000 farms. One-time monetary assistance amounting to million dram was provided by the government to farms damaged by hail, and beneficiaries were exempted from land tax and received compensation for irrigation water fees amounting to 30,000 dram per hectare. The breakdown of million dram allocated by the tubers, provided to the marz to mitigate the consequences of the frosts in 2003, were distributed to 330 farms in fifteen communities in upland areas tons of fertilizer and 352,000 vine seedlings allocated for the same purpose were distributed to affected farms in ninety-three rural communities in the marz. Landless farms The agricultural marz of Armavir currently faces the phenomenon of landlessness. According to data from the marz government, there are 1,500 landless rural households in the marz (4.1 percent of rural households). The majority of landless people are residents of former labor towns (currently rural communities of Jrarat poultry farm, Merdzavan, Lernamerdz, Shahumyan poultry farm). The reason for their landlessness is that the agricultural lands of these communities were not privatized 1. Considering that the 1 See Armenia Social Trends No. 3, Poorest communities of Armenia s marzes, p. 20.

49 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA production facilities around which these labor towns were established are not operational anymore, or operate with very limited capacities, it is clear that their residents are vulnerable. Moreover, during the land privatization of 1991, many marz households, which were involved in other sectors of the economy, did not consider land as a source of income and did not participate in the privatization and, as a result, currently have neither other sources of income nor the possibility to cultivate land. The other trend is that households, due to financial or other property-related issues, are forced to sell their land at low prices and thus lose their main source of income. It must be noted that although community lands have been sold at auction over the last couple of years, the majority of landless people cannot buy land due to financial constraints. People living in temporary shelters Experts have mentioned marz residents without permanent housing as a special vulnerable group, since the lack of housing in the marz is linked to refugees living in the marz and their specific problems. The problem persists despite the fact that both the state and the donor community make serious efforts to provide refugees with permanent dwellings (various international donor organizations have built cottage-type dwellings for more than 600 refugee families in Armavir marz since 1995, and around 100 families were provided with dwellings over the last two to three years). In accordance with the criteria defined in Government Order No. 747 from 2004 on Transferring to Refugees the Ownership of Houses Built for Refugees who fled from Azerbaijan in , 130 refugee families in the marz have applied for housing vouchers to be distributed based on allocations from the state budget in Based on the criteria defined for the program, the primary beneficiaries are refugee families who live in temporary shelters (dormitory, hotel, and other administrative buildings). Moreover, a large number of refugee families in the marz live in leased houses, or with their relatives, and are in need of housing. Other vulnerable groups mentioned by experts are also of interest. These groups are single-crop farms, farms threatened because of the absence of an insurance system, those with inadequate farming skills, and families having financial difficulties, which eventually become vulnerable and are exposed to the threat of human or income poverty, since their startup conditions are not equal to those of other people or groups. State-civil society partnership in support of vulnerable groups 49 Experts have classified the vulnerable groups by the level of vulnerability. Experts consider the disabled and families with disabled member(s), lonely elderly and families consisting of elderly only, parentless children, families with numerous children, and the unemployed as the most vulnerable. The state enacts clearly-defined policies for the majority of the mentioned groups. Civil society, however, also supports the mentioned vulnerable groups through cooperation with the state in implementing social programs. NGOs, which make an effort to resolve the mentioned problems, as well as modifying the directions of their activities, are presented below: Nairi NGO for parents of disabled children is fairly active in the marz. It involves disabled children in various aspects of the social life and organizes various events. Through the efforts of the organization, various types of assistance are imported and allocated to disabled children, and vacation packages for summer camps in Armenia are provided to children. Currently the organization works with 450 disabled children in Armavir marz. Cradle of Motherhood NGO is charged with working on problems of families with numerous children, protection of women s rights, and healthcare, educational, legal and cultural issues of families with numerous children. A great deal of attention is paid to children of the mentioned families and various events are organized with their participation, such as summer camps. Children participate in various group activities, such as painting, sewing and design, macramé, music, etc. Armavir Development Center NGO is active in protecting the rights of vulnerable groups, supporting poverty reduction, promoting SMEs, identifying healthcare, educational, social, employment, and gender issues in communities of the marz, analyzing their causes and proposing appropriate solutions. Despite the state s care and the state-civil societydonor community cooperation for resolving the problems of vulnerable groups, experts are of the opinion that the needs of people in vulnerable

50 50 groups of the marz are provided for to a limited extent. According to experts, in case of economic difficulties or emergency situations, marz residents receive help, first of all, from their relatives (in Armenia and abroad), and then from local authorities (marz and community governments). Characteristically, there are differences between the poorer groups, the middle ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS class and the wealthy groups (see Figure 2). The majority of experts mentioned work and employment, migration, especially of young people, and disability as the most important factors of vulnerability. Nonetheless, experts are optimistic that the living standards and conditions of marz residents will improve in the next year. Figure 2. According to experts, from who do the poor and rich residents of the marz receive help in case of difficulties No one The Church NGOs Relatives outside Armenia Relatives in Armenia Whose support do the middle class and rich residents of the marz turn to in case of difficulties, % of responses (N=34) Whose support do the poor and very poor residents of the marz turn to in case of difficulties, % of responses (N=38) Other governmental structures Marz authorities Community authorities ARARAT MARZ SHOGHIK ARUSTAMYAN Ararat marz government Social M&A Unit Tel: (0-235) Defining the vulnerable population as group of people and/or families, who do not enjoy startup conditions equal to others and need social protection, the Government of Armenia focuses its social assistance programme mainly on the following social groups (see Table 1), the representation of which in the marz is presented below: The survey of marz experts for obtaining their assessments of marz s vulnerable groups included 20 experts knowledgeable in various fields. Interviews were conducted based on a specially developed questionnaire. The summary results of responses reveal that the subjective opinions of experts on vulnerable groups coincide with the officially recognized social groups listed in Table 1 only by percent. Grouping the vulnerable groups most frequently mentioned by marz experts gives us the following picture (see Figure 1). In general, according to the averaged assessments of experts, 61.5 percent of families and 71.7 percent of residents in the marz are vulnerable. The three most important factors causing their vulnerability, which received a rating of 5 to 7 on a 7 point scale, were:

51 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA Table 1. Representation of social groups in Ararat marz, as at 1 January Title of the social group People/families Percentage Disabled of the I group (of the total number of residents) Disabled of the II group (- -) Disabled of the III group (- -) Disabled children (up to 18 years of age) (of all children aged 0-18) Children deprived of one parent (- -) Child deprived of both parent (- -) Pensioners (of the total number of residents) Lonely pensioners (- -) Registered unemployed (- -) Benefit-receiving families (of all families) Figure 1. Classification of the responses of marz experts by most frequently mentioned vulnerable groups, number of responses (N=200) Landless people ( ur ban residents) Those unable to cultivate their land Young families Families with numerous children Rural residents/farmers Unemployed Residents of remote, near -bor der and mountainous zone communities Disabled and families having disabled members Shortage of jobs (6.15 points), Lack of access to healthcare services (5.35), Natural disasters or their threat (5.05). The other important set of vulnerability factors, with rating from 4 to 5, is as follows: Migration of young people (4.9 points), Irrigation problems (4.8), Newly formed young families (4.4), Families with no able-bodied or workingage members (4.4), Lack of access to education (4.35), Informational isolation (4.35), Physical isolation (4.0). Experts have also assessed the state policy on vulnerable groups of the marz. In general, the level of state support to refugees and families of freedom fighters (including martyred) was assessed as adequate. This is justified by the intensive housing construction for refugees in recent years, as well as the relatively large pension provided by the Ministry of Defense to freedom fighters and their families in the marz. It must be noted that the church of the town of Vedi provided $120 per year to children of martyred freedom fighters. Experts have mentioned that the needs of the other vulnerable groups, conditioned by their vulnerability, are met by the state to a small extent or are not met at all. According to percent of the experts, the needs of the disabled, including disabled children, and pensioners are met by the state only to a small extent. The state policy for families with numerous children and the unemployed, according to on-third of the experts, is not adequate at all. While, percent of experts assessed the policy enacted with regard to war veterans and lonely elderly as adequate, and another percent rated it as adequate to a small extent. These assessment were undoubtedly affected by the availability of clubs

52 52 and soup kitchens for a total of 300 lonely elderly in Ararat, Artashat, Vedi and Masis towns established by joint efforts of Mission Armenia NGO and municipalities of the marz. Every year, on the Victory Day, the marz government organizes a ceremony for war veterans, and provides them with small gifts at the end of the ceremony. The distribution of marz population by social strata is also interesting. According to the results of the household survey, on average 68.1 percent of marz Figure 2. Distribution of marz residents, according to assessments of the experts (2005) and Households (NHDS, 2003) Very poor Average living standard Rich and very rich Figure 3. Changes in marz s living standards within the last year, according to experts (2005) and households (NHDS, 2003) 5 Poor ,6 3,7 10 Social strata / HH-%/ 20 20,8 Figure 4. Changes in marz s living standards within the next year, according to experts (2005) and households (NHDS, 2003) 28 48,7 Rating by experts Self-assessment, NHDS Has worsened Not changed Has improved 0 Experts, % NHDS (HH %) ,8 Will worsen Will not change Will improve Experts, % NHDS (HH %) ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS population have average living standards, while, according to the experts, the poor and very poor groups are prevalent in the marz and constitute 58.7 percent (see Figure 2). Similar deviations are noted in the assessments of the future by experts and households. Responding to the question on the changes in living standards in the last year, only 5 percent of the experts were of the opinion that it has become worse, while pessimists among households were 54.4 percent (see Figure 3). 45 percent of experts are of the ,1 opinion that the living standards of marz s residents will improve in the next year, while households sharing this optimism are more than three times fewer (9.6 percent, see Figure 4). Perhaps experts are more knowledgeable than residents in general with regard to the programmes to be implemented in the marz, which results in their optimistic stand toward the future. Through interviews with the experts, we also tried to determine the sources of real assistance to the vulnerable population in case of difficulties. The results reveal that the richer groups, first of all, apply to banks for assistance (55 percent of experts responses), while the poor and very poor mainly apply to community authorities (50 percent of responses). Interestingly enough, the poor and very poor are less frequently mentioned as groups receiving assistance from their relatives, friends and acquaintances inside Armenia and abroad (only 35 percent of experts gave a positive response to this question, for the richer groups 45 percent of responses were positive). Assessments of marz experts with regard to the quality of and access to public services are a cause for concern (see Table 2). Qualities of garbage disposal (on average 2.3 points), water discharge and sewage (2.55) and drinking water supply are unacceptably low. Electricity supply is in a relatively better situation (5.55).

53 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA Ararat marz has another specific feature: activities of NGOs in the marz has received the lowest rating, as still inadequately developed civil society institutions. It is rather unfortunate that the institutions of the non-governmental sector lag behind both cultural and social structures by their activities and level of participation. Nonetheless, certain activities have been conducted in the marz in both of the mentioned directions, with respect to direct support to vulnerable groups and mitigation of the vulnerability of marz s residents. Here are a few of those: All residents of the marz already have the opportunity to use central natural gas supply; by the end of this year the number of apartments with gas supply will reach the level of 1990s. Every year, by the AMD250 million allocated from the state budget, one-third of marzes drainage canals, or nearly 750 km of canals, are cleaned. Every year, by allocations from the state budget, the Pmbuk dara section of Narek floodway is cleaned and embankment protection works are done on Arax river. In 2005, through financing from the WB, seedlings of peach, apricot, apple and plume were distributed; vine seedlings were distributed in AMD40 million was allocated to farmers for rehabilitation of 2000 ha of agricultural lands affected by the hale in August 2005, as well as compensation of damages caused. Table 2. Assessments of experts with regard to public services in the marz Service Average rating by experts 1- totally inadequate 4- somewhat adequate 1- totally adequate Garbage disposal 2.3 Wastewater discharge/sewage 2.55 Internet 2.9 Drinking water supply 3 Press 3.25 Phone connections 3.3 Radio 3.35 Healthcare services 3.4 Irrigation 3.45 Social security services 3.6 Intra-community transportation 4.25 Educational services 4.4 Television 4.45 Inter-community transportation 4.7 Electricity supply AMD84.5 million of subsidies were allocated to cover the fees for irrigation water provided to apricot orchards affected by the frosts of 2004, and 1400 ton of carbamide and 694 ton of amophos types of fertilizers were distributed to affected apricot orchards and vineyards by international programmes. 400 ton of flour was distributed to poor farmers within the framework of assistance programmes implemented by international organization in The government provided communities affected by natural disasters in 2004 with 210 ton of wheat and 75 ton of quality potato tuber. Through financing from the WB, 7 artesian wells were bored in Artesian wells were bored by resources from the state and private businesses in Pokr Vedi and Vostan villages. With the support of the Final days saints charity foundation, 60 km of drinking water pipeline was repaired in 16 communities, 110 wheelchairs were distributed, school supply were distributed to schoolchildren in 12 schools, 2 kindergartens were repaired to the full. In 2005, the Armenian Adventist Church repaired and furbished the kindergarten of Nshavan, and the Sacramento Armenian Adventist Church provided 2000 tracksuits to school-ages children of a number of communities. The project continues in other communities of the marz. Save the Children has repaired the Vedi kindergarten. The five-year German DOST project combats tuberculosis in the marz. Methodological projects Mother and Child and Family planning continue. In 2005, with the support of the WB, an HIV/ AIDS testing laboratory with the corresponding equipment was established in marz capital. Only in 2005, people from different communities were included in the Paid public works programme, with a total remuneration of AMD21.5 million. Artashat branch of the Armenian Relief Society (ARS), is implementing a project for

54 54 care of orphans since 1991, whose beneficiaries are 94 children of martyred freedom fighters and those deprived of both parents. Each of them receives $120 of monetary assistance per year. Astghashogh NGO of parents of disabled children works with 100 children with various ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS disabilities, including 20 mentally retarded children. Mission Armenia NGO, already 8 years in a row, operated in Ararat marz, and helps 300 lonely elderly, and takes care of their needs and also the special needs of other vulnerable groups. ARAGATZOTN MARZ DIANA POGOSSYAN Aragatzotn marz government Social M&A Unit Tel. (0-232) The representation of vulnerable groups in the marz, according to data from marz government as at 1 January 2005 was as follows (see Table 1). 1. Results of the expert vulnerability assessment in Aragatzotn marz 1.1. Vulnerable people in the marz, according to experts assessment. In order to identify the specific features of vulnerability in the marz, 20 marz experts were interviewed based on a questionnaire developed for that purpose. Selection of experts was based on their long years of work experience in the marz, professional knowledge and knowledge about the relevant sectors. According to the overall assessment of the experts, 45.5 percent of marz residents are vulnerable. Vulnerable groups of the marz most frequently mentioned by experts were: the unemployed (12.6 percent of responses), disabled and families with disabled members (11.6 percent of responses), pensioners (7.4 percent of responses), parentless children (6.8 percent of responses), lonely elderly Table 1. Vulnerable groups of Aragatzotn marz N Social group Unit Numbers Percentage 1 Registered in the family benefit system Family Benefit-receiving families Family Pensioners People Lonely pensioners (do not have caretakers) People Elderly (80+) People Martyred freedom fighters People Injured freedom fighters People Children of martyred freedom fighters People Disabled of first category People Disabled of second category People Disabled of third category People Children disabled from early childhood People Total disabled People Children deprived of both parent 13 (percentage of those aged 0-18 years) People Children deprived of one parent (percentage of children) People Children of lone-mothers (percentage of children) People Children of divorced parents (percentage of children) People U2 children People Children aged from 2 to 18 years People Unemployed (percentage among those aged years) People

55 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA (6.3 percent of responses) (see Figure 1). And, the majority of experts have mentioned the disabled and families with disabled members as the group with the highest degree of vulnerability among the mentioned groups. State policies are enacted in order to mitigate the situation of the mentioned vulnerable groups; they are under the care of the state. Although the marz is an agricultural one and around 72 percent of its residents live in rural areas, experts attach importance to the problem of unemployment in the marz. The problem is linked to unemployment among urban residents, as well as the phenomenon of landlessness in rural communities. According to the National Human Development Survey (NHDS) conducted in 2003, the real unemployment rate among residents aged years was 16.9 percent, and landless rural households constituted 6.9 percent of all rural households 1. The unemployed Resolving the problem of unemployment is considered as a particularly important issue in the marz. The benefit for work programme, which other than creating jobs, also allows for implementing community development and land development activities, has implemented programme activities with a volume of 14,886 person/day in jobseekers were included in the mentioned programmes. AMD15 million was allocated to the implementation of the programme in the marz. In Ashtarak region, 2 programmes to the volume of 1492 person/day were implemented; 42 job-seekers were involved, of whom 47.6 percent (20 persons) are currently employed. In Talin region, 4 programmes to the volume of 4989 person/day were implemented; 141 job-seekers were involved, of whom 78.8 percent (111 persons) are currently employed. In Tzaghkadzor region, 4 programmes to the volume of 4405 person/day were implemented; 71 jobseekers were involves. In Aparan region, 4 programmes to the volume of 4000 person/day were implemented; 70 job-seekers were involves, of whom 42.9 percent (30 persons) are currently employed. In 2004, the regional employment center, within the 55 framework of state programmes, implemented the food for training programme in Byurakan and Ashtarak communities. 100 unemployed job-seekers were included in the programme (60 from Byurakan, 40 from Ashtarak), of whom 69 are unemployed. The participants, in total, received 3250 kg of flour, 250 kg of beans and kg of vegetable oil. In 2005, AMD25 million was allocated to the marz for Paid public works programme. 381 residents from 16 communities of the marz participated in the programme. Rural population The level of economic activity is increasing in the agricultural sector, farms are being established, agricultural processing factories are being founded. Consequently, a large-scale influx of rural residents into the labor market is not expected. However, recent hales and frosts and the ones in previous years have had a serious negative impact on farms. Although the government provides some assistance, but there is need for more. Figure 1. Vulnerable groups mentioned by experts, percentage of responses (N=190) Unemployed The disabled Pensioners Parentless children Lonely elderly Benefit-receivers Rural residents/farmers Employees of budgetary organizations Remote and mountainous communities Those who are not able to cultivate their lands Young people Other Refugees Lone-mothers and their children Families with numerous children Families of martyred freedom fighters Families of injured freedom fighters Young families Landless people Drug users and alcoholics People affected by natural disasters Households headed by women See Armenia Social Trends No. 5, Human Poverty in Armenia s Marzes, p

56 56 A significant number of experts have considered those employed in the agricultural sector - rural residents - as vulnerable. And justifiably so, on the one hand farmers do not have insurance against natural disasters, which has become an increasingly acute problem in the last three years. Natural disasters include droughts, frosts and hales, which cause serious damages to marz s farms. Repeated hales and strong winds of the last year have cause huge damages to cereals and other crops, as well as fruits. Around 5700ha of land and 1700 farms were damaged. The loss is estimated at AMD million. Certificates on the size of the losses were prepared and the government has promised to provide compensation and assistance to the affected farms and communities. On the other hand, a significant number of farms, around 65 percent, are not able to use their lands to the full, mainly due to scarce financial resources and inadequate irrigation. In 2003, the usage rate of agricultural lands in the marz amounted to 57 percent. The disabled The disabled constitute 3.7 percent of marz residents. Although the mentioned proportion is lower than the national average, experts attach great importance to disability as the deepest ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS manifestation of vulnerability in the marz. This is partly due to the large representation of mountainous and high-mountainous communities, which further worsens the problems of the disabled. In 2005, 40 disabled persons and pensioners, who needed hearing aids, received those devices from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security through the marz government. In August, the group of eye doctors from France provided services to all those who wanted to have examinations, and provided freeof-charge eyeglasses to those who needed them. Refugees The Government adopted Order No. 747 on 20 May 2004 aimed at provision of housing to families forced out of Azerbaijan. Around 50 families have already received vouchers to be used for purchasing dwellings. The programme is progressing according to the plan. Non-governmental and international organizations also provide some support. The projects they implement mitigate the situation of vulnerable groups to some extent. In 2005, SIS charity foundations of the USA provided 6000 kg of hygiene items, clothing, refrigerators, etc. to the marz through Community development charity foundation of Aragatzotn marz. The assistance is currently being distributed. In addition, Howard Karagyozyan foundation Figure 2. Average ratings of the factors of vulnerability (1-vulnerability in marz isn t linked to the factor, 4-vulnerability is somewhat linked to the factor, 7-vulnerability is totally linked to the factor) 1,0 2,0 3,0 4,0 5,0 6,0 7,0 Unemployment 6,2 Youth migration 5,9 High-mountanious and upland areas Irrigatiion problems 5,7 5,6 Families with no able-bodied members Inaccessibility of healthcare servicies Young families Other Lonely elderly Famelies headed by women Informational isol;ation Families with disabled members Natural disasters or their threat 5,2 5,2 5,0 5,0 4,9 4,8 4,7 4,7 4,7 Physical isolation 4,1 Parentless children 3,8 Families with numerious children Refugees and IDPs Families with numerious members 3,5 3,4 3,2 Inaccessibility of educational servicies 2,9 Landlessness Families under temporary shelter National minorities Environmental disasters 2,6 2,6 2,5 2,4 Nera border areas 1,6 Not linked at a ll Somewhat linked Totally linked

