Armenia Country Guide

As one of the oldest nations in the world, Armenia occupies a fraction of its ancestral lands. Invaded and subjugated to foreign rule throughout the centuries, many of Armenia’s present day policies have been shaped by unresolved conflict and disputes with its neighbours. As a landlocked country with few natural resources, its full potential for economic development has been frustrated by effective isolation from the surrounding region. More than a million Armenians have emigrated to seek better lives abroad.

Millennium Development Goals

In common with other post-Soviet countries, Armenia suffered a dramatic economic collapse in the years immediately following independence in 1991. The proportion of the population living below the poverty line rocketed from about 20% in 1990 to 90% in 1996. In these circumstances the standard target of halving poverty by reference to a baseline year of 1990 is inappropriate; instead the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Armenia seek to reduce poverty back to its 1990 level of 20% by 2015.

The economy has now recovered to exceed its pre-independence level but, due to greater inequality of income and a growing divide between the capital Yerevan and other regions, over 26% of the population remained in poverty in 2006. The poverty line is based on the cost of food plus basic essentials; less than 5% of the population fall into the category of extreme poverty, unable to afford the recommended minimum amount of daily food. The recent rate of progress suggests that the 2015 target for poverty reduction will be achieved. Conversely, the 2005 progress report concluded that all the Goals relating to health (child mortality, maternal mortality and HIV/AIDS) will be “hard to achieve” because of insufficient funding levels and inadequate access to healthcare for the poor.

Whilst it is not uncommon for countries with volatile recent histories to adjust the standard MDG targets, Armenia has taken this approach much further with no fewer than 29 of the 43 indicators amended to reflect its “national” circumstance. Many of the revised indicators improve on the MDG equivalent; for example, having already achieved universal primary education, the Goal has been modified to include secondary and professional education.

The full guide, updated yesterday and including sections on gender, politics, human rights, conflict, health, education, information and media, economy and the environment, can be found at:
http://uk.oneworld.net/guides/armenia/development