NERKIN TSAGHKAVAN COMMUNITY INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLAN

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2 Approved by General Assembly of Nerkin Tsaghkavan Community On August 11, 2006 Republic of Armenia Tavush Marz NERKIN TSAGHKAVAN COMMUNITY INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLAN Nerkin Tsaghkavan Village 2006

3 CONTENTS 1. Introduction General Overview Vision of Nerkin Tsaghkavan Community Social-Economic Overview Problem Identification and Analysis Priority Problem Analysis Statement of Outputs Medium-Term Projects Project Development Annexes

4 1. Introduction To facilitate sustainable and integrated rural development and to assist local government bodies and the population of communities in Armenia, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has, jointly with the Nerkin Tsaghkavan Community and in cooperation with the Republic of Armenia Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in view of the forthcoming Third Diaspora- Armenia Conference, initiated and elaborated the Integrated Development Plan of the Community. This effort has not been confined to functions currently performed by the Community. The Development Plan is anchored in a Community Development Vision articulated by its inhabitants, covering the development goals of the community as a whole. The Plan has been developed by means of conducting a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the external environment on the Community, the social-economic situation in the Community, and the existing and potential capacity and resources (natural, geographic, economic, social, financial, and human). It is a guideline for integrated community development, which may serve as a basis for policy-making at all levels of government. Financial resources and project outputs have been evaluated in order to make the Plan even more realistic. The Plan is in conceptual agreement with the UN Millennium Development Goals and Targets, the Poverty Reduction Strategy Program, the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework adopted by the Armenian Government, the Integrated Development Plan of Armenia s Borderline Regions, the Millennium Challenge Program, and the Marz Development Plans. The objectives and priorities set forth in the Plan are not final and can be adjusted in the course of implementation. The Planning process and methodology are presented in Annex 1. 3

5 4 2. General Overview Tavush Marz. The Tavush Marz was formed under the Tavush Marz Republic of Armenia Law on Administrative-Territorial Division adopted on December 4, The Tavush Marz includes the former Ijevan, Tavush Tsaghkavan (Shamshadin), and Noyemberyan districts, as well as the health-resort town of Dilijan. There are four urban and 58 rural communities in the Marz. To the west and the south, it borders the Lori, Kotayk, and Gegharkunik Marzes of Armenia, the Republic of Georgia to the north, and the Republic of Azerbaijan to the east. The Tavush Marz has a 400-kilometer very difficult section of the state border, of which 352 km are with Azerbaijan. The Tavush Marz has a territory of 2,710 square kilometers. The Marz capital is Ijevan, which was called Karvansara prior to 1919, and became a town only in The largest river is Aghstev, which flows through the center of the Marz towards north-east. The Tavush Marz stretches in the north-east of Armenia on an external row of the Caucasus Minor mountain chains, made up of the Georgian Armenian, Gugark, and Miapor mountains. The humidity is moderately high here. Annual irradiation lasts 1,900-2,000 hours. The summers are warm, and the winters mild. The rivers belong to the Caspian Sea (River Kur) basin and are fed by thaw and underground and rain water. The largest lake is Parz Lich in the proximity of Dilijan. During , the Jokhaz (Berkaber), Hakhum, Tavush, Aygedzor, and Ijevan reservoirs were built. 97,768 out of the 271,000 hectares of Marz surface area are used for agriculture. 143,000 hectares (51%) are occupied by mixed forests. The Marz has relatively little in terms of mineral ores. The main industrial resources are bentonite clay, limestone, construction stone, dolomite, and felsite. The River Aghstev valley has an abundance of curative water, which is also bottled. This forest-rich land has diverse flora, fauna, and unique natural monuments. To preserve nature in its original form, to enrich it, and to