57 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA implements housing programmes in Armenia, targeting freedom fighters martyred and injured before 1994 and their families, who have housing problems. The programme is a collaboration with the government s programme on Housing problems of martyred and injured freedom fighters. The foundation provides some support to the government, reducing its burden to some extent. In 2004, through grants from CAFOD charity organization, 16 NGOs implemented numerous projects amounting to EUR in total. The projects were implemented in various directions, such as healthcare, education, culture and children. Projects were implemented in 3 kindergartens and cultural facilities of marz capital. New vulnerable groups Interviews with experts revealed certain vulnerable groups, which are not under the care of the state as vulnerable groups. Those are the youth and young families. Around 5 percent of the experts have also considered employees of budgetary organization with low salaries as vulnerable. The latter are those, who in case of healthcare, education or other problems, are at the risk of poverty Vulnerability factors in the marz, according to expert assessments. For the assessment of vulnerability factors, the experts were asked to rate the degree of dependency of vulnerability in the marz on certain factors using a 7 point scale. Analysis of the data revealed that the most influential vulnerability factors in the marz were shortage of jobs (received an average rating of 6.2 by experts), the resulting migration of young people Not at all 22% Yes, basically 5% Yes, to a small degree 55% 57 Figure 3. Degree to which the needs of vulnerable groups are met, percentage of responses (N=200) Yes, adequately 18% (average rating 5.9), mountainous and highmountainous areas (average rating 5.7), irrigation problems (average rating 5.6). Experts have also attached importance to the lack of access to healthcare services (average rating 5.2) (see Figure 2) Meeting the needs of vulnerable groups. Although a large number of vulnerable groups mentioned by experts receive state assistance, in experts opinion, their needs are basically met to a small extent, or not met at all (see Figure 3). In this case, from whom do marz residents in general, and the poor and the rich in particular, receive real assistance during economic difficulties and emergency situations. According to experts assessments, poor and vulnerable groups of population expect assistance from and refer to marz government and community authorities, as well as relatives, friends, acquaintances outside Armenia. While, richer groups of population receive help from Table 2. From whom do various groups of marz residents receive real assistance, percentage of responses Marz residents (N=60) Poor residents of the marz (N=40) Rich residents of the marz (N=40) 1 Community authorities Marz authorities Other governmental structures Relatives, friends, acquaintances living in Armenia 5 Relatives, friends, acquaintances living outside Armenia 6 NGOs The Church No one Other TOTAL

58 58 relatives outside Armenia, state and other structures (see Table 2). According to the experts, the poor and very poor groups account for 67 percent and the well-off groups for 7 percent of marz s population. The remaining 26 percent were classified by experts as the average group. At the same time, experts are of the opinion that the services ensuring a decent living are not adequate not only for the poor and vulnerable groups, but also for the well-off. According to expert assessments, healthcare, inter-community and intra-community transportation, garbage disposal, phone connections, internet, the press, radio, irrigation water supply services are almost totally unsatisfactory (see Figure 4). All the expert have almost unanimously mentioned that garbage disposal services are very poorly organized in both large urban settlements and rural communities. Roads leading into and out of every community have turned into open-air landfills. The marz has operational cultural facilities, art classes, but their development depends on the social conditions of the population. Numerous projects are implemented, concerts are organized and the theatre is trying to come to life. But many communities do not have suitable buildings, culture houses are near collapse, employees of the sector work for very small salaries. Employees are paid from community budgets, which are very limited and their revenues ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Figure 4. Average ratings of the level of satisfaction with basic services (1-the service is not satisfactory at all, 4-satisfactory to some extent, 7-fully satisfactory) Not satisfied at all Power supply Television Educational services Drinking water supply Sewage Social services Inter-community transportation Intra-community transportation Healthcare services Irrigation water supply NGO activities Cultural life The press Internet Radio Phone connections Garbage disposal 1.15 Satisfied to some extent mainly come from subsidies. The NGO sector is underdeveloped, NGOs implement their project mostly in marz capitals and nearby communities. Assessments of the experts in the mentioned two directions are very realistic Fully satisfied GEGHARKUNIK MARZ VALERIK MINASYAN Gegharkunik marz government Social M&A Unit Tel: (0-264) Vulnerable groups of population, stateþs care, state-civil society cooperation 1.1 Vulnerable groups in the marz Groups in Gegharkunik marz officially recognized as vulnerable and under the state s care, according to marz government data as of January 1, 2005, were as follows: 1.2. The main directions of the state s care The mentioned vulnerable groups are included in the state social policy framework and receive some assistance. 17,647 families have been registered with regional social services units in the marz for receiving family benefits. As of June 2005, 11,987 of them, or 23.3 percent of marz s households, receive benefits. The average amount of monthly benefit per family is around AMD13,500 (all currency is AMD, i.e. dram). On average, 164,153,000 dram per month is paid to benefit-receiving families. The marz is mainly agricultural and two-thirds of its residents live in rural areas. Thus, many needy families are excluded from the benefit system mainly due to owning livestock. It should be noted, however, that the marz is situated mainly in the mountainous and high-mountainous zones; incomes from livestock are

59 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA Table 1. Representation of vulnerable groups of population according to marz government data Vulnerable groups Numbers Percentage 1 Families receiving family benefits 11, Families who received one-time social 2, assistance (in 2004) 3 The disabled, including: 9, Disabled of group I 1, Disabled of group II 4, Disabled of group III 2, Disabled children 1, Veterans of WW II Pensioners, including: 38, Parentless children (percentage among 1, those aged 0 to 18 years) 6.1 Children deprived of one parent 1, Children deprived of both parents Children in custodial care institutions The registered unemployed (percentage 4, among those aged 16 to 64 years) 8.1 Including: women 2, men 1, Refugees 8, Internally displaced people 3, Households living in temporary shelter less than expected, since around forty percent of fodder is purchased and the winter confinement is long, at around seven months. Based on these circumstances, one-time assistance is provided to the needy families excluded from the benefit system by decisions of the marz social assistance board. On average, 2,387 families of the marz receive onetime monetary assistance per month, amounting to 1,450,000 dram in total. In September 2005, 1,659 children of extremely needy benefit-receiving families were enrolled in the first grade. 2,000 dram of monetary assistance was given to each child by the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues. 1.3 State-civil society cooperation in the marz Civil society organizations support the state structures in the marz in providing assistance to vulnerable groups. Certain civil society organizations operating in the marz, in cooperation with the marz government and each other, implement numerous charity programs for vulnerable groups. The Mission Armenia charity NGO has opened soup kitchens in cities of Gavar, Martuni, Vardenis, Jambarak and Sevan, and provides food to the most vulnerable. The Friendship NGO has studied the social problems and living conditions of the disabled, single mothers and women, orphans, needy and disabled children, and adolescents and has created a data base of the vulnerable population of the marz, and this data base has been used for designing specific action plans. Starting in 2004, the NGO has contributed to the solution of educational, social and healthcare problems of parentless, needy children and adolescents. As a result of cooperation with the UMCOR-YERNJNER program, the Friendship NGO has distributed seven ewes to twenty-one vulnerable families and has provided winter wheat seeds to the socially vulnerable in twenty-seven marz communities. UMCOR has also provided hygiene supplies to socially vulnerable families of the marz. On the occasion of the 60 th anniversary of victory in WW II, veterans received gifts and monetary awards from the mentioned NGOs and four veterans received vacation packages. During summer school vacations, ten parentless children received camping vacation packages. Clothes and shoes for children were donated to the only operational orphanage of the marz, in the city of Gavar. Sixteen wheelchairs were obtained through Counterpart International organization and donated to the disabled of Category I. In cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues and the Ministry of Agriculture, poor families received seedlings, seeds, and foodstuff.

60 60 The socially vulnerable of Gavar and nine villages received second-hand clothes through the IRD organization. Activities have been conducted within the framework of the poverty reduction program jointly with local authorities, where representatives of socially vulnerable groups were included and received 800 dram per day. ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Figure 1. The frequency of vulnerable groups mentioned by experts as a percentage of total number of responses (N=170) Disabled, including children Children deprived of both parents Lonely elderly Refugees Injured freedom fighters Results of the expert assessment survey of the vulnerable population 2.1. Vulnerable people in the marz, according to expert assessments In order to identify the vulnerability issues of the population in Gegharkunik marz, an expert assessment was conducted in August 2005 with the participation of seventeen marz experts. According to experts, the representation of the vulnerable in the marz is around sixtyfour percent. There are, generally speaking, eighteen vulnerable groups in the marz (see Figure 1). The groups most frequently mentioned by experts are the disabled, parentless children, lonely elderly and refugees, and according to expert assessments, the most vulnerable people (having the highest level of vulnerability) are parentless children and the disabled. Although the representation of the disabled, compared to other marzes and the national average, is fairly high in the marz, it should be noted that the number of disabled people in Gegharkunik is in fourth place after Yerevan, Shirak and Lori marzes. Around seven percent of the disable people in the country reside in Gegharkunik marz. Their higher level of vulnerability is partially caused by the geographical location and physical isolation of a large part of the marz, which further reduces the possibilities for providing for the healthcare needs of the disabled and their integration. According to the majority of experts, the special needs of the disabled and parentless children are provided for to a very small extent, although the state is trying to better cater to their needs. Experts are generally of the opinion that the state takes adequate care of benefit-receiving families, children in the orphanage, and refugees. There is a Unemployed Benefit-receivers Single mothers, households headed by women Families with numerous children young families Beggar and street children Families of martyred freedom fighters Adolescents Landless people Families with detained members Families with numerous members Employees of budgetary org-s Residents of border and mountainous zone Other large proportion of refugees and internally displaced people in the marz: around 8,292 refugees and 3,600 internally displaced people. Since 1996 the number of refugees has declined steadily (from around 30,000 in 1996), mainly due to their naturalization and emigration. Internally displaced people are mainly concentrated in the Jambarak region. These are former Artzvashen residents. Both the state and the donor community have implemented numerous programs for refugees over the last decade. Within the framework of the Housing through Vouchers program of the Government of Armenia (Order dated May 20, 2004), thirty-eight refugee families in Gegharkunik marz received housing vouchers through the Ministry of Urban Development and marz government from July to September The program also plans to provide housing to injured and martyred freedom-fighter families starting in October From 1999 to 2004, 221 apartments were built in the marz and provided to refugees living in temporary shelters, and another fifty-one will be provided in 2005 from state budget resources

61 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA In should be noted that according to the majority of experts, the unemployed are vulnerable, but their needs are not provided for at all. The marz has 4,814 registered unemployed, or 3.8 percent of the working age population. The state plans to allocate nearly 30.5 million dram to the registered unemployed in The real unemployment rate, however, in 2003, according to the National Human Development Survey (NHDS), was around 24.7 percent 1. Employment centers of the marz organize specialization training classes for the registered unemployed. Moreover, the UN office, together with the employment centers, has organized SME trainings for unemployed residents who receive Figure 2. How well are the needs of vulnerable groups provided for, percentage of total responses (N=170) Not at all 30% Yes, adequately 22% 61 specialization, as well as food assistance throughout the training course. Nonetheless, labor migration is a fairly widespread phenomenon in the marz. According to NHDS results, 4.4 percent of the marz s population, in the twelve months preceding the survey, had taken up seasonal employment for an average duration of eight months, mainly in Russia. Single mothers and households headed by women, frequently mentioned by experts as vulnerable groups, have emerged in the marz due to the migration of men for seasonal work which, in its turn, is a consequence of unemployment. Experts share the opinion that the state provides for the needs of the mentioned vulnerable groups to a limited extent (see Figure 2). According to expert assessments, the poor and very poor of the marz, in case of economic difficulties and emergency situations, receive assistance from their relatives in Armenia and abroad, as well as local authorities. Unlike the mentioned groups, the middle class and wealthy groups receive assistance, first of all, from various state structures (higher levels than community and marz governments) and relatives living outside Armenia. Yes, to a small degree 48% 2.2. Vulnerability factors in the marz, according to expert assessments. Marz experts assessed the vulnerability factors in the marz on a 7 point scale Figure 3. Average points of vulnerability 1,0 2,0 3,0 4,0 5,0 6,0 7,0 Unemployment High-mountainous and upland areas Near-border areas Migration of young people Refugees Physical isolation Young families Families with no able-bodied men Families with disabled members Lack of access to healthcare services Irrigation problems Informational isolation Families headed by women Threat of natural disasters Families with numerous members Children deprived of both parents Families with numerous children Lack of access to educational services Lonely elderly Threat of ecological disasters having no land People living under temporary shelter Ethnic minorities Other 1,2 1,0 1,5 1,9 1,8 4,5 4,3 4,2 4,1 4,0 3,8 3,8 3,7 3,6 3,4 3,3 3,3 3,2 3,1 3,0 5,6 5,5 5,3 6,4 1 See Armenia Social Trends No. 5, pp

62 62 (1 = vulnerability in the marz is totally independent of the given factor, 4 = some dependence, 7 = totally dependent on the given factor). According to the assessments, vulnerability in the marz is mostly linked with unemployment (average point 6.4, see Figure 3), location in mountainous and highmountainous areas (average point 5.6), location near the border (average point 5.5), migration of young people (average point 5.3). Gegharkunik marz is an agricultural region. Not only the marz s rural, but also a significant proportion of its urban residents, have agricultural lands. But the marz is entirely situated in the mountainous and highmountainous zone (1,500 to 2,200m above sea level), which has a direct impact on the effectiveness of farming. As a result, experts are of the opinion that this factor has a huge impact on vulnerability in the marz. The same is true with regard to being located near the border - twenty of the eighty-seven rural communities of the marz are situated near the border. Although, according to the experts, vulnerability in the marz is not directly linked to the threat or occurrence of natural disasters, the marz has five communities in landslide prone areas. Those communities are Dzoravank, Kalavan-Barepat, Aygut, Dprabak and Martuni. Japanese specialists and the ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Ministry of Urban Development are conducting monitoring activities in these communities. It is currently planned to reinforce the main section of the road leading to the community, which is under the threat of landslides, with Japanese and Martuni city resources. Vulnerability in the marz is, to some extent, also linked to the accessibility of basic services. Experts have assessed the degree to which marz residents are satisfied with various types of basic services. Analysis of the data reveals that residents are satisfied only with the electricity supply (see Table2) and also, to some extent, with educational services and television. The poor conditions of phone connections, or often their absence, both inside and between communities, creates informational isolation, especially for residents of remote communities. The physical isolation is, to some extent, linked to the poor conditions of urban streets and rural roads, which indirectly result in the population s vulnerability. Rural roads in the Jambarak, Vardenis and Gavar regions are in particularly poor condition. It should be noted that it is planned to repair the main Gavar- Gegharkunik rural road of 12.6km, beginning in October 2005, with the financial support of the IFAD. Table 2. To what extent marz residents are satisfied by services and their quality No. Service Not satisfied Somewhat satisfied Fully satisfied Power supply Educational services Television Healthcare services Drinking water supply Social services Irrigation water supply Inter-community transportation services Press services Intra-community transportation services Internet Phone connections Sewage Garbage disposal Radio 1.0

63 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA KOTAYK MARZ KARINE HAROUTIUNYAN Kotayk marz government Social M&A Unit Tel. (0-223) Kotayk marz has a relatively developed and multisector economy, mainly due to the industrial development in Abovyan region, especially Nor Hajn, as well as rehabilitation of Tzaghkadzor as a resort area. The overall social problems in the marz, however are still numerous and continue to be a matter of concern for marz authorities and citizens. The urgent, as well as chronic problems of the vulnerable population have a special place among those problems. Every fifth resident of the marz deals with those specific problems to varying extents. According to data from marz Table 1. Representation of vulnerable groups in the marz, as at 1 January 2005 Title of the social group People % Disabled of the I group Disabled of the II group Disabled of the III group Disabled children (up to 18 years of age) Children deprived of one parent Children deprived of both parent Pensioners Lonely pensioners Benefit-receiving families Registered unemployed Veterans of the II WW government, the representation of social (vulnerable) groups in the marz, which is officially recorded by the state, in the total population of the marz is as follows (see Table 1). In order to study the needs of vulnerable groups in the marz, to determine and classify their degrees of vulnerability, as well as identifying the vulnerable groups left outside the sphere of attention of the state, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, with the support of the UN Armenia and direct participation of the staff of the M&A unit in marz government, conducted a marz expert survey. The survey was conducted in September 2005 and included 18 marz experts, who were most knowledgeable with regard to social issues in the marz. Through a questionnaire prepared in advance, each expert has mentioned 10 vulnerable groups based on her/his subjective assessment. Thus, in total 176 vulnerable groups were mentioned in the responses of experts. The most frequently mentioned groups in the responses are presented in Figure 1. Figure 1 clearly shows that the vulnerable groups most frequently mentioned by experts were: Young families Children of martyred freedom fighters 5,1 6,3 Figure 1. Vulnerable groups most frequently mentioned by experts (% of the total number of responses, N=176) Lone-mothers 6,3 Refugees 8,5 Unemployed 9,7 Disbled children 4,5 Disabled or families with disabled members 8 Lone-elderly or fam ilies consisting of lone-elderly 4 Pensioners 9,7 Parentless children 16,5 Families with numerous members 5,

64 64 parentless children (16.5 percent of all the responses) Unemployed (9.7 percent) Pensioners (9.7 percent) Refugees (8.5%). According to experts assessments, 61.4 percent of families or nearly 67 percent of residents in the marz are vulnerable. Around 95 percent of experts are of the opinion that the special needs of vulnerable groups in the marz (conditioned by their vulnerability) are met to a small extent. The response Needs are completely met was most frequently mentioned with regard to the group of war veterans (22.2 percent), and the are not met at all response most frequently referred to families with numerous children (27.8 percent). According to experts, the needs of refugees are basically or adequately met (33.4 percent). Parentless children Parentless children up to 18 years of age in the marz constitute 1.7 percent of the population, or 1438 children. There are only 50 children deprived of both parents and none of them live in rural areas. It can be assumed that in villages parentless children are taken care of by their relatives, and applying to state institutions is considered as inappropriate. Considering the significant representation of socially disadvantaged and risk prone group of children deprived of one parent in the marz and the high degree of their vulnerability (according to expert assessments), it is planned to form a marz committee for child protection, which will coordinate the issues of risk group children with special consideration for children in orphanages, boarding schools and other special institutions. Financial support programmes will be implemented for the latter to help them to return to their usual environment. The unemployed Since more than half of marz s population lives in urban settlements, the group of the unemployed, as one of the most vulnerable groups, becomes an important factor in the vulnerability assessment. Although according to official statistics the marz has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the marz at 3.3 percent, data from the national human development survey conducted in 2003 reveal that practically 43.9 percent of the workforce in Kotayk marz is unemployed. ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS It must be noted also that mainly unemployed women constituting 57 percent of the officially registered unemployed in the marz, apply to regional employment centers. And men, not considering seasonal and temporary work as a stable source of income, prefer to leave for various places in Russia, or if possible Europe and USA, and, as a rule, leave their families behind. It is logical that experts have considered the new social group of families abandoned by men as vulnerable. The marz has 1620 households headed by women, which constitute percent of the total number of households. Assessing the vulnerability factors for marz s populations, experts have given the highest rankings to: Shortage of jobs; and Migration of young people. Considering the huge industrial potential of the marz in the past, the ILO has selected Kotayk as a pilot marz for studying and assessing the economic demand and possibilities. As a result, a large programme for training, employment and productive activities is to be implemented especially for women, young people and vulnerable groups of population. The main objective of the ILO initiative is to develop and implement targeted programmes for enhancing the adaptability of vulnerable groups in the labor market, in cooperation with authorities responsible for small and medium sized businesses and with the involvement of civil society. The potential of market infrastructures available in the marz will undoubtedly be taken into account in the programmes. Rural residents resolve their employment problems on their own. They, nevertheless, also expect state s support mainly through ensuring access to small credits. Refugees The experts have mentioned refugees as one of the most vulnerable groups. In their opinion, however, this factors accounts for vulnerability in the marz only partially, which, according to the experts, is the result of the active state policy currently enacted with regard to refugees. Housing construction was underlined within this context. In , 1030 apartments were built in the marz for refugee families living under temporary shelter. 839 apartments were transferred to the ownership of refugees based on the

