On 28 August, the plenary session of the Youth Parliament 2026 programme was held at the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. UNDP “Fostering Responsiveness, Effectiveness, Transparency, and Inclusiveness of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia” project, in partnership with the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, has been implementing the Youth Parliament initiative for the third consecutive year. 

The initiative aims to engage young people in legislative processes while strengthening their civic participation, legislative knowledge and understanding of democratic values.

At the opening of the plenary session, the participants were welcomed and wished a productive session by Vahagn Aleksanyan, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia; Konstantin Sokulskiy, UNDP Resident Representative a.i in Armenia; and Davit Hambaryan, Chief of Staff–Secretary General of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.

The agenda of the plenary session included three legislative initiatives. Members of the Youth Parliament presented and discussed proposed amendments to the Law on Local Self-Government, proposed additions to the Law on Assessment of a Person’s Functioning, as well as the legislative initiative on the Establishment of a State and Private Funding Programme for Young Researchers.

Following discussions and a vote, the draft law on the Establishment of a State and Private Funding Programme for Young Researchers, which received the approval of the Youth Parliament, is expected to be presented for further discussion at a session of the Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.

The plenary session marked the conclusion of the week long Youth Parliament 2026 programme, which brought together 44 young people selected from across Armenia, including the regions and Yerevan. Throughout the programme, participants engaged in discussions and practical activities related to the legislative process, gaining an opportunity to strengthen their knowledge and skills and to present their perspectives on issues relevant to Armenia’s social and legislative agenda. The programme concluded with the presentation of certificates of participation to all participants.

UNDP “Fostering Responsiveness, Effectiveness, Transparency, and Inclusiveness of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia,” (FORSETI) project is funded by the Government of Sweden, the Government of Canada, the Government of Norway and the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.