6 breed new local species, the Dilijan State Reserve and the Ijevan Forest Park have been created. During the energy crisis, unsound logging was a frequent occurrence. Prior to 1990, the Tavush Marz had a developed agriculture, which accounted for 9% of the nation s gross agriculture output. Tavush was the second after Ararat in terms of the product per unit of agricultural land. The most developed industries were tobacco growing, horticulture, and pig breeding. Tavush produced 33% of the nation s tobacco and 23% of the nation s fruit. The former Shamshadin (Berd) and Ijevan administrative regions were the top two national producers of raw tobacco (2,500-2,700 and 1,800-2,000 tons per annum, respectively). Noyemberyan was the national leader (25-30,000 tons per annum) in terms of fruit production. During the last decade, the agriculture of the Marz suffered greatly from not only the hectic privatization (by fragmenting the land), but also the Armenian-Azeri armed conflict. As a consequence of the latter, more than 9,000 hectares of arable fields and orchards near the border have remained without cultivation. During the last two years, targeted projected have been carried out to rehabilitate traditionally-profitable tobacco growing and horticulture. In general, the land and climate conditions are conducive of growing subtropical crops. In the field About 15 years ago, the industry of the Tavush Marz contributed 3% of the gross industrial output of the nation, and more than half of this came from the food industry. In the Marz, powerful canneries exist in Ayrum and Varagavan. There are wineries in Debedavan, Ijevan, and Aygepar. There are raw tobacco preliminary processing workshops in Kayan Station and Aygepar, but they are under-loaded. In the 1930s, the development of industry in this forest-rich region started with timber processing, when the Ijevan Timber Processing Plant and the 5

7 Dilijan Flexible Furniture Factory were opened. Later, the Ijevan Carpet and Bentonite Clay Processing Plants, the Dilijan Knitting Plant, the Berd Relay factory, the Dilijan Impulse factory, the Ijevan Forest Machine Factory, the Dilijan and Ijevan mineral water factories, and numerous affiliates of other enterprises and national factories were opened, which provided employment for the local workforce. However, some of these enterprises are presently idle (or operate at negligible volume) due to the absence of inputs and funds, the continuing transportation blockade, and the loss of sale markets. Recently, the Marz has been the focus of and cooperated effectively with the Armenian Government and many international organizations. The British DFID, funded by the Government of Great Britain, has developed a Marz Social-Economic Development Plan, and capital investments (of about 1 million British pounds) have been earmarked for its implementation. In Tavush, the Food Safety and Local Government Strengthening Programs of the German Government s GTZ are operating successfully. The Health and Infrastructure Rehabilitation local projects implemented by World Vision are worth mentioning. In the Marz, there are also international projects aimed at the agriculture sector, namely the rehabilitation of irrigation systems. 6 Background The Village Nerkin Tsaghkavan (formerly Melik) was founded in the 13th century (in the days of the Meliksetyans) and named after the Melik ( prince ) of the River Joghaz of the Ghazakh Province. At that time, the St. Hakob church was built, which, however, no longer stands. During the rule of tsarist Russia ( ), the Village Melik was a tsarist army garrison. At that time, there were only 30 households in the Village. Since May 1939, the Village was renamed to Tsaghkavan, which changed to Nerkin Tsaghkavan in Nerkin Tsaghkavan is 900 meters above sea level. The distance to the Marz capital is 25 and that to the nation s capita 70 kilometers. The climate is moderate, with adequate precipitation. In the north, the Village borders Azerbaijan. As a borderline settlement, Nerkin Tsaghkavan carries the impact of the Armenian-Azeri conflict in terms of external threats, depression of the population, and a destroyed economy. The Village remains of little appeal for serious investments. However, there is strong cohesion in the Village and a desire to make the Community a rich settlement with developed agriculture, where people will be able to live safely and prosperously.

8 3. Vision of Nerkin Tsaghkavan Community The community vision is a desirable situation in the future towards which all the members of the community collectively aspire. Nerkin Tsaghkavan is a rich settlement with developed agriculture, where people are able to live safely and prosperously. 4. Social-Economic Overview 4.1 Situation by Sectors 4.1.1Demography The Community comprises 203 households. The actual population (as of January 1, 2006) is 639, including 312 male and 327 female. There are 133 pensioners. 100 vulnerable families have been registered with the social agency, which means that more than half of the Community s population is poor. 49 households are included in the Paros scheme of social support. There are 42 disabled persons and two families of deceased freedom-fighters. There is a high degree of emigration (164 people). The ethnic structure of the population is homogeneous: all the villagers are Armenian (see Annex 2) Employment The majority of the Community population is occupied in agriculture. Here, occupation is seasonal due to the seasonal nature of agriculture. A small part of the population earns income from labor migration and non-agricultural activities. As for private business, there are five shops in the Community, which employ a total of five people. There is no industry; therefore, no one is employed in the industry sector. The Village Municipality, the school, the health post, and the library together employ 30 people. 40 peo- 7