65 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA corresponding decisions of the marz governor free-ofcharge. But, until today, 800 refugee families in the marz still live under temporary shelters, 43 of whom in train wagons turned into dwellings. Family benefits There are 14,591 families registered at regional units of social services, of whom 8751 have received the right to family benefits. This means that, in general, nearly 23 percent of marz families consider themselves as needy, but only 13.7 percent receive state support. Compared to last year, the number of benefitreceiving families has dropped by 404, mainly due to better targeting for allocation of benefits and increases in the amounts of pensions. At the same time, the number of families receiving one-time monetary assistance has increased. The majority of the latter are women, pensioners and unemployed aged years. Figure 2. Distribution of residents by economic situation, experts, assessment 16.6% Very poor families 18.6% Rich and very rich inaccessible, phone connections and public transportation are absence, people are cut off from any happening in the marz. Thus, community isolation makes both the poor and the rich equally vulnerable. Some assessments of marz experts 65 Responding to the question regarding the changes that have happened or will happen in the marz with regard to living conditions, experts have given a higher than average rating of in a 1-7 scale. But it is a matter for concern that their assessments of the trends are more on the pessimistic side (see Figure 3). Figure 3. Expert assessments of the trends in living standards of marz residents (averages, where 1 denotes has become or will become much worse, 4 has remained or will remain the same, 7 has improved or will improve much) 4,6 4,5 4,4 4,3 4,2 4,1 4 Compared to three Compared to last In the next year years ago year 31.1% Poor families It must be noted that experts assessing the poverty of marz residents, underline not only the distinction between wealthy, poor and very poor groups of population. In their opinion, people are vulnerable also psychologically. In communities, where the cultural life is boring, social conditions are poor, healthcare service are 33.7% Average living standard Reponses of experts reveal that in emergency situations, various groups of population receive real help from a number of societal and state structures (see Table 2). As presented in the Table, the state (through marz government: 38.9 percent of responses) is the main support for the poor and very poor in emergency situations, while the average and rich groups mostly refer to relative living abroad (30.6 percent of responses). Table 2. From whom can rich, average, poor and very poor residents of the marz expect real help Average and rich Poor and very poor Community authorities Marz authorities Other governmental structures Relatives in Armenia Relatives outside Armenia NGOs The Church 0 0 No one

66 66 Table 3. Average ratings of the level and quality of public services (on a scale of 1-7, 1 totally unsatisfactory, 4 satisfactory to some extent, 7 fully satisfactory) Types of services Average rating Educational services 3.7 Healthcare services 2.7 Social security services 3.2 Intra-community transportation 2.6 Inter-community transportation 2.5 Phone connections 2.0 Television 3.2 Radio 1.9 Press 2.7 Internet 1.7 Drinking water supply 1.6 Irrigation 2.2 Garbage disposal 1.7 Wastewater discharge/sewage 1.9 Electricity supply 3.7 Marz experts also assessed the operations of structures providing public services and their quality. The average ratings they provided in their assessments are presented in Table 3. As seen in the Table, experts, on a 7 point scale, have given a 3.7 rating, which is very close to the 4 points ascribed to the response satisfactory to some extent, to two public services - education and electricity supply. Garbage disposal and the internet are almost totally unsatisfactory by their levels and quality. Support of governmental and nongovernmental structures to vulnerable groups in the marz State structures, international organizations, charity NGOs regularly provide social and humanitarian assistance marz s vulnerable groups: The Government of Armenia allocated AMD73,030 thousand from its reserve funds to marz s communities affected by unfavorable conditions, spring floods and strong winds in , of which AMD61,030 thousand was provided to residents in the most seriously affected communities for repairing houses, compensate for agricultural damages and purchase livestock. In 2004, AMD36.5 million was allocated to State assistance for resettlement of ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Voghjaberd village residents, of which AMD7.4 million is already spent. The gap in expenditure of the assistance money is due to the fact that families affected by landslides have difficulties in finding appropriate dwelling with the amount of money allocated. Five soup kitchens operate in the marz with the support of the Armenian Apostolic Church and Mission Armenia NGO, serving 680 beneficiaries. Lonely elderly and refugees in particular use these soup kitchens. The UNHCR has financed housing for 36 refugee families in the town of Hrazdan. 160 children of martyred freedom-fighters, parentless children and children from needy families spent their summer holidays in Hekyatneri Kirj, Sevan and Narine children-adolescents summer camps. In October-December 2004, The Armenian Ophthalmologic Project and the USAID, together with the marz government, organized and implemented free-of-charge eye examinations and surgeries for lonely elderly, war veterans, parentless children, refugees and socially disadvantaged families. As a result, 9000 residents were examined. The state has provided wheelchairs to 40 disabled of I category. Within the framework of When September comes project, based on the lists provided by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, regional social services centers provided clothes to children of families with 5 or more children (1550 children in total). Within the framework of Paid public works programme of the Government of Armenia, more than 650 temporary jobs are created on a continuous basis in 19 communities of Kotayk marz, including 14 rural communities. The community social-healthcare center established in the town of Hrazdan by the charity NGO Mission Armenia supports 100 lonely elderly and disabled living in the community. The Japanese Fugi Optical company has provided eyeglasses to 500 needy refugees.

67 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA LORI MARZ IRINA GRIGORYAN Lori marz government Social M&A Unit Tel. (0-322) Vulnerable groups in Lori marz The Government has defined certain vulnerable groups of the population for which a specific social policy is enacted. In Lori marz, these situation of vulnerable groups has become more complicated by a condition, which further deepens their vulnerability, namely being in the earthquake zone. According to marz government data, the representation of vulnerable groups in the marz is as follows: Although there are numerous structures in the marz working in the social security sector, and positive changes are notable, the social tension is still prevalent among the marz vulnerable groups The family benefit system in the marz As of June 2005, around twenty-nine percent of marz families were benefit-receivers. By introducing the family benefit system, the state is trying to mitigate the situation of the most vulnerable groups. From 1999 to 2005 the number of benefit-receiving families in the marz was reduced by 6,300 (see Figure 1). Reforms in the family poverty benefit system made it very sensitive to minute changes and did not fully disclose the most vulnerable families. Obviously, even the smallest increase in pensions deprives a large number of families consisting of pensioners of the possibility to receive family poverty benefits. And the food and other assistance provided to socially vulnerable families from time to time is given to benefit-receiving families, in particular: Regional social services units implemented a food assistance program in 2004, within the framework of the UN WFP. The assistance was mainly distributed in cities and included more than 6,600 families. The program distributed nearly 600 tons of flour, more than 27 tons of vegetable oil and 12 tons of lentils in the marz. The Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, jointly with the Armenian Relief Society, implemented Figure 1. Numbers of actual and benefit-receivign families in the marz January January January January 2002 January January January 2005 Number of benefit-receivers including those receiving one-time monetary assistance Actual number of families Table 1. Representation of vulnerable groups, as of January 1, 2005 Vulnerable groups Numbers Percentage Pensioners 56, Disabled, including: 12, Disabled children (0-18 years of age) Parentless children, including: 3, (percentage among 0-18 year-olds in the marz) Children deprived of both parent Benefit-receiving families (percentage 22, of marz households) Families who received one-time 6, monetary assistance (percentage of marz households) Refugees 10, Registered unemployed (percentage among year-olds in the marz) 21, the assistance project When September Comes in all regions of the marz for families with four or more children. The assistance included briefcases, school supplies and socks. More than 1,500 families received assistance. Similar programs have also been implemented in the past. With the support of regional social services units, French oculists examined nearly 800 Alaverdi residents free-of-charge in August, Moreover, the Armenian Eye Project supported eye surgeries for ten socially vulnerable people in October 2004.

68 Pension insurance The proportion of pensioners, of the total number of marz residents, is around twenty percent. By applying the age scale in the pension policy and with the influence of other factors, the number of pensioners has declined from year to year and, in parallel, the amounts of pensions are, to some extent, increasing. Nonetheless, pensioners remain one of the most vulnerable groups of population. Figure 2. Representation of pensioners by years Number of pensioners Children deprived of both parents According to the latest data for 2005, the proportion of parentless children in the marz aged 0-18 is 4.5 percent. An increase in the number of parentless children (either deprived of both parents as well as one parent) has been recorded in the marz. This circumstance is explained by the misfortunes that have befallen Armenian families living outside Armenia; and families residing abroad return to Armenia generally due to the loss of their only breadwinners. Currently Vanadzor has only one orphanage for 105 children, operating under the Figure 3. The representation of registered unemployed in Lori marz, Number of registered unemployed ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS management of the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues The unemployed The official unemployment rate in Lori marz in 2005 was 13.9 percent. The regional employment centers of the marz have made certain efforts in expanding specialized training and re-qualification courses for the unemployed. Such activities aim to provide the unemployed with new skills corresponding to the demands of the labor market. Only in the third quarter of 2004 were training courses for computer skills, assistants and clerks organized in Vanadzor and Spitak, with the participation of thirty trainees. And within the framework of the UN WFP Food for Training program, in the third quarter of 2003 and the first quarter of 2004, training courses on market economy, small business, and civil rights were organized in Vanadzor, Alaverdi, Spitak and Stepanavan, where 1,034 jobseekers participated, including 604 in Vanadzor, 20 in Alaverdi, 230 in Spitak and 180 in Stepanavan. Nevertheless, as shown in Figure 3, the number of unemployed in the marz did not decline from 2001 through Disabled and elderly Of the various social groups of the population, the disabled and elderly are the most unprotected. Of the total number of residents in the marz (according to the 2001 census), as of January 2005, the disabled constituted 5.1 percent of the population. The family poverty benefit system tangibly improved the situation of families, although a part of the population, especially the disabled, were deprived of privileges for discounts on fees for utilities, transport, energy, telephone and other services. Atres CJSC and Protesorthopedic SCJSC, operating under the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, have particular importance for this group. Due to the activities of the latter company, support in the form of rehabilitation items was provided to more than 300 disabled people (hearing devices, prosthesis items, such as shoes, walkers, walking sticks, etc.). The disabled also received support from the Interkap charity NGO operating

69 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA in Vanadzor, which provides medical items and other provisions urgently needed by the disabled (walkers, wheelchairs, medical items, clothes, etc.) and are imported from various European countries. This is the fourth year that Mission Armenia charity NGO has conducted invaluable activities in the marz. It has organized two soup kitchens in Vanadzor, one in Spitak, Stepanavan, Alaverdi and Tashir each, which are used by more than 720 of the most vulnerable beneficiaries (elderly, disabled, and the most vulnerable families living in shantytowns) Refugees Demographically, refugees are characterized as an aging group with disruptions of natural reproduction and intensive emigration. The most serious barrier to the integration of refugees is the housing problem. The Government of Armenia, attaching importance to the housing problems of refugees, has approved a program for providing housing vouchers to refugees from the 2005 state budget resources. Forty-six refugee families of the marz have been included in the priority housing program. The UNHCR, the Department for Refugees and Migration of the Government of Armenia and the Norwegian Council have provided support to the activities for solving the problems of refugees in the marz Families of martyred and disabled freedom fighters There are a large number of families of martyred and disabled military servicemen (freedom fighters) which 69 are in need of housing. The Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, the Howard Karagozyan International Charity Organization and the marz government deal with their problems. The process has become more active, especially in the last two years, and as a result tens of families have received houses or monetary assistance for purchasing houses. 2. Results of the expert vulnerability assessment in Lori marz 2.1. Vulnerable groups of population according to the results of the expert assessments In order to identify the problems and specific manifestations of vulnerability in the marz, an expert survey for vulnerability assessment was conducted within the framework of the joint Government of Armenia and UNDP project Creation of a Social Monitoring and Analysis System. Twenty-two experts, who were employees of state and nongovernmental structures working in the social field or with vulnerable groups, were interviewed in the marz. Each expert mentioned ten most vulnerable groups of the marz. According to expert assessments, around fifty-six percent of marz residents are vulnerable. Overall, experts mentioned twenty-two groups of vulnerable people in the marz. The groups most frequently mentioned by experts are the disabled, unemployed, parentless children, pensioners, people living under temporary shelter and refugees. It turns out that expert assessments are in line with the situation of vulnerable groups in the marz analyzed above (see Figure 4). Figure 4. Vulnerable groups mentioned by experts, percentage of responses (N=217) 12,0 11,1 10,0 9,7 8,8 8,0 6,9 6,9 6,5 6,0 6,0 6,0 6,0 6,0 4,0 2,0 4,1 3,7 2,8 2,8 2,3 1,8 1,8 1,8 1,4 1,4 1,4 0,9 0,0 Disabled, including Unemployed Children deprived of Pensioners People without Refugees Families with numerous Lonely elderly Adolescents Employees of budgetary Other Young families Households headed by Residents of remote Families with numerous Beggar and street Children Landless people Single mothers People with small lands Rural residents Injured freedom

70 70 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Figure 5. Experts opinion on the extent to which the special needs of vulnerable groups are provided for, average points (range 1-5) 5. Not provided at all 3,9 3,6 3,7 3,6 3,5 4,0 3. Satisfactory 4,0 4,0 3,7 1. Fully provided for Disabled Disabled children Pensioners Children deprived of both parents Veterans Unemployed Families with numerous children Refugees Lonely pensioners The survey revealed that other than the vulnerable groups addressed in the social policy of the state, experts have also considered newly formed families, young people, low-salaried employees of budgetary organizations, and farms with no land or very small land as vulnerable (see Figure 4). Among the mentioned vulnerable groups, the experts have identified the disabled and the unemployed as the most vulnerable. According to the experts, although the state makes efforts to provide for the needs of the vulnerable, their special needs, conditioned by vulnerability, are provided for to a limited extent (see Figure 5) Vulnerability factors in the marz, according to expert assessments The experts also evaluated the vulnerability factors in the marz. Analysis of the evaluations reveals that vulnerability in the marz is mostly linked to unemployment. This is arguably the highest-rated factor. The remaining factors, such as living in a temporary dwelling, threat of natural disasters, disabilities, etc. are linked to vulnerability only to some degree (see Table 2). Experts have also attached importance to the circumstance of not have working-age members in the family as a factor of vulnerability. The latter are mainly families 7,0 Figure 6. How satisfied are marz residents with services Fully satisfied 6,0 5,5 5,0 4,0 4,6 4,4 4,3 4,3 4,2 3,8 3,8 3,8 3,6 3,3 3,3 3,1 3,0 Somewhat satisfied 3,0 3,0 Not satisfied at all 2,0 1,0 Electricity supply Intracommunity transportation Intercommunity transportation Social services Educational services Television Irrigation water supply Sewage Healthcare services Garbage disposal Press services Phone connections Drinking water supply Internet Radio

71 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA Table 2. Expert assessments of vulnerability factors (average points in the range of 1-7) How closely is the factor linked to vulnerability in the marz No link Some link Unemployment 6.6 Living under temporary shelter 5.0 Natural disasters or their threat 4.9 Families with no working-age members 4.7 Disabled and/or disabled children 4.7 Lonely elderly 4.5 Migration of young people 4.4 Families headed by women 4.2 Lack of access to healthcare services 4.0 Irrigation problems 4.0 Children deprived of both parents 4.0 Families with numerous children 4.0 Physical isolation 4.0 Informational isolation 3.7 Refugees 3.6 Ecological disasters or their threat 3.6 Families with numerous members 3.6 High-mountainous and upland areas 3.4 Having no land 3.0 Lack of access to educational services 2.9 Young families 2.8 Border areas 2.4 Ethnic minorities 1.7 Fully linked 71 twenty years. The entire network has become technically unreliable, with water losses in some places exceeding fifty percent, and clogging in the sewage system has become more frequent, which results in sanitary conditions becoming periodically dangerous. Nearly sixty percent of technical constructions need capital repairs. The technical conditions of treatment stations, tertiary networks and sanitary zones are especially poor. The periodic microbiological and chemical tests conducted by Vanadzor center are sometimes alarming, since deviations from the required standards, mainly caused by the disintegrating networks, are discovered in samples. consisting of lonely elderly or only elderly, which constitute 9.6 percent of all families in the marz 1. The phenomenon is mainly the result of the migration of young people, which is due to the shortage of available jobs. Services for information provision and integration of the population, such as radio, Internet, phone connections, and the print media, in the experts opinion, do not meet the population s needs at all. Referring to services provided to the population, the experts have found that the population is most satisfied with the electricity supply (see Figure 6). Comparing the assessment of experts and the real picture, it can be concluded that in both 2003 and 2004 the level of electricity payment collection was (101.8 percent) the result of a stable electricity supply. The population s satisfaction with intra and inter community transportation services also received high ratings. The rating was obviously low with regard to the drinking water supply. The conditions of pipelines and other infrastructure in the water supply and the water discharge systems of Lori marz are poor. They were installed thirty to forty years ago and have not been repaired in the last 1 See Armenia Social Trends No. 5, p. 38.

72 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS 72 SHIRAK MARZ Shirak marz, due to objective and subjective reasons, lost its former industrial capacity depriving a huge number of people of livelihood and incomes from employment. The limited number of available jobs, mainly low wages and small state social payments (pensions, family benefits, etc.) have made the majority of residents poor and a large number of people vulnerable. These are social groups, which are subjected to the risk of poverty and being very sensitive to external impacts, even in case of small deviations can end up in poverty. Poverty and vulnerability are two sides of the same coin and demonstrate a strong causal link. A poor person is someone, who, figuratively put, has definitely bid farewell to vulnerability and has ended up in the lowest social strata of the society. 1. State support to the vulnerable groups of the marz The state implements social policy measures in order to ensure better targeting of the care ANDRANIK GEVORGYAN Shirak marz government Social M&A Unit Tel. (0-312) provided by the state to vulnerable and poor groups of population. The mentioned social policy defines the vulnerable groups of population from the viewpoint of the state. Those groups are included in state programmes for social assistance and protection. The representation of vulnerable groups receiving state s social support in the marz is as follows: State support to the mentioned social groups is provided through family poverty benefit system, the insurance fund and employment programmes. The brief description of activities conducted in the marz in those directions in presented below: Family poverty benefit system The table reveals that the number of benefit-receiving families in the marz has reduced in This Table 2. Benefit system in the marz Year Number of benefitreceiving families Amounts paid AMD million 2004, 1 December AMD million (monthly) 2005, 1 July AMD million (monthly) Table 1. Vulnerable groups of population in Shirak marz (as at 1 January 2005, marz government data) Absolute % number 1 Families receiving family benefits Families who have received one-time social assistance The disabled, including: Disabled of the I group Disabled of the II group Disabled of the III group Disabled children (up to 18 years of age) Veterans of the II WW Pensioners, including: Lonely pensioners (registered in the family benefit system) Elderly living in homes for elderly Parentless children, (percentage among 0-18 year-olds in the marz), including: 6.1 Children deprived of one parent Children deprived of both parent Children in special institutions, including: Children studying in special schools Children in custodial care institutions Households of lone-mothers (registered in the family benefit system) Registered unemployed (percentage among those aged years)

73 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA reduction is mainly due to the large-scale housing construction programme implemented in the town of Gyumri, which resulted in improved housing conditions. The other factor was the periodical increase of the amounts of pensions. In general, the system has become more targeted in the marz. On the other hand, amounts allocated to benefitreceivers have increased due to the increase in the base amount of family poverty benefit. As at June 2005, each benefit-receiving family in the mars has on average received AMD12,241 of benefit per month. Pensions system Year In , a drop in the number of people receiving pensions occurred and the amounts of monthly pensions increased. The average amount of pension in the marz, for the same period, increased from AMD6,360 to AMD9,700. Employment schemes Women, as well as people with higher and vocational education constitute a large proportion of the unemployed. In 2005, compared to the previous year, there was a drop in the number of the unemployed (by around 6000 in the first six months). This is mainly the result of the fact that the unemployed Table 3. Pensions system in the marz Number of pensioners AMD3.788 billion 2004, 1 December AMD million 2005, 1 July Gyumri Year Table 4. Unemployment in the marz Numbers of people with unemployment status 73 who had visited employment services and received the status of unemployed did not renew their status within 1 year and thus were no longer officially considered as unemployed. Employment agencies, starting the use of the new Work computer software, have created a summary data base of people with unemployment status, which has allowed them to follow clearer and more concrete criteria and remove many people from the register. A number of programmes were implemented for the unemployed. For example, the Jobs for specialist in clothing production programme provided jobs to 280 job-seekers, the Food for training, which has trained the unemployed in business skills, and SMEs, th Amounts paid Computer skills programme with has created jobs for 20 jobseekers. With the support AMD million (monthly) of Gyumri Employment AMD million (monthly) Center, 10 people having hearing-speaking impairments were included in the training programme Macaroni production. The Benefit for work project creates temporary jobs, which contribute to the reduction of social tension in the marz. In , the project provided temporary jobs to 7,961 people (see Table 5). Number of those who found jobs , 1 December 24550, including 201 Gyumri , 1 July 18522, including Gyumri Significant changes were made to the principles of the Benefit for work programme, and it was renamed into Paid public works programmes. The most important changes were that the duration of work was included in the work experience and the income received would not have an impact on the benefits allocated to the family. Naturally, the inclusion of poor and socially Table 5. Activities of Benefit for work programmes in the marz Year Allocated funding Number of projects implemented Number of people with temporary jobs 2002 AMD85.0 million AMD130 million , 1 December AMD120 million , 1 July AMD125 million

