UN and Armenian Government Contribute to Recovery of Forests in Armenia

More than 350 trees were planted jointly by the UN,  Government officials,   Ambassadors, representative of the  International Community  at  a tree planting event organized by the UN Department of Public Information, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the non-governmental organization “Armenia Tree Project”, and the Avan administrative district of Yerevan.

The tree planting was organized to celebrate the International Mother Earth Day and within the framework of the International Year of Forests.

The initiative supports the country’s efforts aimed to strengthen the management, conservation, and sustainable development of forests for the benefit of current and future generations.

The trees and all necessary planting equipment were kindly donated by “Armenia Tree Project”.

Dafina Gercheva,  UN Resident Coordinator said: “Every citizen has a right to live in a safe and healthy environment and it is our obligation to protect the environment. Protection and sustainable use of natural resources is the main objective of many UN projects aiming at environmental protection in Armenia through broader involvement of local communities and promoting connectivity in productive landscape and forests management.”

“I am happy to join our Armenian partners and plant trees, , thus contributing personally to the restoration of the green areas in this beautiful country, and protecting natural resources.”

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests in an effort to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation, and sustainable development of all types of forests.

Areg Maghakian, Associate Director of Armenia Tree Project stated, “Our goal is to assist the Armenian people in using trees to improve their standard of living and protect the global environment. Although our tree planting activities are ongoing, we are extremely glad to partner with the UN, the MFA and Avan administrative district to demonstrate our commitment to the environment and be a part of global Earth Day celebrations hence contributing to the creation of more green spaces in Yerevan.”

The UN will continue its cooperation with the Government  and civil society on projects aimed at sustainable development of Armenia, protecting the environment and  natural resources, thus contributing to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Armenia Tree Project (ATP), a non-profit program based in the USA and Armenia, is implementing  environmental projects in Armenia’s impoverished and deforested zones. Since 1994, over 3,500,000 trees have been planted and restored, and hundreds of jobs have been created for Armenians in seasonal tree-regeneration programs. ATP works to further Armenia’s economic and social development by mobilizing resources to fund reforestation.