Armenia

Research finds that among households in Armenia reporting any income, the richest household received over two thousand times the income of the poorest household. The majority of income comes from work, including the sale of agricultural production and self-employment. The second most significant source of income is private transfers, including money sent home by relatives abroad. The rest comes from pensions and from cashing in real property, savings, and valuables.

Armenians with the highest incomes relied most heavily on transfers from relatives. (Put another way, those who had relatives sending them money ended up being better off than those who did not.) Those with the lowest incomes relied most heavily on pensions and benefits. Wages accounted for most of the income of middle-income Armenians.

Human poverty has its specific character in Armenia. The data shows that human poverty is more widespread in rural areas, where people have limited access to education, particularly pre-school and professional education, healthcare, particularly primary care, information, particularly through the internet, communications, including telecommunications, transportation and rural roads, and participation in social and political life, because of physical and social isolation. Of the main factors contributing to human poverty, lack of access to healthcare services, in particular, is a cause for serious concern in almost all marzes (provinces) and for all population groups.

Population below poverty line:
50% (2002 est.)

Although the international community continued in 2005 to look favorably on Armenia for its economic performance, the government has failed to improve its human rights record. The crackdown on opposition parties and supporters in 2004 led to fewer public demonstrations in 2005, and, consequently, less overt government pressure on the opposition. However, the authorities continued to use their powers to limit political activity.

In July 2005, after years of failing to meet Council of Europe obligations to amend the constitution to introduce a system of stronger checks and balances among the different branches of government, Armenian authorities secured the approval of Council of Europe legal experts on a raft of constitutional amendments. The opposition (and media freedom activists) were critical, saying that too much power would remain with the executive, and some opposition parties decided to campaign against the amendments, which were to go to a referendum in November. The government made little progress on measures against corruption, a widespread problem in the country, and forced land aquisition by government-backed urban developers resulted in allegations of abuses against homeowners.

Law enforcement authorities restrict freedom of assembly and use torture and other violent and intimidating practices when carrying out their work. The authorities have a history of putting pressure on human rights defenders who are critical of the government. In 2005, such pressure extended to the ombudsperson's office.

Torture and ill-treatment in police custody remain widespread in Armenia. Torture usually occurs in pre-trial detention with the aim of coercing a confession or evidence against third parties. Abuse and mistreatment within the army is also widespread, with dozens of suspicious deaths occuring every year.

Although Armenia has significant independent and opposition print media, the government continued to restrict full media freedom in the country. Television channels A1+, Noyan Tapan, and Russian NTV, which had aired independent news coverage about Armenia, remained unable to broadcast because the government had taken away their broadcasting frequencies. The proposed constitutional amendments would increase the independence of the National Commission on Television and Radio, the body that issues and revokes broadcasting licenses, by giving parliament the power to appoint half of the members and the president the power to appoint the other half (currently, the president appoints all the members of the commission). Nevertheless, media associations, nongovernmental organizations, and the ombudsperson have criticized the Council of Europe for endorsing the proposed constitutional amendments, which they argue fails to guarantee the independence of the electronic media. They further criticize the authorities' failure to institute changes to increase the independenceof the commission overseeing state-run Armenian Public Television and Radio, set up in 2005 to provide independent public television, one of Armenia's obligations to the Council of Europe.

From 1988 to November 2001, 165 HIV-infected persons were recorded, 128 of them men (77.6%), 37 women (22.4%) and three children (1.8%). The majority (79%) are in the age group of 20-39 years. The first HIV infections in children were diagnosed in 2001. AIDS was diagnosed in 29 persons, and since the onset of the epidemic, 18 persons died of AIDS, five alone in 2000 and three in 2001. The HIV incidence of the last 2.5 years exceeds that of the entire period in which records were kept. Half of all AIDS cases and almost half of all deaths were also recorded within the last 2.5 years. The city of Yerevan recorded the most HIV infections with 80 cases (almost half of the national total) as compared with other cities.

There has been a significant increase in recent years of HIV-infection through injecting drug use. Before 1999 the ratio sexual transmission to infection through needle sharing among injecting drug users was 41 to 22; this ratio reversed dramatically by November 2001 to 27 to 53. Twice as many HIV infections were recorded in 2000 among injecting drug users as compared to sexual transmission.

Of those infected, 62% in 2000 and 62% in 2001 were unemployed migrants. They often went mostly to Russia and Ukraine to make a living and, most probably, contracted HIV there. Overall, an absolute majority of the HIV-infected in Armenia are jobless or do not have an established source of income, which makes their social condition extremely grave. They are unable to pay not only for antiretroviral therapy, but also often for the treatment of opportunistic infections. Many of them suffer from acute nutrition problems.

Meanwhile, in regards to the Bird Flu, no case has been reported officially in the country although its neighbors (Azerbaijan and Turkey) have had instances of the disease recently. The government has appropriated a meager budget for prevention and has even received a small sum from the U.S.