74 74 vulnerable groups in these programmes, even if it is temporary, provides some additional incomes for them. At the same time, they are included in useful public works, integrate into the society and come out of their mentally tormenting feeling of being alienated. 2. Cooperation of non-governmental and international organizations in supporting vulnerable groups Other than stat assistance, the poor and vulnerable groups of population receive significant assistance from non-governmental and international organizations, who in this way support the implementation of state social policy. They implement a significant number of activities and projects for vulnerable groups. 32 joint projects were implemented with Armenia all-armenian fund, Armenian Caritas, SFPA, ARDA, Adventist association, ARF, Sector Number of projects Amount allocated, AMD 1 Healthcare Education-culture Social TOTAL Madonna women s monastery Armenia, World Vision and other organizations. The mentioned projects amounted to a total of AMD955 million. They were mainly (48.6 percent) directed toward the social sector (see Table 6), healthcare (14.3 percent) and educational-cultural (37.1 percent) sectors. Throughout the year, shoes, clothes, foodstuff, household items, school supplies were distributed to 454 needy, elderly, disabled people and children living in shantytowns. More than 600 elderly use the services of soup kitchens set up by SFPA, Armenian Caritas organizations and Gyumri city authority. 60 school-aged children enjoyed summer camps organized by Madonna women s monastery Armenia charity organization. The disabled received 60 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS wheelchairs, 20 hearing aids, walking sticks, etc. free-of-charge. Gyumri Boarding house state non-commercial organization has become home to 36 elderly and disabled in need of care, and the expenditures for operations the Boarding house has amounted to AMD million, compared to the budgeted AMD million. Daily expenditure per resident was AMD1735 (including the humanitarian assistance). In total 34,500 families were included in 6 food programmes implemented by the UN Armenia. 18 refugee families from temporary shantytowns in Gyumri have received cottages built by the Norwegian Refugee Council. The UNHCR, NRC and the Department of Migration and Refugees of the Government of Armenia have conducted the preparation work for construction of a 24-apartment building for refugee families living in shantytowns. Regardless of the huge importance of activities already conduced, we can state, at the same time, that they are not adequate. In order to identify the vulnerable groups of the marz, the factors of vulnerability and the degree to which the needs of vulnerable people are met, an expert survey was conducted in the marz in August Table 6. Vulnerable groups mentioned by experts Number of Percentage times noted 1 Unemployed Lonely elderly The disabled Families with numerous children Employees of budgetary organizations Young families Refugees Children deprived of both parents Pensioners Landless people Families with numerous members Families abandoned by men People affected by natural disasters Young people Lone-mothers and families headed by women People without dwelling Families of martyred freedom fighters Families with detained members Other Total

75 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 3. Results of the expert vulnerability assessment 3.1. Vulnerable groups of population. 16 experts were involved in the expert assessment of the survey of vulnerable groups in Shirak marz, who in total provided 160 responses mentioning vulnerable groups they had identified. In general, experts mentioned 19 vulnerable groups in the marz (see Table 6), some of whom are already defined as vulnerable by the state and receive assistance. But experts also mentioned groups which are outside the care of the state. According to expert assessments, around half of marz residents, or 49.7 percent, are vulnerable. Among the vulnerable groups of population in the marz, the most frequently mentioned by the experts were the unemployed, lonely elderly, disabled. All experts have mentioned those 3 groups as vulnerable (16 responses). Such assessment of the experts stems from their knowledge about the realities of the marz. And truly, the official unemployment rate in Shirk marz as at July 2005 constituted 12 percent, which is much higher than the national average. Lonely elderly and families consisting of more than one elderly account for 13.2 percent of marz s families. A higher representation of lonely elderly is recorded only in Tavush marz (16.2 percent) 1. The representation of the disabled is close to the national average (4.2 percent compared to the national average of 4.4 percent), but nonetheless experts attach great importance to their problems. 75 The experts identified the most vulnerable among the 19 vulnerable groups they had mentioned. Those are lonely elderly and the disabled. According to experts, these are the most unprotected social groups. The survey also revealed vulnerable groups, which were being mentioned for the first time. These new vulnerable groups are: Employees of budgetary organizations Young families and young people in general landless people Families abandoned by men Experts link the vulnerability of employees of budgetary organization to low salaries. This is not only a correct observation, but also a civic standing with regard to the issue in order to draw the attention of relevant authorities (we would like to remind that around half of the experts were civil servants or public officials). Experts link the vulnerability of young people and young families with difficulties in entering the labor market, and poor housing and financial conditions. Landlessness is linked to the former labor towns which have received the status of rural community. Residents of those towns did not have the opportunity to privatize land. According to Mountainous areas Natural disasters, their threats Shortage of jobs Near-border areas Families with numerous children Threat of ecological disasters Parentless children Families with numerous members Irrigation problems Families headed by women Migration of young people Lonely elderly Hhaving no land Lack of access to education The disabled Young families Families with no able-bodied members Lack of access to healthcare Refugees The homeless Informational isolation Physical isolation Ethnic minorities Figure 1. Vulnerability factors in the marz, average ratings ,3 1,3 2,7 3,3 5,4 5,2 4,9 4,9 4,8 4,5 4,4 4,2 4,2 4,2 4,1 4, ,9 3,9 3,7 5,9 5,9 Vulnerability in the marz is not conditioned by the factor at all Vulnerability in the marz is conditioned by the factor to some extent Vulnerability in the marz is fully conditioned by the factor 1 Armenia Social Trends No. 5, Yerevan 2004, p. 38.

76 76 the results of the National human development survey conducted in 2003, 4.8 percent of marz s households do not have their own lands 2. An unfortunate phenomenon in the marz is the families abandoned by men, which is mainly the result of unemployment, difficult socio-economic and psychological conditions and seasonal work abroad. There are no quantitative statistics on the group, but experts have mentioned it as vulnerable. One of the indictors pointing to the mentioned fact is the number of households headed by women included in the system of family benefits, amounting to 24.8 percent of the total number of households in the marz (35.3 percent in Gyumri) Vulnerability factors. Experts assessments of the factors of vulnerability are of utmost importance (the factors have been assessed on the basis of a 1-7 scale of importance). According to the experts, vulnerability in the marz is basically the result of its natural-climatic conditions, such as mountainous and ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS high-mountainous areas and natural disasters and their threat (see Figure 1). The second important factor, according to the experts, is the shortage of jobs. The factors of having numerous children and members in the family, and being a parentless child were also underlined Meeting the needs of vulnerable groups. The majority of experts (75 percent) are of the opinion that the vulnerability related needs of vulnerable groups in the marz are met by the state to a small extent. Acknowledging the positive aspects of the social policy enacted by the state, experts also point out the limited opportunities available. The priorities of the social policy defined by the state are considered a appropriate, but the inadequacy of resources hinder the achievement of more tangible results. Nevertheless, there are certain differences in the assessments of the degrees to which the needs of vulnerable groups are met (see Figure 2). Figure 2. Expert assessments of the degree to which the needs of vulnerable groups are met Not met at all Met to a small degree Adequately met Are basically met Are completely met The disabled Disabled children Figure 3.a From whom the poor and very poor receive help Pensioners Parentless children Veterans Unemployed Families with numerous Lonely pensioners Figure 3.b From whom the average and rich groups receive help No one 31% Community authorities 3% Marz gov. 19% Other 34% Marz gov. 3% Other state structures 44% Relatives outside Armenia 9% Relatives in Armenia 6% Other state structures 32% No one 13% Relatives outside Armenia 3% Relatives in Armenia 3% 2 Armenia Social Trends No. 6, Yerevan 2004, p. 37.

77 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA The needs of the unemployed, lonely elderly/ pensioners (they have been identified as the most vulnerable group together with the disabled) and families with numerous children are met to the smallest degree. The poor and very poor groups of the marz, in case of economic difficulties, or emergency situations, according to one-third of the experts, are not able to receive real help from anyone, while the picture is totally different for the average and rich groups, they seek help from other sources (see Figure 3). As the logical continuation of the mentioned comments, it is interesting to know the degree to which residents are satisfied with the services and social life needed for a decent living. Experts have assessed the degree of satisfaction of residents with the mentioned aspects of decent living. The results were as follows. According to tradition, our people do 77 everything to maintain their level of education as much as possible and it is logical that, according to experts, the level of satisfaction with educational services is the highest (see Table 7). Marz s residents are also satisfied with electricity supply and to some extent with inter-community transportation services. The most unfavorable conditions were noted in relation to radio, the press, phone connection and internet services. The cultural and social life in the marz is in an extremely passive situation (probably with the exception of Gyumri, although it also has numerous unresolved issues in this regard), especially in rural areas. One important conclusion can be drawn from the assessments of experts activities directed toward socially vulnerable groups are important preconditions for poverty eradication in the country. Table 7. To what extent marz residents are satisfied by the mentioned services No. Service Not satisfied at all Satisfied to some extent Fully satisfied Educational services Power supply Inter-community transportation Healthcare services Social services Irrigation Television Intra-community transportation Drinking water supply Garbage disposal Sewage Internet Phone connections The press Radio 1.1 VAYOTS DZOR MARZ TSOGHIK BABAYAN Vayots Dzor marz government Social M&A Unit Tel. (0-281) The main directions of social assistance in the marz The state social policy for vulnerable groups in the marz is carried out by regional social services units, regional employment centers and regional social assistance centers. These organizations together represent the marz system of social security and insurance which, in accordance with the law and bylaws, provides state care to the following groups in the population: In three regional social services units of Vayots Dzor marz, as of June 1, 2005, there were 3,909 families registered in the family poverty benefit system, 2,529 of which actually received benefits. This means that twenty-nine percent of marz families consider themselves to be poor and vulnerable, and applied to

78 78 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Table 1. Population of vulnerable groups in the marz, according to marz government data Social groups As of January 1, 2005 % of marz population Pensioners 10, Including: old-age pensioners 7, Disability pensioners, including: 3, Disabled children Disabled of group I Disabled of group II 1, Disabled of group III Children deprived of both parents Children deprived of one parent People receiving honorary payments Military servicemen Families receiving family benefits 2, (of families) Families who received one-time social assistance in (of families) Registered unemployed 1, the state for support, but only nineteen percent were officially recognized as poor and included in the family poverty benefit system. In 2005, on average a total of AMD30.2 million per month (all currency is AMD, i.e. dram) was paid as benefits, which on average amounts to 11,933 dram per benefit-receiving family. The other form of state support for vulnerable people in the marz is one-time monetary assistance which, according to marz government data for the first half of 2005, amounted to an average of 1.7 million dram per month. Based on the marz social assistance board, 395 families received one-time assistance in One-time monetary assistance plays a particularly important role for families who have applied for inclusion in the benefit system, but were not included. The one-time assistance is allocated by the marz social assistance board for a three-month period. In the first half of 2005, 11,323 pensioners of the marz received an average of 112 million dram per month, and the average pension per pensioner amounted to 10,332 dram. The unemployment rate in the marz among people aged sixteen to sixty-four is only 4.9 percent. Regional employment centers conduct labor market studies in the marz, support the registration of the unemployed and find solutions to employment related problems in the marz. In the first quarter of 2005, 181 unemployed found jobs through regional employment centers. In order to mitigate the unemployment situation, a paid public works program is implemented in twenty-seven communities of the marz (mainly over a three to four month period). Three hundred and sixty-five people work within the framework of the program. The socially vulnerable and poorer groups in the marz are also at the center of attention of marz and community authorities. In order to make the assistance provided to vulnerable groups more targeted, and have a general picture of the social situation in the marz, mayors provide information to marz authorities annually regarding the representation of vulnerable groups of residents in communities. That information, as of January 1, 2005, is presented in Table 2. As presented in Table 2, these vulnerable groups are mainly concentrated in rural areas. Table 2. Data of Vayts Dzor marz government on certain vulnerable groups in the marz Vulnerable groups As of January 1, 2005 Total Rural Urban Marz capital Single mothers Lonely pensioners 2,381 1, Families with three or more children 2,262 1, Families with five or more children Refugee families 1, Families of martyred freedom fighters Veterans of WW II Mentally ill Very poor families 4,813 2,833 1, Number of residents in the marz 55,900 36,500 11,200 8,200 Number of households in the marz 13,288 8,040 3,117 2,131

79 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 2. Vulnerability assessment survey: interviews with marz experts In order to identify the vulnerable groups and threats of vulnerability in the marz, interviews with marz experts were conducted within the framework of the Creation of a Social Monitoring and Analysis System project. The interviews were conducted with eighteen specialists with practical knowledge on the socio-economic conditions of the marz, such as the heads of relevant departments and units of the marz government, directors of regional social services and employment services, and knowledgeable civil society representatives. According to the average rating provided by all experts, 58.9 percent of marz residents are vulnerable. The analysis of the survey results reveals that experts, in general, have cited twenty-two vulnerable groups in the marz which were mentioned more frequently than others (see Figure 1). 2.1 The disabled 79 The representation of the disabled in the marz at 5.6 percent is significantly higher than the national average (4.2 percent) and the same indicator for other marzes. Only Tavush marz has a higher representation of the disabled (6.9 percent). The disabled in Vayots Dzor are mostly residents of rural areas, where access to healthcare services is particularly limited. According to the results of the national human development survey (NHDS), healthcare services are inaccessible for 43.8 percent of marz residents, and 34 percent of the disabled and chronically ill 1. Figure 2. Distribution of the disabled by types of settlements 717 The vulnerable groups most frequently mentioned by experts are as follows: Disabled, including children Unemployed 332 Civil servants or employees of budgetary organizations Single mothers and families headed by women 1986 Marz capital Urban Rural Figure 1. Distribution of the frequencies of vulnerable groups mentioned by experts, % of total responses (N=162) Disabled, including children Unemployed Employees of budgetary organizations Lonely mothers, households headed by women Lonely elderly and families consisting of them Children deprived of both parents Families with numerous children Pensioners Young people Young families Families with numerous members Those unable to cultivate their land Landless people Those who have applied for the benefit system but not included Those without dwelling/homeless Residents of remote communities Families of martyred freedom fighters Refugees Children Injured freedom fighters and veterans Families with detained members Affected by natural disasters 8,0 7,4 6,8 6,8 6,8 5,6 4,9 4,9 3,7 3,1 3,1 3,1 3,1 2,5 2,5 2,5 1,9 1,2 0,6 0,6 9,9 11,1 0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0 1 See Armenia Social Trends No. 5, Human Poverty in Armenia s Marzes, p. 92.

80 The unemployed Although the registered unemployment rate is fairly low in the marz, the real unemployment rate (in the age group of sixteen to sixty-four), according to various estimates, is significantly higher and totals fifteen percent, and in urban communities is twentytwo percent 2. The marz has only three urban communities. Farming is a very important sector in Yeghegnadzor, and more than half of Yeghegnadzor households have agricultural lands, thus somewhat mitigating the unemployment problem. The situation is different in Vayk and Jermuk. Vayk has almost no privatized agricultural lands, and in Jermuk only ten percent of households acquired lands during the initial stages of land privatization. Nonetheless, Jermuk has more opportunities for non-farming employment, while Vayk has a more limited economy. Finding jobs is particularly difficult for young people. Conscripts returning from military service and people returning from penitentiaries who try to enter the labor market cannot receive the status of unemployed since they do not have at least one year of work experience. Experts also mention that the situation for people who are Soviet-educated and are currently forty to forty-five years old is also difficult. Their possibilities for retraining and finding jobs are very limited, if they have not had any job for a long time, have lost their qualifications, or have been isolated from society. The marz s economic development is traditionally linked with agriculture. Its manufacturing industries were closed down after the end of the Soviet era. Conditions are very poor in instrument manufacturing (with the exception of Rele factory in Yeghegnadzor) and light industries; the majority of enterprises either do not operate or are in serious financial difficulties. Although the share of foodstuff and beverage production in the total volume of industrial production in the marz is 87.8 percent, the situation of other agricultural processing factories is a cause for concern. The re-establishment of the only canning factory in the marz (in Yeghegnadzor) is high on the agenda. Establishment of meat and dairy processing factories is also very important. It should also be noted that 1,125 new jobs were created in the marz in 2004 (278 jobs in manufacturing, 572 in construction, 360 within the framework of benefits-for-work program and 25 in other sectors) 3. Nonetheless, according to the experts, lack of employment is the most influential factor among those ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS factors having an impact on vulnerability in the marz (see Figure 3). 3. The most vulnerable of the vulnerable groups The majority of experts are of the opinion that the most vulnerable group in the marz is the unemployed, mentioning at the same time that in their opinion the state does not provide for the needs of the unemployed at all. According to expert assessments, the three groups with the highest level of vulnerability among the vulnerable population of the marz are the following: The unemployed The disabled Single mothers and families headed by women 4. þþnewþþ vulnerable groups Interviews of experts also revealed vulnerable groups which are not taken into account in the state social assistance system (Figure 1). Those groups are as follows: Employees of budgetary organizations (civil servants) Young families and young people in general Landless people and those who are not able to cultivate their lands Those left outside the system of family benefits 4.1. Employees of budgetary organizations, civil servants The vulnerability of young people and young families in the marz is linked mainly to the lack of jobs (17.2 percent of fifteen to twenty-four year-olds are unemployed 4 ). Vulnerability in rural areas is linked to the problems of land privatization while, according to expert opinions, employees of budgetary organizations are vulnerable mainly due to low salaries, which are the main sources of income for urban residents. The average nominal monthly salary of employees in the marz in 2003 amounted to 23,295 dram 5 compared to the national average of 34,045 dram. 2 See Armenia Social Trends No. 5, Human Poverty in Armenia s Marzes, p report of Vayots Dzor governor. 4 See Armenia Social Trends No. 5, Human Poverty in Armenia s Marzes, p See NSS, Food Security and Poverty, 2005, January-March, p. 9.

81 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 4.2 Landless people and those who are not able to cultivate their lands As a result of land distribution in Vayots Dzor marz, according to the information from the state land agency, each rural family, on average, received 1.46ha of land which, on average, comprised three geografically separated plots: one of which was irrigated land, and the other two were not (in some rural communities up to seven pieces of land were allocated to one family). According to NHDS data, around 0.4 percent of marz farms do not own private land (2003 data). More recent data on the lack of land and land transactions are not available. Around sixty percent of farms owning agricultural lands do not use them partially, or totally, due to an absence or shortage of irrigation, or poor land quality Vulnerability factors in the marz Marz experts assessed the vulnerability factors in the marz on a 7 point scale (1 = vulnerability in the marz is totally independent from the given factor, 4 = some dependence, 7 = totally dependent on the given factor, see Figure 3). According to the assessments, vulnerability in the marz is mainly linked to a lack of jobs (the highest average point at 6.44), families with no able-bodied or working-age members (5.56), families with disabled members or disabled children (5.56), and the migration of young people (5.39). The majority of experts are of the opinion that the state provided for the needs of the mentioned vulnerable groups only to a small extent. The exception is 81 refugees, the special needs of whom, according to more than half of the experts, are adequately provided for. Probably this is the result of the housing vouchers provided to refugees. Thirteen refugee families in need of housing in Vayots Dzor marz received housing vouchers based on Government Order No. 747 date May 20, 2004 (the process continues). Refugees who have become totally integrated into the socio-economic life of the marz naturally have the same problems as locals. Experts mentioned that in case of economic difficulties or emergency situations, marz residents first of all receive real help from relatives abroad, and then marz and community authorities. At the same time, the poor and very poor mainly rely on community authorities, and the non-poor rely on relatives outside Armenia. Marz experts also assessed the level of satisfaction of marz residents with basic social services and their quality. Analysis reveals that the level of satisfaction is very low in the marz with regard to the following services: Intra-community transportation services Radio and Internet connections Sewage services Garbage disposal Figure 3. To what extent is vulnerability linked to various factors Totally linked 7 6 Somewhat linked Not linked at all 2 1 Shortage of jobs Families with no able-bodied members Families with disabled members Migration of young people Near-border areas High-mountainous and upland areas Parentless children Families with numerous children Physical isolation of the marz Young families Lonely elderly Families with numerous members Families headed by women Irrigation problems Healthcare services Natural disasters or their threat Informational isolation Having no land Refugees Living under temporary shelter 6 See Armenia Social Trends No. 6, Rural Poverty in Armenia s Marzes, p. 39, 41.

