Tuesday, April 30 2024 17:09

ArmInfo. During a meeting with the delegation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), led by Luke Fochtman, Bank's  Deputy Country Director for Armenia, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs (Ministry of Internal Affairs) of Armenia Arpine Sarkisyan noted the importance of cooperation with ADB in the field of disaster risk management

According to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of  Armenia, in this vein, Sargsyan presented the Disaster Risk  Management Strategy for 2023-2030 and the measures defined by the  Action Plan for 2023-2026, approved by government decree on October  5, 2023.

As she said, with the approval of the new strategy, there was a shift  from disaster risk reduction to disaster risk management, defining  the powers of local actors and creating a new governance model.   Sargsyan also emphasized the importance of the process of indexing  possible seismic risk at the national level and work aimed at  developing seismic safety standards based on them.

Regarding the ongoing and planned measures in this direction, the  Deputy Minister emphasized the importance of reviewing the norms  regulating the field of urban planning, taking into account current  international standards and best practices.

Speaking about the activities of the interdepartmental working group  headed by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Sargsyan noted the  inclusiveness of its composition due to the involvement of  representatives of all interested departments.

Members of the delegation presented the tasks and goals of the  Development of a Financing Strategy for the Seismic Safety  Improvement and Management of Public Infrastructure in Armenia  project.

They touched upon the work carried out in the field of seismic safety  in Armenia within the framework of the project, in particular, the  reconstruction of 46 schools and the implementation of  awareness-raising activities in communities.

An agreement was reached to create an ambitious and comprehensive  strategic document in the field of seismic safety. The Ministry of  Internal Affairs expressed its readiness to coordinate the process in  this direction and ensure the implementation of strategic approaches  with effective interdepartmental cooperation.

ADB has been in partnership with Armenia since 2005 and is one of the  country's largest multilateral development partners. As of April  2024, the Bank has implemented numerous projects in Armenia worth  $1.9 billion, which were aimed at developing transport, financial,  energy, water, and other infrastructure.