Yerevan, 19 August 2026 – The European Union (EU), and United Nations (UN) partners, in partnership with the Government of Armenia, today officially launched the Joint Programme "Clean Air for Health and Green Growth in Armenia" (EU4Clean Air in Armenia), a new initiative aimed at strengthening Armenia's capacity to monitor, analyse and regulate air quality, ultimately contributing to healthier communities and sustainable green growth. 

Funded by the EU with a budget of EUR 2 million, complemented by contributions from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the 3-year programme will be jointly implemented by UNDP, UNECE, WHO and the Environment Agency Austria (UBA).

The inaugural event brought together representatives of the Government of Armenia, the EU, the UN system and international experts to discuss the country's air quality challenges and priorities for improvement. 

Konstantin Sokulskiy, UNDP Resident Representative a.i. in Armenia; Vaclav Sterba, Deputy Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Armenia; Arpine Panoyan, Head of the Atmospheric Policy Department, Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia; Siddhartha Sankar Datta, WHO Representative and Head of WHO Country Office in Armenia; Carolin Sanz Noriega, Environmental Affairs Officer, UNECE; and Wolfgang Dolezal, EU & International Cooperation, Senior Client Manager, Environment Agency Austria (UBA) welcomed the event participants.

Konstantin Sokulskiy, UNDP Resident Representative a.i., in his opening remarks stated that the Programme represents an important opportunity to build on Armenia’s progress in strengthening its air quality protection legislation and institutional framework, while addressing remaining gaps. He highlighted that, through strong national ownership and the combined expertise of the UN partners, the Programme will strengthen air quality governance, modernize monitoring systems, improve the generation and public accessibility of air quality information, and support Armenia’s commitments under the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

Vaclav Sterba, Deputy Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Armenia, addressing the participants, stated that today’s meeting marks an important milestone in the shared efforts to support Armenia in addressing air quality challenges in a comprehensive, evidence-based and forward-looking manner. He also highlighted that the meeting provides an opportunity to reaffirm the strong partnership between the European Union, the Government of Armenia and the implementing partners.

Air pollution remains one of the most pressing environmental and public health challenges facing Armenia. The new programme seeks to improve air quality and better protect people's health by strengthening national systems for air quality monitoring, assessment and regulation, while supporting Armenia's commitments under the EU-Armenia CEPA. 

Over the next three years, the programme will support the modernization and expansion of Armenia's national air quality monitoring network, strengthen the country's legal and regulatory framework in line with European standards, and enhance the technical capacities of institutions responsible for air quality management. The initiative will also improve public access to reliable air quality information through new digital tools, including an air quality portal and mobile application, helping citizens make informed decisions and encouraging evidence-based policymaking. 

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