82 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS 82 TAVUSH MARZ NELLY KAMALYAN Tavush marz government Social M&A Unit Tel. (0-263) Poverty, as a multi-dimensional phenomenon, is not determined only by low levels of income, consumption or expenditures. Today, poverty and its further exacerbation also result from the limited opportunities for receiving education, adequate healthcare and active participation in the social life, as well as the low level of social protection from various risks. In other words, poverty can be reduced only through addressing people s physical (food, housing, water, electricity consumption, etc.), social (healthcare, education, work, availability of information, etc.), and intellectual (reading and access to cultural values) needs. A certain group of residents in Tavush marz have huge difficulties in fulfilling those needs due to a number of reasons, the most important of which are physical and mental limitations (disabilities, old age) and unfavorable social conditions (deprived of parents, unemployment). These people are not necessarily poor, but studies have revealed that they are nonetheless vulnerable, since they are at higher risk of poverty. The Government of Armenia has divided the vulnerable population into sixteen groups (see Box 1) which are included in public social assistance and protection programs. The largest of such programs are the state family poverty benefit system and the pension fund. As of January 1, 2005, 28,050 pensioners in Tavush marz, or 20.9 percent of its residents, received pensions, and 21.1 percent of families (8,618 families) received family benefits. Thus, more than one-fifth of the marz s families and residents are included in key public social protection programs. Moreover, another 2,286 families, mainly those with member(s) belonging to vulnerable groups, have received one-time monetary assistance from the state. Results of the vulnerability assessment survey in Tavush marz A quantitative analysis of the specific manifestations of vulnerability in Tavush marz, from various points of view, was conducted within the framework of the joint UNDP and Government of Armenia project Creation of a Social Monitoring and Analysis System. Vulnerable groups and the qualitative aspects of vulnerability were identified in July, 2005 through an Table 1. Main vulnerability indicators in Tavush marz Vulnerable groups and families receiving public social assistance As of January 1, Disabled of Group I 1, Disabled of Group II 5, Disabled of Group III 2, Disabled children (up to 18 years of age) Children deprived of one parent 2, Children deprived of both parents percent of residents 7 Pensioners 28, Lonely pensioners 1, Families of martyred freedom fighters Registered unemployed 4, Families receiving family benefits 8, Families who have received one-time monetary assistance 2,

83 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA expert assessment of vulnerability in the marz. Marz experts participating in the assessment were heads of departments and units of Tavush marz government, heads of public agencies and NGOs involved in the social sector, and leaders in educational and cultural fields, who completed the questionnaire for the survey of vulnerable groups in Armenia s marzes. One hundred and twenty marz experts were interviewed. Summary of assessments According to the experts, the overall picture of vulnerability in the marz is as follows: vulnerable people 55.5 percent vulnerable families 45.5 percent Interestingly enough, not only were there the officially recognized social groups receiving public assistance, but there were also a number of other groups which were mentioned by marz experts as particularly vulnerable: young families; students; the landless; all residents of the border zone; and families of injured freedom fighters. The specific needs of these above groups are not being adequately addressed by the state. The vulnerable groups most frequently mentioned by marz experts during interviews were: parentless children, 12.5 percent of all responses; the disabled and families having disabled members percent; pensioners 9.5 percent; lonely elderly pensioners 8.5 percent; refugees 8.5 percent; and families with many children 6.5 percent. Experts have also assessed the adequacy and quality of basic services provided to marz residents. In general, Tavush residents are totally dissatisfied with: Internet connections; phone connections; and the community s social life. 83 In fact, the conditions of Internet and cellular phone connections in the marz are unacceptably poor. The social life, including the intellectual-cultural life, is particularly out of reach for the vulnerable groups. According to experts, the vulnerable people in the marz cannot afford to go the movies, theaters or concerts. According to expert assessments, the distribution of various social strata in the marz averages as the following: rich and very rich families percent; middle class families 32.5 percent; poor families percent; and very poor families 22.7 percent; Children deprived of both parents According to the experts, the extremely high representation of parentless children in the marz (which, according to official data, constitutes 5.2 percent and is five times higher than the national average of less than one percent) is mainly because of the Karabagh conflict and the corresponding border clashes from 1998 to 1994, which resulted in a large number of martyred freedom fighters in the marz. The other consequence is the large proportion of marz households headed by women, at 29.2 percent, while women are the main breadwinners in every third urban household (or 34.2 percent). Thus, compared to other rural areas, extreme poverty is about fourteen percent more widespread in border villages due to the larger numbers of martyred freedom fighters and their families. Unfavorable demographic situation The assessment survey of vulnerability in the marz reveals a clear link between vulnerability and an unfavorable demographic composition of the marz s population. The large proportion of elderly at 20.9 percent (the highest among all marzes), and the high number of disabled, including disabled children (6.9 percent), refugees and other vulnerable groups, are decisive factors having a large impact on the risk of poverty in communities and among the population. Elderly, lonely and disabled elderly Tavush is one of the aging marzes of the country and, as a result, has a high level of vulnerability. Every fifth resident of the marz is not of working age. There is a large number of elderly among the latter, and 1,768 pensioners (see Table 1), or 6.3

84 84 percent of all pensioners in the marz, live alone. This is a result of the difficult socio-economic conditions of marz s rural areas; many young families have left the country leaving their elderly behind. Consequently, populations of just under half of the marz s rural communities do not exceed 1,000 (see Table 2). Table 2. Distribution of Tavush marz s rural communities, by population Up to 100 residents to 200 residents to 500 residents to 1,000 residents ,001 to 3,000 residents ,001 to 5,000 residents ,001 to 10,000 residents 0 Total of 58 rural communities 100 Pensioners with disabilities live in extremely difficult conditions; their pensions are very small and equal to those of other pensioners, but their healthcare expenses are much higher due to their disabilities. But other than their pension, they do not receive any other assistance from the state, so international social assistance and humanitarian programs try to fill that gap. World Vision, for example, together with the UN World Food Programme, is implementing the Support to the Elderly project in Ijevan and nearby villages with around 800 elderly beneficiaries. Specially trained caretakers, who are selected from vulnerable families and receive food for their work, provide services to elderly at their homes. Near-border villages One of the decisive factors impacting vulnerability in Tavush marz is its location near the border. This marz has the largest number of settlements ruined as a result of the Karabagh conflict. Consequently, it has a large proportion of refugees and internally displaced people. In Tavush marz seventy percent, or forty-three out of sixty, urban and rural communities are on the border with Azerbaijan. Understandably, the most serious risk of vulnerability in the marz is being located near the border and, consequently, in the area of military activities. Hundreds of damaged private houses and pubic buildings, thousands of hectares of agricultural lands, which are mined or under the threat of artillery fire, thousands of internally displaced people and refugees (every tenth resident in the marz, excluding the naturalized refugees) further deepen the problem of vulnerability in the marz, and make it more acute. Refugees ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Every tenth community in Tavsuh marz has refugee residents. Refugees have the right to participate in local elections, both as candidates and as voters. It should be noted that refugee communities are notable for the relatively high level of social and political activity of women. Thus, as a result of the local elections held on July 2, 2003 in five refugee communities of Aghavnavank, Khachardzan, Hovk, Zorakan and Debedavan, one woman was elected as a head of community and six women, from a total of thirty-one community council members, were elected as council members. The most frequently mentioned factor of vulnerability among refugees is the serious housing problems. A number of international organizations, particularly the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Norwegian Refugee Council, are operating in the country and are making efforts to solve those problems. Only in 2003, with their support, as well as with the support of other donor organizations, fortythree cottages were built to house refugee families of the marz living in temporary shelters. There are also serious food security problems in refugee communities. These problems are the result of the large quantity of lands unsuitable for farming, as well as a lack of farming skills among refugees, particularly those coming from urban backgrounds. A number of international organizations (including the UN World Food Programme) have implemented various projects for food provision, social development, training, etc. One of the most relevant of those projects is the training project implemented by the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ). In twelve communities of the marz, where more than half of all residents are refugees, awareness and training courses for providing detailed information on the laws and other legal acts pertaining to refugee issues were organized. Unemployment and low wages The proportion of the employed among Tavush marz residents aged sixteen and above is 44.2 percent, which is near the national average. The employment rate among women, however, is 1.4 times lower (37 percent) than men (53.3 percent), and 1.8 times lower among urban residents compared to the rural population (52.5 percent). It should also be noted that Tavush marz still has the lowest level of nominal wages in the country after Aragatzotn marz.

85 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA At the same time, incomes from agriculture are also very low as a result of the non-cultivated agricultural lands, as well as having no land, which is a serious problem in the marz. Around eight percent of marz s farms, mostly belonging to refugees and internally displaced people, do not have their own land. In addition, around twelve percent of farms owning land do not cultivate it due to mines and the threat of artillery. In order to maintain the willingness of the unemployed to work, and reduce the dependence of those with low incomes on social benefits, temporary employment programs in the form of public works have been implemented since AMD 500 million are annually allocated from the state budget for this purpose. The large number of people included in public works programs, and the volumes of their funding, indicate the fairly active participation of residents of Tavush marz in such initiatives. Benefit-receiving families The largest state social assistance program is the family poverty benefit program. The number of benefit-receiving families in Tavush marz has declined gradually in recent years (see Figure 1). The reason behind the reduction, however, is the changes in criteria used in the system, rather than improved living standards of families. The sharp decline from 2001 to 2002 occurred due to the planned increase in the amounts of pensions and, as a result, nearly twenty-five percent of the marz s pensioners were automatically excluded from the system. 85 According to data from the marz government, the representation of benefit-receiving families in urban and rural areas is almost similar, constituting 21.6 percent and 20.6 percent, respectively. According to the regional units of social services, the number of families applying for benefits is much higher in the marz s towns. On average, however, one-third of families applying to, and registering with, social services units are not included in the family benefit program, since they do not meet the poverty and vulnerability criteria. At the same time, it should be noted that regional social services units are located in former marz capitals and are not accessible to everyone due to unreliable public transportation. As a result, certain numbers of vulnerable and poor rural families are not able to receive state assistance, including family benefits. This situation requires that social services themselves try to identify the most vulnerable and poorest people, rather than making a selection only based on applications of households intending to receive benefits. Financing of social assistance to vulnerable people More than AMD4 billion is allocated to the marz from the state budget in order to cover the costs of solving the problems of vulnerable people and meeting their special needs (see Table 3). Expenditures from the state budget for social security in 2004 were 32.5 percent higher than in From 2004, the rates of increase in pension insurance Figure 1. Declining trends of benefit-receiving families in Tavush marz, by regions of the marz (as of year end) Dilijan region Ijevan region Noyemberyan region Berd region Total

86 86 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Table 3. Social protection expenditures from state budget resources allocated to Tavush marz Total, billion AMD Including: 1. Pensions Pensions for army officers and their families Pensions for soldiers and their families Compensation for disabilities, occupational diseases and other health problems of employees occurring while performing their duties Pension insurance State benefits paid to people Including: 2.1 Family benefits Monthly benefits paid to persons taking leave of absence with partial compensation in order to nurse children under two years of age 3. Social security measures Other social schemes Honorary payments to veterans State employment schemes Targeted state schemes (one-time payment for birth) Projections of public financing of social security in Tavush marz presented in the table are based on indicators of the mid-term expenditures framework and the PRSP. budgets will amount to nearly thirty percent per year. In addition, it is planned to increase state expenditures on certain categories of pensioners, such as army officers and people in military service and their families, as well as employees who are entitled to compensation due to injuries which occurred while performing their duties. Parallel to state expenditures on social assistance, humanitarian assistance is also distributed in the marz through individual charity and social programs, which have not yet lost their significance due to the difficult socio-economic conditions of the vulnerable groups. The largest of these programs is the UN World Food Programme, which distributes assistance through four main projects: food assistance to the poorest families; food for work; food for education; meals in schools. A large number of NGOs also operate in the marz, which provide assistance in a number of areas: material assistance (monetary assistance, clothes, food, medicine); soup kitchens; home care for lonely elderly; legal advisory services; medical assistance, etc. Based on the developmental trends of the NGO sector in Tavush marz, it can be concluded that NGOs are becoming and indispensable part of the social life, especially with respect to social protection for vulnerable groups.

87 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA SYUNIK MARZ RAFIK GHAZARYAN Syunik marz government Social M&A Unit Tel. (0-285) The state social policy for vulnerable groups is enacted mainly by the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, which has defined the list of socially vulnerable groups under the care of the state (Ordinance of the Minister of Labor and Social Issues No. 18 dated 10 February 2005). The representation of those vulnerable groups in the marz is as follows: Table 1. Representation of vulnerable groups in the marz, as at 1 January 2005, according to data from marz government Title of the social group Numbers % of residents 1 The disabled Disabled of the I group Disabled of the II group Disabled of the III group Disabled children (up to 18 years of age) 5 Parentless children deprived of one parent (percentage of those aged 0-18 years) 6 Parentless children deprived of both parents (percentage of those aged 0-18 years) As at June 2005, 9842 families 1, or 24.9 percent of the total number of families in Syunik marz, were registered in the family poverty benefit system. Thus, around one-fourth of marz families have considered themselves as poor and have applied for registration in order to receive state assistance of those families, or around 58 percent of those registered, receive family poverty benefits. The settlement coefficient is also taken into account for the assessment of the degree of social disadvantage of families in the family benefit system. In Syunik marz 60 settlements (from 135) are included on the list of settlements with such coefficient, which is the largest number compared to all other marzes. This is the result of the large proportion of near-border, mountainous and high mountainous and small rural communities. According to expert assessments 2, 64.2 percent of marz s communities have more than 50 percent disposition to poverty. And around half (51 percent) of communities of the country with such high poverty disposition are located in Syunik marz. In 2005, AMD888,487 thousand was allocated to the marz for benefits and one-time monetary assistance paid to needy families. Applications of needy families were discussed through social assistance boards operating within the regional social services agencies and one-time monetary assistance (around AMD1014 per month) was allocated to most disadvantaged families. In 2005, AMD70 million was allocated to the marz for implementation of Paid public works programmes. Nearly 2500 job-seekers were included in the implementation of those programmes, who will receive AMD1100 for each working day Pensioners Lonely pensioners Registered unemployed Benefit-receiving families (percentage of marz households) In addition, marz residents receive humanitarian assistance from international organizations (see Table 2). Table 2. Humanitarian assistance provided by international and other organizations to Syunik marz (million AMD) 1. Agricultural services programme Syunik-Zangezur fund Save the children Help to communities WFP Source: the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues. 2 See Armenia Social Trends No. 3, p. 6.

88 88 6. UNHCR Otevan youth association Kajaran charity fund OXFAM Howard Karagyozyan fund Armenian ophthalmologic project fund Armenian development services of the USA UNICEF British Embassy Zangezur CMF CJSC World Vision UNIFEM Action contre la famme TOTAL The mentioned organizations have basically implemented credit programmes, repaired irrigation networks, roads, schools and healthcare posts, while a large number of them ( Howard Karagyozyan fund, Help to Communities, World Vision, WFP, etc.) have also taken measures to support poorer groups (freeof-charge eye and dental care services for children up to 14 years of age, improvement of housing conditions for families of martyred and injured freedom fighters, visits of mobile medical teams to ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS near-border villages, etc.). Only WFP provided planned assistance to poor benefit-receiving families, disabled, parentless children and refugees. But WFP has stopped its operations in the marz since July A quantitative analysis of the specific manifestations of vulnerability in Syunik marz from various points of view was conducted within the framework of the joint UNDP and Government of Armenia project Creation of a Social Monitoring and Analysis System. But considering that vulnerability is a broad concept, in order to identify specific vulnerable groups in the marz and disclose the qualitative aspects of the problems of vulnerability, an expert survey of vulnerable groups was conducted in the marz in July Results of the expert vulnerability assessment Vulnerable groups in the marz, according to expert assessments. Marz experts participating in the assessment were heads of departments and units of Tavush marz government, heads of public agencies and NGOs involved in the social sector, leaders in educational and cultural fields, who completed the questionnaire for survey of vulnerable groups in Armenia s marzes. In total 20 marz experts were interviewed. Figure 1. Vulnerable groups mentioned by experts, % in the total number of responses (N=200) Families with numerous children 15.8 Lonely elderly or families consisting of lonely elderly Parentless children Unemployed Disabled and families having disabled members Refugees Disabled children Injured freedom fighters and veterans Pensioners Young families 3.3 Landless people Those without dwelling/homeless Households headed by women Lone-mothers and their children Families of martyred freedom fighters

89 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA In general, vulnerable groups of the marz most frequently mentioned by experts were families with numerous children (15.8 percent), lonely elderly and families consisting only of elderly (10.2 percent), parentless children (10.2 percent), disabled and unemployed (see Figure 1). This distribution reflects the overall socio-economic conditions of the marz: a) Families with numerous children (3 or more children) constitute only around 10 percent of marz s families. But the children load coefficient in the marz per 100 rural residents is 53 (compared to 36 for the entire marz) 3 and is the highest compared to other marzes. This means that families with numerous children are concentrated in marz s rural communities (19 percent of rural families) and carry the burden of social, economic and territorial-geographical problems of rural communities on their shoulders. b) The most serious demographic problem in the marz is the aging of population, especially in rural, near-boarder and small communities. Nearly 13 percent of residents are aged 65 years and above, and households of lonely elderly and those consisting of only elderly amount to around 13.2 percent of marz s households. The coefficient of elderly load in the marz per 100 residents is 20, and for rural residents it reaches 27 (second only to the same indicator for Vayots Dzor marz at 28) 4. There are 26,181 oldage pensioners in the marz, or 19.5 percent of residents. 59 percent of them are women, and the average monthly pension is AMD9800. c) Unemployment in the marz is an urgent problem, considering the prevalence of urban residents in the marz (68.2 percent). In four employment centers of the marz, there are 14,545 registered unemployed, of whom 11,665 have the status of unemployed (this is 14.3 percent of the working-age popualtion). Unlike the registered unemployment, the real unemployment among the workingage population, according to various estimates, is around 17 percent 5. d) The marz is noted due to the large number of the disabled at 7654, or 5.2 percent of the population, which is significantly higher than the national average. And no serious studies have been conducted for revealing the causes. 89 One of the notable results of the expert assessment is that experts have mentioned not only the vulnerable groups officially recognized by the state, whose problems are addressed by a state policy enacted through the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, but also a number of specific sociodemographic groups considered as vulnerable. Those are the newly formed young families, landless rural households, injured (disabled) freedom fighters and their families. It must be noted that the mentioning of landless households is only logical, since land privatization has not taken place in a number of communities of the marz (N. Khndzoresk, Geghi, Payahan). Newly formed families in rural areas, other than the general problems (housing, furniture, household items, etc.), also face the problems of acquiring private land. Disabled freedom fighters have serious problems in case of the need for complicated surgeries. In such cases, they put out an announcement and hope that residents will show sympathy and will support them. Figure 2. The most vulnerable groups of the marz according to expert assessments, number of responses (total number of responses N=20) Young families Unemployed Disabled children Disabled and families having disabled members Lonely elderly or families consisting of lonely elderly Pensioners Parentless children Families with numerous children 3 See Armenia Social Trends No. 5, p See Armenia Social Trends No. 5, p See Armenia Social Trends No. 5, p