The main sources of air pollution in Armenia had been associated with the energy sector (35%), non-ferrous production (19%), industrial construction materials (10%) and chemicals production (9%). The total volume of emissions from point sources accounted for 255 thousand tons yearly. The vehicle emissions exceeded 489 thousand tons yearly or 65% of total emissions volume.

Due to economic hardship and some Governmental decisions, the operation of "Nairi" chemical plant, Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, and Alaverdi metallurgy plant was ceased. It was resulted in sharp decline in total air emissions in Armenia: SO2- by 12 times, CO - by 1.8 times and nitrogen oxides - by 3 times.

Currently, alongside with economic improvement in Armenia, many industrial enterprises are being recovered, and the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant has been recently reopened. However, the preventive measures aimed at decreasing of air pollution in the country are extremely ineffective. The general situation is further deteriorated by physical location of mostly polluted cities of Armenia - Yerevan, Ararat, Vanadzor and Hrazdan. All these cities are placed in valleys, between mountain ranges, where calm weather and temperature inversions tend to collect and hold emissions in place, thereby increasing concentrations to which the population is exposed.

Now the principal source of air pollution in Armenia is energy sector, particularly Thermal Power Plants in Yerevan and Vanadzor, Heat Power Plant in Hrazdan. The recent technological interventions in above plants resulted in reducing the nitrogen emissions by 10-15%.

In 1996, the total air emissions from point sources in Armenia were some 8,976 thousand tons / year, while vehicle emissions accounted for 158,279 thousand tons / year. The official estimates of vehicle emissions are based on the annual mileage data.

Education has always been prioritized in Armenia - in a country, which has 1600 years old history of literacy. From the very beginning, the school has been the basis of the nation's political and cultural survival and the incentive for national progress.

The current education network has been established during the short existence of the first Republic in Armenia in (1918 –1920). It has further developed during the years of Soviet Power (1920 – 1990).

Education in Armenia has traditionally been highly rated. Today as well, the most important national issue is considered the maintenance and development of education system, insuring its compatibility in the international environment. This can be proved by the laws and decrees issued after declaring independence.

Article 35 of the Republic of Armenia (RA) Constitution adopted in 1995 claims that all RA citizens have the right to education; the secondary education in public schools is free; and every citizen has the right to get higher or other professional education on competitive basis.

On April 14, 1999, the National Assembly adopted RA "Law About Education", which gave a definite direction to the development of reforming system based on the constitution principles. However, depending on education priorities, it is being adjusted and amended from time to time.

In May 2000, RA Government Decree approved the national standards for general education, according to which actually the education quality in national school is controlled. The "National Plan for Education Development 2001 – 2005 was approved by the parliament in June 2001, the main goal of which is to ensure education progressive development, for it is the decisive factor for statehood enforcement and socio-economic development of the society.

Besides, a series of legal norms and regulations have been adopted, that regulate the legal issues. Nevertheless, adoption of laws during the recent three years cannot smoothly ensure the development of education system. The inadequate quality of enforcement of laws and regulations, the absence of really operating mechanisms for right protection for those involved in education, as well as the financial, institutional and human resource, and content issues that are seeking for resolution, hinder with the natural development of the education network.

With all that said, the literacy rate is at a high 98%.

Armavir Development Center Armenia - Armavir Development Center is a community based non-governmental, non-profit organization registered and operating in Armavir region of Armenia. The mission of Armavir Development center is working together towards prosperous future. The goal of the organization is to improve social and economic conditions in Armavir region. Armavir region is one of the largest regions of Armenia located mostly in Ararat valley. Armavir, one of the eleven regions of Armenia is mostly agricultural with 12% of country’s population living in the region.

Armenia Tree Project - THE ARMENIA TREE PROJECT was founded in 1994 to advance Armenia's economic and social development through reforestation -- providing food, fuel, environmental benefits, jobs, and opportunities for economic growth. Since 1994, ATP has planted and restored over 531,000 trees at over 450 community sites from Gyumri to Goris. We aim to plant 15 million trees throughout Armenia by 2015. Our goal is to assist the Armenian people in using trees to improve their standard of living and protect the global environment. In so doing, we are guided by the need to promote self sufficiency, aid those with fewest resources first, and preserve the native ecosystem.

Junior Achievement of Armenia - Founded in 1992, Junior Achievement of Armenia (JAA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit California corporation dedicated to promoting free-market economics, democratic governance, social responsibility and ethical business practices in the Republic of Armenia through economic and civic education. With courses in all 1,359 high schools in Armenia, JAA-trained educators now teach 170,000 students in the country each year. By 2005, nearly 20% of Armenia’s population had taken a JAA course. JAA is an independent affiliate of Junior Achievement Worldwide and is now the seventh largest JA program among 98 globally.

Falkor I.C.Y. - Falkor is constructing and supporting an international network of youth protecting the environment, supporting and developing independent media and active in human rights, anti-racism, pro-tolerance issues and development of civil society in general.
Falkor brings individuals and organizations into contact with each other through exchange projects and information services, with the aim to start and keep up cooperation in projects improving the environmental/social situation both nation-wide in different countries and region-wide throughout entire Europe including Caucasus.