9 ple are registered as unemployed with the regional employment center. The able-bodied population is 230 (see Annex 2). The Community has potential for directly and indirectly creating additional jobs, provided that agricultural product and livestock product supply stations and processing workshops are created Agriculture The administrative territory of the Community is 605 hectares, of which 485 (75.7%) is agricultural land. Arable land is 272 hectares; grassland is 49 hectares; pastures are 87 hectares; and other land is 50 hectares. The land under Community jurisdiction is 230 hectares. Privately-owned land is 285 hectares, and another 90 hectares are state-owned. The bulk (about 92%) of the arable land is third- and fourth-grade. The Community has no first-grade land. There are only 22 hectares of second-grade arable land (see Annex 3). About 26% of the arable land (71 hectares) is used to grow agricultural crops. Another 37% has turned into grasslands (during 2005, 2,500 centners of grass was collected from the non-cultivated arable land). In 2005, the Community cultivated grains (38 hectares or about 14% of the arable land), legumes (3 hectares), potato (23 hectares), and truck crops, melons, and gourds (7 hectares) (see Annex 4). Sufficient humidity of land creates favorable conditions for plants, although good harvests can only be expected in case of irrigation. For many years, about 30-40% of the Community population grew tobac- 8 Discussion in the focus group

10 co. Presently, the Community does not grow any tobacco. The former tobacco and wheat fields have been converted to idle non-cultivated land or, in the better cases, to fields of non-irrigated crops (such as potato, corn, and the like). Thus, the agricultural land is not used purposively. This is a consequence of the absence of irrigation water, the inaccessibility of quality seeds and fertilizer, the poor state or absence of agricultural machinery, periodic drought, the absence of farm support, and so on. The cultivation schedules are not respected; the yields drop; and the cost of production grows. There are also problems related to the sale of agricultural products due to the absence of supply and processing stations and the difficulties of transportation to the Marz center (which is the nearest farm market). It is, therefore, essential to carry out measures in order to rehabilitate the irrigation network, to acquire a variety of agricultural machinery, to improve land fertility, and to gain access to low-interest long-term agricultural credit. Because of the low profitability of plant cultivation due to the aforementioned reasons, the population prefers to breed livestock, which, too, is not very profitable. The Community has a total of 250 cattle, 105 pigs, 252 sheep, 87 goats, 18 horses, 32 bee colonies, and 6 donkeys (see Annex 5). Livestock production development is impeded by sales difficulties, unreasonable price fluctuations, and the lack of human resources (milkmaids, shepherds, and the like). If these obstacles are overcome, the Community will be able to develop livestock breeding, making further use of the possibilities of nearby pastures. The construction of a livestock breeding complex and the creation of a milk and dairy processing workshop are considered potentially successful projects. The Community has favorable conditions for the development of bee keeping, which is already growing abruptly: during just one year, the number of bee colonies has almost quadrupled Non-Agricultural Activities In the Community, non-agricultural activities are underdeveloped. There are five small shops that employ a total of five people. There is no industrial activity whatsoever Potable Water and Irrigation Potable water is supplied from natural sources by gravity for an average of six hours per day. The total length of the potable water network is 12.5 kilometers, of which the main is 9 kilometers. The network and the main have not been repaired for a long time, which has resulted in changes in the quality of potable water and losses. It is necessary to perform capital repairs of the mains and to construct two new captations, as well as a three-kilome- 9