90 90 The most vulnerable groups of the marz according to expert assessments. Experts have classified the identified vulnerable groups by the level of vulnerability. The results reveal that the most vulnerable group of population in the marz is the group of disabled, in particular disabled children and their families. Around half of marz experts have mentioned that group as having the highest degree of vulnerability (see Figure 2). The second vulnerable group of the marz most frequently mentioned by experts is the group of parentless children, followed by pensioners, lonely elderly and families consisting only of elderly and the unemployed. The list and distribution of the most vulnerable groups of the marz, according to expert assessments, are presented in Figure 2. The Ministry of Labor and Social Issues makes significant effort in order to meet the needs of the disabled in the marz (in 2004, 31 disabled persons received wheelchairs, prostheses, other items, walking sticks, disability shoes were provided to 72 disabled residents, and 148 disabled and elderly received hearing aids). The problems of integration the disabled, however, is still a very actual problem, which is partially linked to the specific territorialgeographic features of the marz. Conditions of healthcare posts in remote, high mountainous and near-border communities, shortage of medical equipment and relevant specialists, limit the physical access to primary medical care for the disabled. Reaching marz capital and the capital city is also difficult not only due to financial constraints, but also physical limitations which do not allow for such long journeys. The disability pension is extremely small, and the government plans to increase disability pensions gradually, so that only by 2010 they will exceed the general poverty line. (PRSP p. 109) ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Despite the mentioned situation, there are few nongovernmental, as well as other stakeholder organizations in the marz dealing with the problems of the vulnerable group of the disabled (probably with the exception of those in the town of Goris). As a result, the disabled in the marz are poorly informed and have a low level of participation in the social life. Many surveys reveal that a large part of the disabled does not even know about the laws passed for enacting the sate policy on their issues and their rights. Some experts are of the opinion that young families in the marz are the most vulnerable. Considering the specific demographic and territorial features of the marz, there is a need to adopt a special state policy for young people and their families. Although refugees were mentioned as a vulnerable group by 9.3 percent of experts, the latter have ascribed a high degree of vulnerability to the group. In the years of military conflict, 9505 refugees came to the marz. A majority of them has become integrated into the society, has received Armenian citizenship and their housing problems are also being resolved. (28 refugee families who lived under temporary shelters have received apartments through purchases. The construction of a 40-apartment building for refugees in Goris has already started). Vulnerability factors in Syunik marz Marz experts assessed the vulnerability factors in the marz on a 7 point scale (1=vulnerability in the marz is totally independent from the given factor, 4=some dependence, 7=totally dependent on the given factor). According to marz experts, vulnerability in the marz is mainly linked to shortage of jobs (the highest average rating at 6.3), high-mountainous and near-border areas (correspondingly 5.1 and Whose support do the poor and very poor residents of the marz turn to in case of difficulties, % of responses (N=40) Whose support do the average and rich residents of the marz turn to in case of difficulties, % of responses (N=40) Community authorities Marz authorities Other governmental structures Relatives in Armenia Relatives outside Armenia NGOs The Church No one TOTAL

91 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 5.0 points) and migration of the youth (5.1 points). Lack of access to healthcare service (on average 4.7 points) and families with no able-bodied or working-age members (on average 4.4 points) have also been underlined. Values ascribed by experts to other factors vary around 4 point, which is the mean value of the scale, or lower. Thus, the majority of experts have attached importance to the following vulnerability factors: jobs and employment, disrupted age (demographic) proportions of marz s residents and administrative-territorial and gepgrpahic factors. The majority of experts (90 percent) are of the opinion that, in general, the special needs of people in the most vulnerable groups (those with the highest degree of vulnerability), conditioned by their vulnerability, are met to a small extent, despite the fact that the state is enacting a special social policy for those groups. While, according to experts, in case of economic difficulties or emergency situations, marz residents receive help, first of all, from their relatives living outside Armenia (55 percent of responses). Characteristically, there are differences between the poorer groups and middle class and rich groups of the population. Poorer groups, according to experts, expect help equally from the community and marz structures and other state structures, as well as relatives living abroad. While, average and rich groups mostly refer to their relatives abroad. According to experts, the help received from NGOs and the Church does not play a significant role. Marz experts also assessed the level of satisfaction of marz residents with basic social services and their quality. The analysis reveals that marz residents have problems with regard to the access to internet, drinking and irrigation water, radio and phone communications, as well as operations of healthcare services (see Figure 3). According to the subjective opinion of the experts (average assessments), the overall picture of vulnerability in the marz is as follows: Vulnerable families 55 percent Vulnerable individuals 67 percent 91 Figure 3. Satisfaction of marz residents with various services (averages of expert assessments on a 7 point scale, where 1-totally unsatisfactory, 4- somewhat satisfactory, 7-fully satisfactory) Figure 4. Assessment of the living standards of marz residents according to expert assessments (percentage of marz residents) Very poor Poor Rich and very rich And the averaged percentage values for other social groups are presented in Figure 4. The high percentage of the poor here, in our opinion, is linked to the fact that recently the attitude toward assessment has somewhat changed. Formerly there was a psychology of survival, while today experts attach importance to decent living. According to respondents, not only the unemployed and benefitreceivers, but also people with low wages are vulnerable. Respondents do not see any changes with regard to living standards and living conditions in the last three years, as well as the short-term future perspective, and those who expect changes foresee only slight improvements. Average living standard Electricity supply Television services Educational services Social services Inter-community transportation services Intra-community transportation services Press services Sewage services Garbage disposal services Telephone services Healthcare services Radio Irrigation services Drinking water supply Internet services

92 92 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS YEREVAN KARINE HOVHANNISYAN Yerevan Municipality Social M&A Unit Tel The representation of social groups recognized as vulnerable by the state and under its care in Yerevan city, as at 1 January 2005, is presented below (see Table 1). As at 1 January 2005, 39,500 households were registered in the regional social services agencies of Yerevan, of whom 29,093 households receive family benefits and 9920 households have received one-time monetary assistance. The average monthly benefit per family amounts to around AMD11,200. On average, benefit-receiving families in Yerevan receive AMD286 million in benefits, and AMD57 million in one-time monetary assistance. The number of benefit-receiving families has declined in recent years, mainly due to changes in criteria used in the system, rather than improvements of families socio-economic situation. This situation is compensated by the state though increases in the payments of one-time monetary assistance. Results of the expert survey of vulnerable groups in Yerevan In order to identify the vulnerable groups in Yerevan and determine the qualitative aspects of vulnerability, an expert survey for assessing vulnerable groups of population was conducted in Yerevan in September 2005, within the framework of the joint UNDP and Government of Armenia project Creation of a social monitoring and analysis system. The experts selected in Yerevan were heads of department of Yerevan Municipality, directors and heads of units of regional social services agencies. They completed the questionnaire Survey of vulnerable groups of population in Armenia s marzes. 20 experts in total participated in the survey. The assessment of the vulnerability of marz s population (on average), according to the subjective assessment of the experts, is percent. Table 1. Vulnerable groups of Yerevan city (according to data from Municipality) Title of vulnerable group Numbers % 1 Disabled of I category Disabled of II category Disabled of iii category Disabled children (up to 18 years of age) Pensioners Lonely pensioners Parentless children deprived of one parent (percentage of all children) 8 Parentless children deprived of both parents (percentage of all children) 9 Benefit-receiving families (percentage of all families) Families with numerous 3 or more - children (registered in the family benefit system, percentage of all families) 11 The unemployed (percentage of those aged years) 12 Lone-mothers (registered in the family benefit system) 13 Families of martyred freedom fighters War Veterans Elderly living in homes for elderly

93 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA The experts have mentioned 14 vulnerable groups in total (see Figure1). Figure 1. Vulnerable groups mentioned by experts and the distribution of the frequency of their mentioning in the total number of responses (200) ,5 Parentless children 11,0 10,5 9,0 9,0 7,5 7,0 6,5 6,0 6,0 5,5 Lonely pensioners Families of martyred freedom fighters Disabled Disabled children Families with numerous children Mentally ill persons Vulnerability assessment Unemployed Single mothers and tjheir children Female-headed h/hs Refugees Vulnerable groups of the marz most frequently mentioned by experts were parentless children, lonely elderly and families consisting of lonely elderly, families of martyred freedom fighters, the disabled, 1,5 0,5 0,5 Other Injured freedom fighters Young families 93 disabled children (under 18 years of age), families with numerous children. Those groups have a higher than 7 percent representation in the total number of responses by experts. The mentally ill and unemployed has also been mentioned frequently. According to expert assessments, the most vulnerable groups in the marz are parentless children, lonely elderly or families consisting of lonely elderly and the disabled (including disabled children). Assessment of vulnerability factors The experts assessed the vulnerability factors for Yerevan residents on a 7 point scale (see Figure 2). According to the assessments, vulnerability in the capital city is primarily conditioned by unemployment (6.4 points from 7 possible), migration of young people and families with no able-bodied or working-age members. Families headed by women, lonely elderly and parentless children were also considered as significant factors. Figure 2. Assessments of vulnerability factors, average ratings Ethnic minorities Landless rural h/hs Population living in high mountainious areas Population living in border areas Population under the risk of natural disasters Physical isolation Informative isolation IIrrigation problems Population under the risk of ecological disasters Inaccessibility of educational services Households with numerous members Households with numerous children Young families Families under temporary shelter, homeless Refugees and IDPs Inaccessibility of healthcare cervices Disables and families with disables Parentless children Lonely elderly Female-headed families Families without working-age members Migration of youth Unemployment 1,3 1,35 1,55 1,6 1,75 2,2 2,3 2,45 2,7 2,9 3,05 3,15 3,2 3,45 3,7 3,75 3,95 4,3 4,8 4,8 5,05 5,4 6, Series1

94 94 Values ascribed by experts to other factors vary in a range which is lower than the mean value of the scale. Meeting the needs of vulnerable groups The special needs of the most vulnerable groups (with the highest degree of vulnerability) conditioned by vulnerability, according to experts, are met to a small extent, although the government provides certain social care to those groups (see Figure 3). Figure 3. Special needs of the most vulnerable groups (with the highest degree of vulnerability) conditioned by vulnerability Not satisfactory at all 5% Satisfactory to some extent 65% ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Satisfaction of marz s residents with basic services Vulnerability in the marz is to some extent also linked to the accessibility of basic services. Experts have assessed the degree to which marz residents are satisfied with various types of basic services. Analysis of the data reveals that marz s residents are mainly satisfied with the electricity supply and TV, and satisfaction with educational and social services is higher than average (see Table 1). City residents are inadequately satisfied with healthcare, phone communications and garbage disposal services. Adequately satisfactory 30% Marz residents are not adequately satisfied with the activities of civil society institutions. Cultural life in Yerevan has become much more active, but it is not accessible to vulnerable groups, since they are primarily concerned with ensuring adequate food and paying utility fees, and culture is pushed to the background and even further. The assessment of NGO activities is somewhat higher than average at 4.3 points. Table 2. To what extent marz residents are satisfied by services and their quality N. Service Not satisfactory at all Satisfactory to some extent Fully satisfactory Power supply Television Educational services Social services Radio Inter-community transportation Sewage The press Intra-community transportation Internet Drinking water supply Healthcare services Phone connections Garbage disposal 3.7 Civil society institutions 15 NGO activities Social life Cultural life 3.8

95 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 95 ASTGHIK MANUKYAN The vulnerable propose... UNDP expert on vulnerability Analysis of the results of focus group discussions with vulnerable people revealed that proposals were more of a survival, rather than an eradication, nature. Below are the general means that are used to varying extents by vulnerable groups in order to overcome their problems. In other words people, in effect, shared their survival mechanisms with us. This is how the vulnerable people in Armenia are trying to solve their complicated problems on their own: Travel to other countries, mainly Russia, to work; Emigrate; Farming (as a hired hand or through leasing land); One-time, short-term jobs which do not need qualifications; - Our hope is to emigrate to Russia; there is no hope in Armenia. - I invest no hope abroad. - There are many people that, if given the chance, will leave Armenia. - There are also many people who have left, were not successful, came back and now are in an even worse situation. - There are also people who have left and are very successful. Now almost half of the young people are thinking about emigration, particularly those who do not have jobs. - You can ask any young man returning form military service about their plans and they will tell you they are going to Russia, regardless of being married or not. If they are not married, that is even worse, and they would not get married unless they have a job and certain success; and our girls cannot get married. Akhuryan Apply to their acquaintances, including relatives, for support; Apply to community authorities for support; Register with state bodies to receive benefits; and Engage in illegal activities (robbery, prostitution) 1. - A few wealthy residents, the village administration, and people in the village help us. Aramus - We ask, first of all, our friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and relatives for help. Akhuryan - There are families surviving thanks only to remittances from abroad. The state policy currently enacted in order to meet the needs of vulnerable groups is evaluated by those groups as inadequate. In the opinion of vulnerable groups the policy, unlike the measures that the vulnerable themselves take, should mainly be directed toward poverty eradication and development of vulnerable groups. The mechanisms proposed by the groups were not identical. There were both passive and active dispositions, which were equally noted in all groups. The first passive approach was adopted by those who proposed: Increase in benefits; Less stringent conditions for inclusion in benefit-receiving groups; and Distribution of other types of charity assistance. Aramus Those in favor of the second, or active, approach proposed: - There is a lot depending on local authorities, for example the current mayor has resolved many problems, such as water, tidiness of the monument, and now he is repairing the church. Aramus 1 Formation of inappropriate behaviors is seen as a particular mechanism for dealing with problems, but nonetheless has been regarded as the last, and an undesirable, resort. It has mainly been mentioned, while talking about others, as a mechanism that is used by others, and not themselves. Nevertheless, to be fair it must be mentioned that these mechanisms were not mentioned very frequently.

96 96 - We barely survive. - They send to us from abroad. - We use the PAROS system. More employment, job creation; Ensure conditions for development of private businesses; Support the development of agriculture; Ensure the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the education system; and Ensure the involvement of the vulnerable in cultural life. With regard to employment issues, the most frequently mentioned mechanisms were those which can contribute to job creation in rural or small town communities, for example: Promotion of SME development in regions, providing tax privileges; Allocation of agricultural credits with affordable and flexible conditions; Collectivization of agricultural lands (sponsored by the state); Regulation of, and control over, the private segment of the labor market; Organization of training courses; Aramus - They give the PAROS money for electricity and gas fees and the benefit is used up. Akhuryan - We don t trust the government; how are we supposed to exercise our rights? We are left in the middle of nowhere. Akhuryan ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Implement state-financed programs in communities; Planning and funding development programs in local budgets; and Re-operation of state enterprises. Another fact worth mentioning is that the focus groups participants were disappointed with central authorities, and consequently the policies they enact. The attitude toward local authorities is not uniform and varies from group to group. But, in general, there is a positive attitude toward community mayors, which is a result of the specific activities implemented by mayors for improving the living conditions in the communities. - I don t think the government will do anything. - If they could, they would have already done something. - The government is solving the problems in Yerevan so that it will look nice for foreigners. Vayk - We solve the community level problems ourselves, if possible, and do not expect anything from anyone. What we tell you about are the issues which we cannot resolve, since they are more global. Let the government make some investments; otherwise things will become impossible here. Akhuryan In general, very few people see the solution to their problems at the community level, and more often ascribe the responsibility for resolving the problems to central authorities, and to some extent also the local self-governing bodies. And the real opportunities for resolving the problems are seen in the efforts of international organizations and the private sector, or more precisely the businessmen. But here, as well, the need for state support and sponsorship is highlighted. Eradication mechanisms used by vulnerable groups are mainly aimed at continued survival through ensuring the minimum living conditions. With respect to the proposed eradication programs to be implemented by the state or a third party, two groups can be distinguished: The first group of proposed programs assumes support to vulnerable families through the provision of direct assistance. The second group mainly aims to resolve the employment problems. Programs SUMMARY of the second group can be referred to as developmental programs. Assistance programs are more relevant for more vulnerable groups and those who are already below the poverty line. They will contribute to the survival of people in those groups. Developmental programs are more relevant at the community level, with the assessment and involvement of the community s resources. They can be targeted toward the vulnerable groups, but will eventually have a positive impact on the entire community.

97 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 97 ANNEX Table 1. Vulnerable groups of population in Armavir marz, as at 1 January 2005 Vulnerable groups Marz capital Urban communities (except marz capital) Rural communities TOTAL Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % number number number number 1 Families receiving family benefits 2 Families who have received one-time social assistance 3 Disabled, including: Disabled of the I group Disabled of the II group Disabled of the III group Disabled children (0-18) War Veterans Pensioners, including: Lonely pensioners (registered in the family benefit system) 6 Parentless children, (percentage among 0-18 yearolds), including: 6.1 Children deprived of one parent Children deprived of both parent Children in special institutions, including: Children studying in special schools Households (or residents) HH HH -- affected by natural or manmade disasters residents HH 7.8 residents 13967residents 9 Households with numerous 6 or more - members* * * * 9.1 Including households with numerous 6 or more members included in the family benefit system Households with numerous 3 or more children* * * * 10.1 Including households with numerous 3 or more children included in the family benefit system Households headed by women (registered in the family benefit system) 12 Households of lone-mothers (registered in the family benefit system) 13 Registered unemployed (percentage among those aged years*, percentage in urban residents) * Including women * men * Households living under temporary shelter 15 Landless farms The sign denotes information not available. denotes insignificant value * denotes data taken form the results of NHDS, 2003.

98 98 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Table 2. Vulnerable groups of population in Gegharkunik marz, as at 1 January 2005 Marz capital Urban communities Rural communities TOTAL Vulnerable groups (except marz capital) Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % number number number number 1 Families receiving family benefits 2 Families who have received one-time social assistance 3 Disabled, including: Disabled of the I group 3.2 Disabled of the II group 3.3 Disabled of the III group 3.4 Disabled children (0-18) War Veterans Pensioners, including: Lonely pensioners (registered in the family benefit system) 5.2 Elderly living in homes for elderly Parentless children, (percentage among 0-18 year-olds), including: Children deprived of one parent 6.2 Children deprived of both parent Children in special institutions, including: Children studying in special schools 7.2 Children in custodial care institutions Population affected by natural or man-made disasters 9 Households with numerous 6 or more - members* * * * 9.1 Including households with numerous 6 or more members included in the family benefit system Households with numerous 3 or more children* * * 21.4* 10.1 Including households with numerous 3 or more children included in the family benefit system Households headed by women (registered in the family benefit system) 12 Households of lone-mothers (registered in the family benefit system) 13 Registered unemployed (percentage among those aged years*, percentage in urban residents) * Including: women * men * Households living under temporary shelter 15 Landless farms * -- --

99 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 99 Table 3. Vulnerable groups of population in Vayots Dzor marz, as at 1 January 2005 Marz capital Urban communities (except marz Rural communities TOTAL Vulnerable groups capital) Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % number number number number 1 Families receiving family benefits Families who have received one-time social assistance 3 The disabled, including: Disabled of the I group Disabled of the II group Disabled of the III group Disabled children (0-18 years of age) War Veterans Pensioners, including: Lonely pensioners (registered in the family benefit system) 5.2 Elderly living in homes for elderly Parentless children, (percentage among year-olds in the marz), including: 6.1 Children deprived of one parent 6.2 Children deprived of both parent Children in special institutions, including: 7.1 Children studying in special schools 7.2 Children in custodial care institutions 8 Households affected by natural or man-made disasters 9 Households with numerous * * * 6 or more - members* 9.1 Including households with numerous 6 or more members included in the family benefit system 10 Households with numerous * * * 3 or more children* 10.1 Including households with numerous 3 or more children included in the family benefit system 11 Households headed by women (registered in the family benefit system) 12 Households of lone-mothers (registered in the family benefit system) 13 Registered unemployed (percentage among those aged 16+) 13.1 Including: women men Households living under temporary shelter 15 Landless farms * -- --

100 100 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Table 4. Vulnerable groups of population in Tavush marz, as at 1 January 2005 Marz capital Urban communities (except marz Rural communities TOTAL Vulnerable groups capital) Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % number number number number 1 Families receiving family benefits 2 Families who have received one-time social assistance 3 The disabled, including: Disabled of the I group Disabled of the II group Disabled of the III group Disabled children ( years of age) 4 War Veterans Pensioners Lonely pensioners (registered in the family benefit system) 5.2 Elderly living in homes for elderly 6 Parentless children, (percentage among 0-18 year-olds), including: 6.1 Children deprived of one parent 6.2 Children deprived of both parent 7 Children in special institutions, including: 7.1 Children studying in special schools 7.2 Children in custodial care institutions 8 Households affected by natural or man-made disasters 9 Households with numerous * * * 6 or more - members* 9.1 Including households with numerous 6 or more members included in the family benefit system 10 Households with numerous * * * 3 or more children* 10.1 Including households with numerous 3 or more children included in the family benefit system 11 Households headed by women (registered in the family benefit system) 12 Households of lone-mothers (registered in the family benefit system) 13 Registered unemployed (percentage among those aged years) 13.1 Including: women men Households living under temporary shelter 15 Landless farms * -- --

101 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 101 Table 5. Vulnerable groups of population in Kotayk marz, as at 1 January 2005 Marz capital Urban communities (except marz Rural communities TOTAL Vulnerable groups capital) Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % number number number number 1 Families receiving family benefits 2 Families who have received one-time social assistance 3 The disabled, including: Disabled of the I group Disabled of the II group Disabled of the III group Disabled children (up to 18 years of age) War Veterans Pensioners Lonely pensioners (registered in the family benefit system) Elderly living in homes for elderly 6 Parentless children, (percentage among 0-18 year-olds), including: Children deprived of one parent 6.2 Children deprived of both parent Children in special institutions, including: Children studying in special schools 7.2 Children in custodial care institutions Households (or residents) affected by natural or manmade disasters Households with numerous 6 or more - members* * * * 9.1 Including households with numerous 6 or more members included in the family benefit system Households with numerous 3 or more children* * * * 10.1 Including households with numerous 3 or more children included in the family benefit system Households headed by women (registered in the family benefit system) 12 Households of lone-mothers (registered in the family benefit system) 13 Registered unemployed (percentage among those aged years*, percentage in urban residents) * Including: women * men * Households living under temporary shelter 15 Landless farms * -- --

