Armenia

Eurasia Foundation first opened a representative office in Yerevan, Armenia in 1995.

Eurasia Foundation's first independent loan program, later to become the Izmirlian-Eurasia Universal Credit Company, was launched in 1996. In 1997, Eurasia Foundation's Media Strengthening Program began liberalizing the newspaper industry, breaking the state monopoly on newspaper production. In 1998, the Foundation created the South Caucasus Cooperation Program (now the Cross-Border Program) to support increased cooperation between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. In 2003, the Caucasus Research Resource Centers was established in Armenia to provide social science scholars and policy practitioners the opportunity for research, training and collaboration.

In 2007, as part of its strategy to establish partner foundations throughout the region, Eurasia Foundation set up Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF) as an independent organization with offices in each of the South Caucasus countries. EPF Armenia helps to mobilize citizens to address the challenges facing Armenia in democratic development, regional peace and security, and good governance.

Programs

EPF’s most active programs in Armenia include:

  • Alternative Resources in Media Program, which seeks to diversify media content and strengthen the development of alternative media in Armenia. Alternative Resources in Media is a four-year, USAID-funded initiative jointly implemented by EPF, Internews Media Support and Yerevan Press Club.
  • Armenia-Azerbaijan Media Bias Project, which seeks to increase accurate and unbiased reporting on the bilateral relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and foster a cooperative network of journalists, bloggers and media NGOs. The project has been funded by the British Embassies in Yerevan and Baku since 2008.
  • Armenia-Turkey Rapprochement Program, which seeks to normalize relations between Armenia and Turkey by strengthening the capacity of civil society, local government and business sectors to develop and maintain cross-border partnerships. The project is supported by USAID and implemented by a consortium of partners.
  • Caucasus Research Resource Centers, a network of resource, research and training centers in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, which seeks to strengthen social science research and public policy analysis in the South Caucasus. A partnership between the Carnegie Corporation of New York, EPF, and local universities, CRRC works to increase the accessibility of high-quality research resources, strengthen capacity of and the collaboration between social science researchers and policy practitioners.
  • Youth Bank, an innovative grant-making initiative, which increases the capacity of young people, aged 16 to 30, to engage as active citizens in the development of their own communities. Through comprehensive training, EPF teaches participants how to manage small pools of grant money that are distributed to support local youth-led development projects.

Impact

  • The Foundation created the first independent loan program in Armenia, Izmirlian-Eurasia Universal Credit Company, in 1996.
  • The Foundation broke the state monopoly on newspaper production, when it opened GIND Printing House, Armenia's first high-tech, commercially-viable printing house in 1997.
  • By granting youth leadership roles in their communities, the Youth Bank program raises their standing and improves their competitiveness in the job market. More than 20 Youth Bank alumni have been employed in highly-regarded positions in NGOs, the government, private and international development sectors, which they attribute to skills and experience they gained during the program.
  • The “Hello Europe” manual produced by EPF’s Europe Program was officially authorized by the Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia for experimental use in high schools.
  • The Armenia-Azerbaijan Media Bias Project significantly contributes to the promotion of peace-themed blogging and online journalism between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Vibrant discussions by peace-minded bloggers and journalists unfold on Facebook, Twitter and other online platforms, such as “The Neutral Zone,” the Caucasus Edition’s Word Press blog and MediaLab.am.
  • Since its launch in 2004, CRRC Armenia has provided statistical software, high-speed internet, printing and copying opportunities to 30 daily users; attracted 800 subscribers to its mailing list; and helped 54 Armenian scholars pursue original policy-oriented research. Over the past 3 years, CRRC Armenia collected, analyzed and disseminated data on corruption in the country.