11 ter new main connecting them. It will ensure 10-hour water supply to 80% of the households. Presently, 150 households (about 74% of total) have individual taps of potable water. The residents do not pay for water. Generally, potable water is not an acute problem in the Community. The total length of the irrigation network within the Community is 25 kilometers. Irrigation water is a very acute problem for the Community. The land plots, with the exception of home-adjacent ones, are not irrigated at all. In the past, water was pumped from the Berkaber Reservoir. Presently, the pump station does not operate: pumped water is not cost-effective and is risky (being in the fire zone of Azerbaijan). It is especially important to look for new (gravity-flow) solutions. The relevant Marz agencies and IFAD have developed a new technical proposal on water supply for these areas, the implementation of which, subject to the availability of funds, would provide irrigation water to Nerkin Tsaghkavan, Kirantz, Sevkar, and Sarigyugh (see Figure 1) Education, Health, Culture, Sports, and Religion Access to high-quality education is considered essential by the Community residents. There is a public secondary school in the Community, which has 87 pupils. The school building is in adequate state: it was renovated in 2005 with state budget funding (AMD 40 million). Under the 2006 state budget, the school will receive AMD 11 million for the construction of a local boiler. The assets are rather old and need to be refreshed. The procurement of athletic supplies is particularly important in order to make sport life in the 10

12 Community active. The school employs 25 people. Pre-school education services are not rendered in the Community. As of January 1, 2006, there were 58 pre-school-age children. The number of newborns has been increasing. If the planned agriculture sector reforms are carried out, it will be important to have a pre-school facility in order to not hinder the occupation of parents. However, there is no appropriate building: the old kindergarten was made up of two small wooden buildings (huts), which have been converted to residential houses and can no longer serve as a kindergarten. Even if a new kindergarten is built (to be attended by about 25 children), the Community, with its presently scarce budget, will be unable to finance the delivery of appropriate services. The building and furniture of the village library are in an inadequate state. The book stock has not been updated for a long time and is worn-out. There are no extra-school education, culture, or sport services in the Community. There are no activity circles. There isn t a single computer in the Village. The youth have no occupation. Building a culture center will not only solve the problem of cultural services, but also create technical conditions for pre-school and extra-school education, as well as pastime opportunities for the youth and the elderly. The Village does not have a church. The Kirantz and Makaravank Monasteries are far from the Village. Not all the members of the Community can afford to practice religion in a church, which creates preconditions for the proliferation of sects. 19 members of the Community have university degrees, 86 secondary vocational education, 155 high school education, and 114 have completed eight years of secondary schooling (see Annex 6). The basic health needs of the Community are met by a health post, which is an affiliate of the Sevkar Health Center. The building and furniture of this community-owned health post are in adequate state, after renovation by the German GTZ in the frameworks of a project called Assistance to Communities. World Vision is currently implementing a health program in the Community: the program includes scheduled visits of doctors to the Community. The Community health post does not have medication, and the nurse needs training Utilities Natural gas is not supplied to the Community. A three-kilometer gas main entering into the Village passes under the ground and cannot be used. The population uses wood from the nearby forest as fuel. However, forests are now tightly controlled, and illegal logging is precluded. On the other hand, not everyone is able to obtain fuel legitimately. Natural gas supply will miti- 11

13 gate the problem to some extent. Gas supply may be impeded by fee collection difficulties due to the insolvency of the population. Garbage removal is not organized in the Community. There is no central sewerage. Its function is performed by the drainage lines. The total housing stock of the Community is 25,500 square meters. There are 250 residential houses, of which 18 are unsafe. Nine have become unsafe due to landslides, and one has collapsed. One four-member family has moved to a neighboring village; another family (with seven members) is currently living in the former Utilities Building; and two families are living in the wooden huts of the former kindergarten. The landslides regularly damage the roads within the Village. The residents of the unsafe houses are deprived of basic utilities and living conditions. Street lighting is in desperate condition. Some of the street lighting poles still stand, although no wires are left. In the evening, the Village is buried in darkness. Street lighting is important to overcome the depressed state of the population; however, budget scarcity would obstruct recurrent maintenance of a street lighting network. There are no leisure areas in the territory of the Community. There is an area of the Village affected by landslides, but there is no threat of rain flooding Transport and Communications The Community is 1.5 kilometers away from the closest national highway. The national and Marz roads are asphalt-paved and in good condition. The roads are in good condition (in view of the speed limit). The Community has three kilometers of earth roads, which need capital renovation. In the winter, the roads are not fully passable. When it rains, movement within the Community, especially going to school, becomes very difficult. A once-daily Nerkin Tsaghkavan-Ijevan bus operates; the fare is 250 drams one way. The frequency of the Nerkin Tsaghkavan-Ijevan bus transportation needs to be increased. The Community has 14 passenger cars and six trucks. The Community internal automated-switch telephony does not operate. The station needs repairs, and the network is missing altogether. There is one (Marz) telephone number in the Community (belonging to the Ijevan station). Viva-Cell mobile telephony is accessible. A post office operates regularly. The number of television stations is limited (the population receives H1, H2, and RTR). There is no Internet. 12