102 102 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Table 6. Vulnerable groups of population in Shirak marz, as at 1 January 2005 Marz capital Urban communities (except marz capital) Rural communities TOTAL Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % number number number number 1 Families receiving family benefits 2 Families who have received one-time social assistance 3 The disabled, including: Disabled of the I group Disabled of the II group Disabled of the III group Disabled children (up to years of age) 4 War Veterans Pensioners, including: Lonely pensioners (registered in the family benefit system) Elderly living in homes for elderly Parentless children, (percentage among 0-18 year-olds in the marz), including: 6.1 Children deprived of one parent 6.2 Children deprived of both parent 7 Children in special institutions, including: 7.1 Children studying in special schools 7.2 Children in custodial care institutions Households affected by natural or man-made disasters (2004) 9 Households with numerous 6 or more - members* * * * 9.1 Including households with numerous 6 or more members included in the family benefit system Households with numerous 3 or more children* * * * 10.1 Including households with numerous 3 or more children included in the family benefit system 11 Households headed by women (registered in the family benefit system) Households of lone-mothers (registered in the family benefit system) Registered unemployed (percentage among those aged years) 13.1 Including: women men Households living under temporary shelter Landless farms

103 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 103 Table 7. Vulnerable groups of population in Syunik marz, as at 1 January 2005 Marz capital Urban communities (except marz Rural communities TOTAL Vulnerable groups capital) Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % number number number number 1 Families receiving family benefits 2 Families who have received one-time social assistance 3 The disabled, including: Disabled of the I group Disabled of the II group Disabled of the III group Disabled children (up to years of age) 4 War Veterans Pensioners, including: Lonely pensioners (registered in the family benefit system) 5.2 Elderly living in homes for elderly 6 Parentless children, (percentage among 0-18 year-olds in the marz), including: 6.1 Children deprived of one parent 6.2 Children deprived of both parent 7 Children in special institutions, including: (percentage in total number of children) 7.1 Children studying in special schools (percentage in total number of children) 7.2 Children in custodial care institutions Households (or residents) affected by natural or manmade disasters 9 Households with numerous * * * 6 or more - members* 9.1 Including households with numerous 6 or more members included in the family benefit system 10 Households with numerous * * * 3 or more children* 10.1 Including households with numerous 3 or more children included in the family benefit system 11 Households headed by women (registered in the family benefit system) 12 Households of lone-mothers (registered in the family benefit system) 13 Registered unemployed * (percentage among those aged years * in total number of urban residents) 13.1 Including: women * men * Households living under temporary shelter 15 Landless farms * -- --

104 104 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Table 8. Vulnerable groups of population in Ararat marz, as at 1 January 2005 Marz capital Urban communities (except marz Rural communities TOTAL Vulnerable groups capital) Absolute % Absolute % Absolute % Numbers % number number number 1 Families receiving family benefits 2 Families who have received one-time social assistance 3 The disabled, including: Disabled of the I group Disabled of the II group Disabled of the III group Disabled children (up to 18 years of age) War Veterans Pensioners, including: Lonely pensioners (registered in the family benefit system) Elderly living in homes for elderly 6 Parentless children, (percentage among 0-18 year-olds in the marz), including: Children deprived of one parent 6.2 Children deprived of both parent Children in special institutions, including: Children studying in special schools 7.2 Children in custodial care institutions Households affected by natural or man-made disasters ( ) 9 Households with numerous 6 or more - members* * * * 9.1 Including households with numerous 6 or more members included in the family benefit system Households with numerous 3 or more children* * * * 10.1 Including households with numerous 3 or more children included in the family benefit system Households headed by women (registered in the family benefit system) 12 Households of lone-mothers (registered in the family benefit system) 13 Registered unemployed (percentage among those aged years) Including: women men Households living under temporary shelter 15 Landless farms

105 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 105 Table 9. Vulnerable groups of population in Aragatzotn marz, as at 1 January 2005 Vulnerable groups Marz capital Absolute number Urban communities (except marz capital) % Absolute number Rural communities % Absolute number TOTAL % Numbers % 1 Families receiving family benefits Families who have received one-time social assistance The disabled, including: Disabled of the I group Disabled of the II group Disabled of the III group Disabled children (up to 18 years of age) War Veterans Pensioners, including: Lonely pensioners (registered in the family benefit system) Elderly living in homes for elderly Parentless children, 3.1 (percentage among 0-18 year-olds in the marz), including: Children deprived of one parent 6.2 Children deprived of both parent 7 Children in special institutions, including: 7.1 Children studying in special schools 7.2 Children in custodial care institutions Households (or residents) affected by natural or manmade disasters People 9 Households with numerous 6 or more - members* * * 39.4* 9.1 Including households with numerous 6 or more members included in the family benefit system Households with numerous 3 or more children* * * * 10.1 Including households with numerous 3 or more children included in the family benefit system 11 Households headed by women (registered in the family benefit system) Households of lone-mothers (registered in the family benefit system) Registered unemployed (percentage among those aged 16+) 13.1 Including: women men Households living under temporary shelter Landless farms * -- --

106 106 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Table 10. Vulnerable groups of population in Lori marz, as at 1 January 2005 Marz capital Urban communities Rural communities TOTAL Vulnerable groups (except marz capital) Numbers % Numbers % Numbers % Numbers % 1 Families receiving family benefits Families who have received one-time social assistance 3 The disabled, including: Disabled of the I group Disabled of the II group Disabled of the III group Disabled children (up to 18 years of age) War Veterans -- 5 Pensioners, including: Lonely pensioners 5.2 Elderly living in homes for elderly 6 Parentless children Children deprived of one parent 6.2 Children deprived of both parent Children in special institutions, including: Children studying in special schools 7.2 Children in custodial care institutions Households (or residents) affected by natural or manmade disasters 9 Households with numerous 6 or more - members* * * * 9.1 Including households with numerous 6 or more members included in the family benefit system Households with numerous 3 or more children* * * * 10.1 Including households with numerous 3 or more children included in the family benefit system Households headed by women 12 Lone-mother households Registered unemployed Including: women men Households living under temporary shelter 15 Landless farms * -- --

107 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 107 Table 11. Vulnerable groups of population in Yerevan, as at 1 January 2005 TOTAL Avan Nor-Nork Arabkir Ajapnyak Erebuni Nubrashen Davitashen Malatya- Sebastya Kanaker- Shen Zeytun 1 Families receiving family benefits Families who have received one-time social assistance 3 The disabled, including: I group II group III group Disabled Children War Veterans Pensioners, including: Lonely pensioners (registered in the family benefit system) 5.2 Elderly living in homes for elderly Parentless children, (percentage among year-olds in the marz), including: 6.1 Children deprived of one parent Children deprived of both parent Children in special 2506 institutions, including: 7.1 Children studying in special schools Children in custodial care institutions Households affected by natural or manmade x disasters

108 108 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS TOTAL Avan Nor-Nork Arabkir Ajapnyak Erebuni Nubrashen Davitashen Malatya- Sebastya 9 Households with numerous 6 or more * members* 9.1 Including households with numerous 6 or more members included in the family benefit system x 10 Households with numerous 3 or more 4.9* children* 10.1 Including households with numerous 3 or more children included in the family benefit system 11 Households headed by women (registered in the family benefit system) x 12 Households of lonemothers (registered in the family benefit system) 13 Registered unemployed (percentage among those aged years) 13.1 Including: women X 13.2 men X 14 Households living under temporary x shelter Kanaker- Zeytun Shen

109 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 109 Table 12. Representation of families registered in the family benefit system and receiving benefits, and the average size of benefit per capita in Armenia s marzes, as at 1 July 2005, %* Families registered in the Benefit receiving Average size of family family benefit system, % families, % benefit per capita, AMD 1 Yerevan Aragatzotn Kotayk Gegharkunik Tavush Lori Shirak Ararat Armavir Syunik Vayots Dzor TOTAL * Source: Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, Nork informational-analytical center Table 13. Representation of families registered in the family benefit system and receiving benefits, and the average size of benefit per capita in Yerevan districts, as at 1 July 2005, %* Families registered in the family benefit system, % Benefit receiving families, % Average size of family benefit per capita, AMD 1 Ajapnyak Avan Arabkir Davitashen Erebuni Kentron Malatya-Sebastya Nor-Nork Nork-Marash Nubrashen Shengavit Kanaker-Zeytun Yerevan * Source: Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, Nork informational-analytical center

110 110 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Map 1. Representation of the disabled in Armenia s marzes, percentage of marz residents* SHIRAK 4.2 LORI 5.1 TAVUSH % % % * Source: NSS, Social situation of Armenia in January 2005 informational monthly reports, KOTAYK ARAGATZOTN 3.7 YEREVAN ARMAVIR ARARAT 3.4 GEGHARKUNIK 4.0 VAYOTS DZOR 5.6 Map 2. Representation of disabled children (0-18 years of age) in Armenia s marzes, percentage of marz residents aged 0-18 years* SHIRAK 0.76 LORI 0.84 TAVUSH 1.27 SYUNIK % % % % * Calculated based on data from NSS, Social situation of Armenia in January 2005 informational monthly reports, Yerevan, KOTAYK ARAGATZOTN YEREVAN ARMAVIR ARARAT 0.77 GEGHARKUNIK 0.76 VAYOTS DZOR 1.0 Map 3. Representation of households with numerous (6 or more) members in Armenia s marzes, percentage of households in the marz* SHIRAK 20.4 LORI 23.8 TAVUSH 23.0 SYUNIK % % % * Source: National Human Development Survey, UNDP, KOTAYK ARAGATZOTN YEREVAN ARMAVIR ARARAT 33.6 GEGHARKUNIK 40.4 VAYOTS DZOR 33.6 SYUNIK 21.4

111 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA Map 4. Representation of households with numerous (3 or more under age 15) children in Armenia s marzes, percentage of households in the marz* SHIRAK 8.2 LORI 9.0 TAVUSH % % % * Source: National Human Development Survey, UNDP, 2003, see Armenia Social Trends No. 06, November KOTAYK ARAGATZOTN 20.2 YEREVAN ARMAVIR ARARAT 12.6 GEGHARKUNIK 21.4 VAYOTS DZOR 13.2 Map 5. Representation of elderly (65+) in Armenia s marzes, percentage of marz residents* SHIRAK 10 LORI 11.9 TAVUSH 14.3 SYUNIK % % % % * Calculated based on 2001 Census, see Results of 2001 Census, NSS, Yerevan, KOTAYK ARAGATZOTN YEREVAN ARMAVIR ARARAT 9.9 GEGHARKUNIK 9.9 VAYOTS DZOR 12.1 Map 6. Representation of landless households in Armenia s marzes, percentage of rural households in the marz* SHIRAK 4.8 LORI 4.7 TAVUSH 5.9 SYUNIK % % % * Source: National Human Development Survey, UNDP, 2003, see Armenia Social Trends No. 06, November KOTAYK ARAGATZOTN ARMAVIR 0.6 GEGHARKUNIK ARARAT VAYOTS DZOR 0.4 SYUNIK 4.8

112 112 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Map 7. Representation of families included in the family poverty benefit system and receiving benefits in Armenia s marzes, as at June 2005, percentage of marz households* SHIRAK 35.9 LORI 29.4 TAVUSH % % % % * Source: Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, Nork informational-analytical center. KOTAYK ARAGATZOTN YEREVAN ARMAVIR ARARAT 12.4 GEGHARKUNIK 23.3 VAYOTS DZOR 19.0 SYUNIK 14.3 Map 9. Representation of families registered in the family poverty benefit system and receiving benefits in Armenia s marzes, as at June 2005, percentage of marz households* SHIRAK 46.8 LORI 47.4 TAVUSH 38.2 up to * Source: Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, Nork informational-analytical center. KOTAYK ARAGATZOTN YEREVAN ARMAVIR ARARAT 21.5 GEGHARKUNIK 34.3 VAYOTS DZOR 29.4 SYUNIK 24.9

113 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 113 Description of disability and the situation of the disabled JEMMA BAGHDASARYAN Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, Head of Department for the Disabled and Elderly One-fourth of the world population are involved in the problems of disability. More than 600 million people are disabled, and 1 billion people deal with the problems of the disabled are either members of families of the disabled, or specialists in field of disability. As at 1 January 2005, there were around 135,000 disabled persons registered in the Republic of Armenia, including 8000 disabled children under the age of 18 years. Compared to the last year, the number of disabled persons has increased by 17 thousand (or 14 percent), which is mainly a result of registering the disabled who were not registered in the national data Table 1. Numbers of the disabled by causes of disability Cause of disability Total % Including women % General diseases From childhood Military service Occupational accident Occupations diseases Elimination of consequences of Chernobyl NPP accident Natural, man-made and other disasters, as well diseases, disabilities and injuries received during elimination of their consequences Table 2. Numbers of the disable at the end of 2004 by nosologies Types of diseases (nosologies) Total% Including women % Diseases of the circulatory system Tumors Diseases of the nervous system Psychological disorders or behavioral disorders Injuries (any location) Respiratory diseases Tuberculosis Digestive tract diseases Diseases of musculoskeletal system Diseases of the endocrine system Eye diseases Periodical diseases Diseases of urinogenital system Birth defects (developmental defects), deformities Other diseases base for the disabled. Women constitute around 40 percent of the total number of the disabled. 55 percent of the total number of the disabled are of working-age (16-63), whose only 8 percent is currently employed. 1. Legislation pertaining to the disabled The legislation pertaining to the disabled consists of the law of the RoA on Social protection of the disabled in the Republic of Armenia and a number of bylaws. The mentioned law defines the principles of the state policy for realization of the rights of the disabled, as well as regulates legal, economic and organizations issues of social protection for the disabled, with regard to prevention of disability, rehabilitation of the disabled, medical-social expert assessments, medical services, education and employment of the disabled, provision of rehabilitation items, social protection and other issues. Other than the mentioned basic law, the rights and guarantees of the disabled are stipulated in the general legislation of the country 1. Despite the current 1 Labor Code of the RoA, laws of the RoA on Employment; State Pensions; Social Protection of Military Servicemen and their Families: Medical Care and Services; etc.

114 114 legal framework, some provisions of legislative acts referring to social protection of the disabled are not applied in practice, or are applied not to the full, due to unclear mechanisms and absence of mechanisms for sanctions in case of non-compliance. 2. Medical rehabilitation of the disabled Integration of the disabled in the society is not possible without the implementation of rehabilitation measures for the disabled. Rehabilitation programmes for the disabled include a complex of medical, professional and social measures for eliminating the limitation to their activities, or compensate them as much as possible. There are various medical rehabilitation centers for the disabled in the country prostheses, orthotic, post-traumatic, anti-tuberculosis, neuropsychological, cardiological services, etc. Other than the mentioned centers, medical rehabilitation of the disabled are implemented also in health resorts and rehabilitation centers of the ministries of Health, and Labor and Social Issues. Prosthesis-orthopedic items and life-facilitating means are provided to the disable at the expense of the state budget. Throughout the year, on average around 9000 prosthesis-orthopedic items are manufactures for the disabled, 750 prosthesisorthopedic items are repaired and wheelchairs and hearing aids are provided to the disabled. 39 Figure 1. Age composition of the disabled Up to 18 years of age years of age 40 years to pension age Above pension age ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS 3. Medical care and services for the disabled The state guarantees quality medical care for the disabled financed from the state budget. The disabled of I and II categories use the services free-of-charge and the disabled of the III category pay only 50 percent of the cost for receiving medicaments. Medical care and services for the disabled are implemented within the framework of the public paid scheme, but using these privileges is not always physically accessible to the disabled. 4. Ensuring physical access for the disabled The current legislation of Armenia stipulated that central authorities and governmental bodies, as well as all the employers operating on the territory of the country, should ensure, for the disabled, access to social facilities, residential, public, industrial buildings, use of public transportation and means of transportation, communication and information, and create favorable conditions so that they are able to use recreation and entertainment facilities without hindrance. Currently there are very few streets and social facilities modified for the disabled, regardless of the volume of activities conducted in that direction in recent years 2. Modified means of transportation are not available at all. In order to make phone communications accessible to the disabled as much as possible, the current legislation also defined that families with disabled members of I and II category are entitled to expedient and free-of-charge telephone line installations. The state guarantees the right of the disabled to free access to information, providing Brielle writing system books and notebooks to the visually impaired, and subtitles of TV programs for the hearing impaired. 5. Education of disabled children According to the law of the RoA on Education, the education of children in need of special conditions for 2 In , central streets of Yerevan were repaired through financing from the Lincy Foundation, and were adapted to the requirements of the disabled people using wheelchairs. Other than the streets, the needs of the disabled have been taken into account during the construction of entrances to a number of educational and services sector facilities.

115 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA education, by the choice of their parents, can be conducted in general formal basic education schools, or special educational institutions with special programmes. Currently, the education of children with mental or physical developmental deviations is organized by 32 formal basic educational institutions, including special educational institutions for mentally retarded, children with visual, hearing, speech impairments, and children with disruptions of musculoskeletal system. 20 Figure 3. Education level of the disabled According to agreement made on 10 January 2003 between the Ministry of Education and Science and Huysi Kamurj NGO, the Inclusive education programme is being implemented in the formal basic education schools of Yerevan. The creation of model schools for Inclusive education aims to try to include children needing special educational conditions in formal basic education schools, where children needing special educational conditions will study together with their peers, if necessary under a different curriculum. The Government of Armenia has approved the conceptual framework for inclusive education, which outlines the principles for organizing the education of children needing special educational conditions in formal basic education schools and reforms of special education. Elementary Secondary vocational 6. Ensuring employment for the disabled Secondary Higher ed. The current legislation of Armenia does not allow for refusal of recruitment or promotion of the disabled person due to the latter s disability. Employers cannot dismiss the disabled employees who are under medical, professional and social rehabilitation in the corresponding institutions. Involvement of the disabled employee in overtime, non-working day or night shift work is permitted only with his/her consent. For the disabled of I and II category shortened working hours, not more than 36 hours per week, are defined. There are no probation periods defined for recruited disabled employees. The draft law on Employment and social protection in case of unemployment, which includes provisions for protection of the right of the disabled to employment, is currently in the phase of discussions. 40 Figure 2. Proportion of women in the total number of the disabled Integration of the disabled into the society through culture an sport There are 12 sports clubs for the disabled in the country, where around 1200 disabled sportsmen and sportswomen train. Mainly NGOs are involved in cultural education and sport activities of the disabled. Up to 18 years of age years of age 40 years to pension age Above pension age Pyunik association of the disabled is involved in physical education and sports training of the disabled. Disabled sportsmen and sportswomen of Pyunik have participated in various sports tournaments, as well as Paralympics and have won medals and awards.

116 116 Figure 4. Education level of disabled women Elementary Secondary vocational Huysi Kamurj, Kamk yev Korov NGOs and the Paros choir of the disabled and other organizations implement successful cultural programmes for integration of the disabled into the society. In particular, Kamk and Korov organization is involved in the cultural education of young people with hearing problems. It has its own pantomime theatre Oasis. The NGO Hyusi Kamurj has organized a theatrical group with the participation of healthy and disabled children. 8. Social protection of the disabled Secondary Higher ed. The social protection of the disabled includes pensions, social services and social assistance for the disabled. One of the main means of survival for the disabled is the pension. Disability pensions can be insurance based or social. The average amount of pension for disabled persons with insurance history is AMD7878. The disabled with no insurance history (disabled from childhood and disabled children up to 18 years of age) receive social pensions, which amounts to: a) 120 percent of the base pension for the disabled of I category and disabled children under 18 years of age; b) 100 percent for the disabled of II category; and c) 80 percent for the disabled of III category ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Social services and care for the disabled is provided at institutions and at home. Social services at home are provided to lonely elderly and the disabled by the republican center for social services, which serves 1200 lonely elderly and disabled persons in Yerevan only. Nearly 30 percent of those who receive services are disabled persons. This center serves lonely disabled regardless of their age. There are two institutions for care and services to the disabled: Gyumri boarding house for the elderly and disabled and Vardenis neuropsychological boarding house. 450 lonely disabled persons, who do not have someone to take care of them, are service in those institutions. The disabled living in boarding houses are under the full care of the state. They receive medical care, and are provided with all the basic living conditions. The state policy in this field is directed toward the expansion of social services provided at home to the lonely elderly and the disabled, as well as introduction of new forms of services. The largest state social assistance programme for the disabled is the family poverty benefit system. People with the status of the disabled and disabled children under 18 years of age have almost the highest points in the benefit system. As a result, families with disabled members have a fairly high possibility for receiving benefits. 34,500 disabled persons are included in the family benefit system. Employed Figure 5. Employment of the disabled 92 8 Unemployed 3 From 1 April 2005, the size of the basic pension amounts to AMD4000. It is planned to increase the amount of pensions for the disabled from 1 January 2006.

