Armenia

Background

Armenia gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Although it has suffered severe economic and social dislocation following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia has made considerable progress during the last several years.

• Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth has been in the double digits during 2002-2006, exceeding 13% in 2006.
• The 12 month inflation as of end-2006 was 5.2% showing some acceleration compared to previous periods.
• Poverty has fallen from around 50% in 2000 to about 30% in 2005.

Yet, the strong economic growth in recent years has not translated into substantively improved living conditions or enhanced employment prospects for the majority of the population. There are major issues concerning poor governance, endemic corruption and lack of civil society access to the process of policy development.

By expert opinions, Armenia is unlikely to meet at least three of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

• child mortality,
• school enrolment, and
• HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) incidence.

For more information about the political and economic situation in Armenia please see theForeign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Armenia site.

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DFID in Armenia

Between 1997 and 1998, DFID's work in Armenia focused on improving governance and strengthening policies and institutions for poverty reduction, as well as promoting sustainable growth.

As a result of Armenia’s strong progress, DFID has decided to change the nature of its partnership and our bilateral aid programme closed in December 2008.

We will continue to support Armenia’s poverty reduction and economic development efforts through our membership of the European Union, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the United Nations.

For more detail about what has been achieved in Armenia, and across the region, please read 'DFID and Armenia: Working Together for Development and Change.(688kb)

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Links

• The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Armenia
• The British Embassy Armenia
• IMF Armenia
• UNDP Armenia
• World Bank: Armenia

Last updated: January 2009