117 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 9. Training of specialists Social-political changes require new approaches and new directions in social services to the disabled. In recent years, new faculties and chairs have opened in higher educational institutions, where specialists for working with the disabled are trained. In particular, the faculty of sociology and social work is operating in Yerevan State University since 1996 and trains social workers and sociologists. The chair of psychology of YSU trains psychologists, who can also work with the disabled. Doctor-rehabilitation specialists are trained in Yerevan State Medical University since There is a need to develop mechanisms for encouraging more applicant for the mentioned training. 4 Figure 6. Employment of disabled women Employed Figure 7. Family status of the disabled 1 4 Unemployed Married Divorced Widower Widow The faculty of sport-health promotion of the Armenian State Institute for Physical Education trains adaptive physical education specialists since The elementary education and defectology faculty of the Khachatur Abovyan State Pedagogical University trains ergotherapists (correctional pedagoguess and special psychologists), logopedagogues, surdo-pedagogues, typhlo-pedagogues, oligophreno-pedagogues, social pedagogues. Urartu applied psychology and applied sociology university accredited by the state trains social workers, sociologists and applied psychologists, and Hrachya Ajaryan private university in Yerevan trains oligophreno-pedagogues, logo-pedagogues and social pedagogues. It must be noted that due to small number of applicants for the latter there is a shortage of specialists in the country. 10. Issues of social partnership relating to the disabled In implementation of social protection programmes for the disabled, the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues successfully cooperates with NGOs and local selfgoverning bodies. Tens of NGOs involved in the issues of the disabled operate in the country. Pyunik association of the disabled, Huysi Kamurj, Astghik association for disabled children and their parents, Prkutyun, Havat, Kamk yev Korov, Unison and other NGOs are well established and known in Armenia. Although all the legislative acts relating to the issues of the disabled are discussed with NGOs involved in the issues of the disabled, nonetheless, full cooperation has not been established yet due to the absence of legal mechanisms. The level of coordination of prgrammes implemented for rehabilitation of the disabled by governmental structures and NGOs and information exchange are not adequate. Efforts should be made for organizing discussions on the drafts of legislative acts, building public awareness with regard to the issues of the disabled, and organizing campaigns and events with regard to urgent issues.

118 118 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Cooperation of governmental structures and NGOs in the field of social assistance to the vulnerable NELSON SHAHNAZARYAN, Candidate of Sciences in Psychology RUBEN YEGANYAN, Candidate of Sciences in Economics The issue of cooperation between governmental structures and civil society, NGOs in particular, has acquired utmost importance in the implementation phase of the PRSP for the objectives and targets to be executed as effectively as possible. This issue has been high on the political agenda of the Government of Armenia, especially since October 30, 2004, when the Minister of Finance and Economy signed the Partnership Agreement for PRSP Implementation with a group of civil society representatives. The agreement clearly states the readiness of the Government to fully exploit the potential of civil society in all aspects of PRSP implementation. Within this context, the following issues need to be addressed without delay: 1. How well are the NGOs operating in the field of social assistance to the vulnerable? 2. How the current partnership of the state and the civil society structures is manifested and how relevant is it to the future needs? 3. What are the preconditions, possibilities and directions for expanding the framework of this partnership and enhancing its effectiveness? In order to discuss the above issues, a qualitative social study was conducted by the initiative of the UN House in Armenia, and within the framework of the project Vulnerability Assessment Survey, in Yerevan and Gyumri in September and October, It included roundtable and focus group discussions, and individual in-depth interviews. The study included thirty-four experts in general. Eleven were managers and specialists from governmental social assistance bodies, seventeen were heads of NGOs and another six were representatives of local authorities. Question I. Do NGOs with years of history and experience have the capability to be an equal and responsible partner for the state? The results of our study allows us to firmly state that the answer is yes. Of course, according to the experts who are knowledgeable in the field (and according to our observations as well), only twentyfive percent of formally registered NGOs are wellestablished and can conduct effective operations. At least a few dozen NGOs also operate through their regional infrastructures. These so called branched NGOs are especially active in providing various social services and urgent assistance to different vulnerable groups 1. Each of them have numerous active members who provide healthcare, psychological, educational services and social and material assistance to thousands of elderly, disabled, parentless and socially unhealthy families, children, the poor and socially disadvantaged. These members work either as volunteers or as paid employees. The annual volume of this assistance amounts to billions of drams. The funding, almost exclusively, comes from grants provided by sources abroad. It must be noted that public officials who participated in the survey of national experts had a very high opinion of the role of the NGOs, especially underlining the devotion of their members to their work. In addition, experts attached importance to NGOs capabilities and their accumulated experience in identifying beneficiaries and including them in various programs through non-formal criteria, their vast knowledge about the needs of beneficiaries, and the ability to rapidly respond to their needs. 1 For example, Pyunik, Huysi Kamurj, Astghik, Salvation, Armenian Democratic Forum, Mission Armenia, Kamk u Korov, Mental Health Center. Orran, Lusastgh, Meghvik, Ani, local NGOs with national reputation, as well as World Vision, UMCOR and other international NGOs. During our interviews, the mentioned NGOs were practically mentioned repeatedly by experts as the ones enjoying the highest respect among beneficiaries.

119 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA Participating in numerous training programs implemented by various international organizations, NGOs have not only deepened their knowledge, but have also learned about the international experience and standards in resolving various problems. Moreover, as established NGOs, they have acquired another very important capital : international contacts with donors, as well as other partner organizations. In-depth interviews with NGOs revealed the constraints they face in their operations. The most frequently mentioned hindrances were: Absence of goodwill in governmental structures and their suspiciousness; Shortage of specialists; Difficulties in finding office spaces; Chronic scarcity of financial resource, etc. 1. Through Social Assistance Boards (SAB) 119 There are eleven marz and fifty-four regional SABs currently operating in the country with varying degrees of activity. They include representatives of the units responsible for the social sector and five local NGOs in the given region (total ten members). SABs are mainly involved in issues relating to the fair and targeted allocation of family benefits and one-time monetary assistance. According to experts, these boards, which represent both governmental and non-governmental structures, can address the issues of the social sector and formulate relevant recommendations, particularly with respect to the problems of vulnerable groups. Regional employment centers also have similar boards. According to experts, the majority of these boards, however, are mainly formal structures. Question II. What is the current situation of the cooperation between governmental structures and NGOs on social assistance? The results of the study reveal the following five areas of current cooperation between governmental structures and NGOs: 2. Through the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues The Ministry of Labor and Social Issues periodically conducts methodological seminars, workshops and training courses, where representatives from social sector NGOs participate. In some cases, the Ministry supports the NGOs in project implementation, providing organizationaladministrative support in particular. þþsalvationþþ charity association supporting disabled children The NGO was established in 1997 and has twenty-one active members. The association is located in the former kindergarten building of the Hayelectromechena Manufacturing Group, which is provided free-of-charge (Tel: ). Salvation implements programs in three main areas: A. Day activity center for children with mental defects (nearly thirty beneficiaries). Children and adolescents aged 6-16 (even 20) years attend every day. Formal basic education classes, art and crafts training courses (pottery, painting, needlework, etc.) are organized. There is also a medical services post, repose room and a computer class. Children and adolescents receive warm meals and the staff includes psychologists and defect specialists. B. Support in healthcare Provision of wheelchairs for disabled children, hearing aids, sponsorship of eye surgeries, etc. The number of beneficiaries in recent years has totaled hundreds of children. C. Social-cultural programs Organizing concerts, excursions and other similar socioeconomic events for children with mental defects and their parents.

120 Through Local Self Governing Bodies (LSGB) Cooperation in this field is mainly carried out with the contribution of LSGBs resources (for example, providing necessary human resources, office spaces and financial aid to ten percent of the total project amount) to projects implemented by individual NGOs in the community. 4. Through grants within the framework of the public paid scheme This area of cooperation, according to the experts, is the most stable and promising. Survey respondents produced a number of examples of such cooperation: Funds for implementing social programs were specially allocated from the 2005 state budget to the Administration of the President of Armenia. More than 130 NGOs participated in the bid announced by the President, of which twenty-two were selected. Currently the winners are implementing the social projects for healthcare, human rights, education and other fields. Since 2004, the Armenian Democratic Forum NGO has been implementing the Support to the Integration of Children from Orphanages project, based on an agreement with the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues and approved within the framework of the public paid scheme. Pyunik association, which is involved in the issues of the disabled, has been cooperating for years with the Ministry of Culture and Youth and the State Sports Department in organizing various cultural and sports events for the disabled. These events are financed or co-financed by the above governmental agencies. 5. Through the PRSP Steering Committee and the Open forum Thirteen civil society groups are represented in the PRSP Steering Committee, including representatives selected by five NGOs representing various fields of activity. At the same time, the Open Forum organizes roundtables with the participation of numerous specialized NGOs and independent experts. These roundtables discuss the PRSP policy ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS and its implementation process, and formulate corresponding recommendations. Thus, it can be concluded that certain offshoots of the partnership between governmental structures and NGOs have already emerged, and even some specific formats for cooperation have been formed. On the other hand, it must be noted that this partnership is taking only its first steps and takes place mostly due to the efforts of NGOs (especially, thanks to the tenacity and contacts of those NGOs heads). The survey also revealed that the current legislation, although not banning such cooperation, does not particularly encourage it either. For example, according to the State Procurement Act, the financing of NGOs within the framework of the public paid scheme is almost totally excluded due to the NGOs non-commercial legal status. Conclusions and Recommendations According to the results of the sociological survey, social assistance to vulnerable groups and addressing their special needs was identified as the key area of cooperation between NGOs and the state. According to independent experts, in particular, the well-known saying that the state, as a rule, is a worse administrator than the private sector is true not only for the economic sector, but also for the social sector. Experience, in general, and international experience, in particular, shows that NGO activities in the social sector ensure higher levels of effectiveness, quality and targeting. Summarizing the results of the survey within this context, we come to the following conclusions and recommendations: First The majority of NGOs operating in Armenia have already acquired vast experience, have the needed technical capacities, specialists and, most importantly, the willingness to take the responsibility for a certain part of the

121 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA social assistance functions of the state. At the same time, the dispositions of officials who participated in discussions allow us to conclude that governmental structures, of course with certain reservations, at least are not opposed to accepting that challenge. 121 Second The current legislation of Armenia, including the Social Assistance Bill, which has passed the first reading in the National Assembly, does not clearly define the partnership mechanisms, but rather vaguely states that it is possible to delegate certain social assistance functions of the state to nongovernmental organization providing social services 2. In effect, the bill is an attempt to specify the possibilities of cooperation and information exchange during the implementation of the state policy on social assistance between the authorized state body, regional authorities, local authorities and regional structures providing social services and organizations providing social services 3. At the same time, governmental powers, in controlling the activities of the NGOS, are defined fairly clearly 4. Thus, even the jurisdictions of state-ngo cooperation are, in essence, not clear, which would undoubtedly constrain the practical steps for further strengthening of that process. Third With an overall positive evaluation of the idea of delegating a number of social assistance functions to NGOs, it is, nonetheless, appropriate to test the idea through a pilot project. This will allow for adjustments to be made in the conceptual framework of state- NGO partnership, social sectors of partnership and more effective mechanisms to be identified and selected, and the corresponding action plan to be developed. The experts most frequently recommended starting the pilot partnership project from the sector of social assistance to the disabled. They justified their recommendation by: a) the high level of vulnerability of this group; b) the ease of identifying them; c) better possibilities for needs assessment and ensuring proper targeting; and finally d) availability of established NGOs with practical experience. It is appropriate to implement the pilot project in Shirak marz, where the disabled have a lager representation and are more vulnerable due to the difficult socio-economic conditions as an earthquake zone. Fourth According to experts, the most serious threat with regard to social partnership is the possibility of abuse. Experts representing the civil society sector were concerned about the possibility of having nontransparent and unfair grant allocation processes and standards for the distribution of public paid social assistance. As proof, they cited cases where inexperienced NGOs, which were formed quickly just to participate in the bid, won similar bids (most probably thanks to someone s patronage). The opposite group of experts, representatives of governmental social assistance structures, were concerned about the low level of professionalism of the human resources of NGOs. In order to resolve that issue, it was recommended to introduce a licensing mechanism for providing professional services. Experts from NGOs were deeply concerned about the loss of the organization s independence and identity as a result of cooperation with the state, which might even result in becoming a pocket organization. Finally, representatives of both civil society and the state were deeply concerned about the absence of control and monitoring, vagueness of the assessment and coordination issues and relevant mechanisms with regard to the process of social partnerships. 2 Social Assistance Bill, Article 2, Paragraph 8. 3 Ibid., Article Ibid., Article 22.

122 122 ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS FROM THE JOURNALISTþS PERSPECTIVE Berkaber: Problems of a remote village People here value work, but there are no jobs Border-protecting Berkaber is the oldest village in Ijevan region and has 600 years of history. In its time, this village was famous as a cellar of abundance, and a forging place for high-quality professionals, and today faces the Shakespearian to be or not to be. Berkaber (formerly known as Joghaz) is 20km north of Tavush marz capital Ijevan, in the valley of Voskepar (Joghaz) river, only 500m away from the northern border of Azerbaijan. This border-protecting village has lived enjoying the riches of fertile orchards born from Joghaz water reservoir built in The height of this dam, resembling the Egyptian sphinx, is 64m, its length is 1273m, width 1400m, surface 2.14 sq km, the total volume 45 million cubic m, depth 57m. It provides irrigation to around 5000ha of lands in Ijevan and Noyemberyan regions. And as Joghaz residents themselves remember they lived as if in a fairy tale. And as in every fairy tale, this one also had an end, but not a desirable one... Today one cannot even take one sip of water, who would dare to fall prey to gunshots and add yet another sorrow to the family which already has numerous worries... Seeing the village, it is impossible not to shed a tear or two. The Joghaz water reservoir and the adjacent mount Gyavarzin, which complete the beauty of the scenery, seem to have a huge sorrow buried in their souls, but are not able to tell about it and get it off their chests. Only a very small part of the 1177ha of lands on the left and right side of the village is cultivated 120ha in total, of which 100ha are the so called farms with no owners, including all the agricultural machinery, which has not been privatized yet. Surprisingly, this farm has not received the status of legal person and thus cannot make any transaction. As a result, the nearly AMD400 thousand is the revenue from the remaining 20ha and backyard garden, which is a miserable amount for a village with so many problems families have already left this village of 584 residents (15-16 percent of families in the village). Many people want to leave, but they simply do not have the money to afford it, - says the head of community. And the reasons for leaving are very deep-rooted. The neighboring Azeri village Mazamli, which is in the same situation, has been awarded with the title of national hero by its government and enjoys numerous privileges; while ours, as always, is different, - say villagers sarcastically. Once abundant Berkaber

123 VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THE REGIONS OF RA 123 You carry the nature and its song in you. This is how he refers to the youth. Let us creates conditions for calling those young people back home. Let being a stranger abroad become only a memory, especially for those living on the border. The elite of the village Head of community Vladimir Tamrazyan The only means of survival is farming, and it is þþleft to the whim of fateþþ Each resident in Berkaber is a patriot, since only a few hundred meters far from the border, they cultivate land under constant gunshots and protect the border. The village, which formerly has a strong greenhouse farming and had thousands of tons of produce which was partially exported, is currently at a deadend. The farm, together with its main and revolving assets, has been left out of the privatization process. Community authorities, searching for an appropriate solution, have rented out the land to residents. The plantation also has its machinery and equipment. And now the community council has decided to privatize the property of the farm to community residents free-ofcharge. But this decision is yet to be approved by central authorities. Today, in those land areas, farmers grow cereals, but due to difficult condition, the average yield is only 1.2 tons per hectare. According to the head of community Vladimir Tamrazyan, the number of cows, which are the only livelihood for village residents, has dropped from 145 to 102. The village does not have any large farm, only one-two families have 5 cows. The first ones greeting a visitor to the village are the elderly and a few injured freedom-fighters standing under the museum s wall, who not finding any other means to disperse their boredom and worries, play backgammon or cards, discuss their opinions on the political situation in the country. And when you offer them a newspaper or informational booklet, they accept with appreciation and do not forget to add that after reading it they will use it to roll tobacco. If you attempt to have a conversation with them, you will see that they do not like being idle, they are simply force into idleness. With the smallest opportunity, they are ready to do any work, and if they receive long-term credits they can even squeeze bread out of stones. The school s military education teacher Aghvan Shahinyan, complaining about lack of jobs, does not forget to value the role of tobacco farming - If, at least, a purchasing post opened in the village, we would be able to improve the conditions of our families by growing tobacco, we are not scared of work. But why don t they think about us, or see us? We are amazed. We will have the ones who have left to come back say nearly everyone congregated under the wall, and their words are reiterated by the head of community. Grisha Dilbaryan, who coordinates farming activities in the village and provides extension services, proposes numerous solutions for rehabilitating the village - Re- In such conditions, dairy products are out of the question. It is unfortunate, but the fact of the matter is that, from this already small community, 12 young families have emigrated aboard in recent years. And young people are a source of strength, if we lose them, tomorrow the village will complement the list of abandoned communities The chair of writer s union of Tavush marz Telman Mayilyan is from this community, who loves the natural beauty of the village and people living there endlessly Meeting-discussion in Berkaber

124 124 Joghaz water reservoir establish the production of seedlings, establish tropical fruits orchards, open a small canning factory, these are solution, which, although slowly, but surely will lighten the social burden of families expecting jobs, he mentions. The request of the majority of village residents, in summary, is only one: Dear leaders, devote a few minutes of your valuable time to us and you will see that your situation will also improve, since urban dwellers depend on villages and rural residents, otherwise open the border and we will have a better life. Not imposing their opinion, I would nonetheless like to add that probably the time, when people has a good life, is to blame. What is this like? It is called a border-protecting community, and people do not have daily bread, and in order to get to the village from the main road one needs to have strong legs and a healthy heart. ARMENIA SOCIAL TRENDS Cars pass through here very rarely. God forbid, if someone becomes ill and urgently needs a doctor, the phone lines on the one hand, and the money and transportation on the other hand, worsen the conditions of the patient. In the few kiosks in the village, one can see only damp credit books and cheap goods, which are not even affordable for border-protecting villagers. And the 25 percent of benefit-receiving families, barely having received their money are already in huge debts up to ten times the amount of the benefit. A small light is shimmering at the end of the tunnel, so that the villagerþs last hope would not fade away Recently the village had a cause for happiness. It was included in the credit programme of the International Development Association, which will allow for developing small and medium sizes enterprises in the village. The informational services will improve, villagers will be able to improve technologies and production means and enjoy support in marketing their produce. This is a significant opportunity, which will promote economic growth in the community. The existing resources will be used and managed more effectively. What end result will this chance have for villagers, time will tell, and time is a valuable commodity and never waits. Tatevik Nazinyan Journalist Berkaber is a small place, but it has a lot to say to generations. This is what we see in the historical-ethnographical museum, which was founded in 1965 by the initiative of the local poet and devotee Norayr Arzumanyan. There are around 7000 items in the museum from the Bronze Age up to the present day, mostly pottery. The vessel which can contain one ton of liquid is especially interesting, and coming from the ages has still kept its practical value. Another interesting item on display in the museum is the jug full of oil, which Historical values ignored was dug out from 7m below the surface. Thousands of years old millet has been preserved in another pot. A woman s bangle from the 14 th century is also valuable. Records of historical facts here will give the opportunity to any academic to receive a doctorate degree says Norayr arzumanyan. Biographies of all the prominent national figures are also available at the museum, even the Azeri poet Vaghif. I recall that a few years ago a meeting of Armenian and Azeri journalists took place in Berkaber, and the latter were surprised by this act of courtesy and admitted that in their country they would have done otherwise. Is any state body interested in the fate of this museum with such historical value, for example the Ministry of Culture? Of course not, as indicated by the words of Norayr Arzumanyan I dust the items myself, do the work of cleaners and the director free-of-charge, but I have no choice, I should preserve the values we have inherited. Perhaps, later our coming generations will notice and value the effort.