14 4.1.9 Local Self-Government Bodies Since August 5, 2001, the Community Head has been Nairi Atabekyan (43 years old, a university graduate). Here are the names of the Community Council members: 1. Samvel Babutyan 2. Gagik Gasparyan 3. Roman Zavradyan 4. Radik Mkhitaryan 5. Mher Revazyan. The Mayor has created a three-position staff with the following structure: The Village Municipality building needs to be improved. The furniture is very old and worn-out; there are no computers. There is cohesion in the Community, which, however, has not resulted in the formation of social institutions. There are no formal associations in the Community Community Assets and Budget The Community owns the Village Municipality building, the culture center, the two wooden huts of the former kindergarten, two reservoirs (with a capacity of 220 tons), the water cleaning station, the internal irrigation network connected to the Berkaber pump station, and three kilometers of roads within the Village, which are in extremely poor state. The Community budget is mainly filled by land tax and central government subsidies. Property tax is levied only on vehicles. The Community has a significant number of land plots for which there is no demand. If agriculture develops and farm support becomes available, demand for land will increase, and land lease proceeds can become a significant source of community budget revenue. Community budget revenue and expenditure execution is poor. The 2004 budget revenues were executed by 80.7% and the expenditures by 80.5%. The execution rates were 83.8% and 83.3%, respectively, in The execution of own revenue and, in particular, items such as land and property tax, is especially low. 13

15 Revenue execution has been poor in 2006, as well (35.7% for the first six months of 2006). Own revenue execution is 36.1% for the first six months of 2006 (land tax execution is 29.5% and property tax execution is 65.4%). Expenditure execution has been 34.9% during the first half of 2006 (see Table 1). More detailed information on the Community s revenues and expenditures is presented in Annexes 8 and Projects Implemented in the Community The following projects have been implemented in the Community in recent years: 14

16 4.2. Analysis of Internal and External Factors 15

17 16 5. Problem Identification and Analysis During the first Community General Assembly, the problems faced by the Community were identified. These problems were later elaborated and analyzed in a focus group. The problems were analyzed on the basis of materials received in the frameworks of the My Vision for the Development of Nerkin Tsaghkavan essay contest. The findings are summarized below: 1. Need to provide housing to the residents of unsafe houses or to renovate such houses 2. Need to renovate roads within the Community and to improve the drainage system 3. Need to renovate the potable water main, to increase the number of sources supplying water to the Community, and to improve the potable water network within the Community 4. Absence of gas supply 5. Absence of a culture center 6. Absence of sport services 7. Absence of pre-school education services 8. Absence of irrigation on non-home-adjacent land plots of the Community 9. Absence of street lighting 10. Difficulties of selling livestock products 11. Inadequate state of athletic and school assets 12. Absence of agricultural machinery 13. Low productivity of privatized land 14. Extremely inadequate state of Village Municipality building and assets 15. Difficulties of selling agricultural products 16. Absence of computers and Internet 17. Absence of an internal telephone network 18.Need to increase the frequency of transportation between the Community and the Marz capital 19. Inaccessibility of soft loans 20. Absence of household service facilities 21. Need to create a livestock breeding complex The identified problems were evaluated and classified by acuteness and trends (see Annex 1), and were classified by the level of priority (see Table 2) The half of the problems, which scored the maximum possible number of points, were considered priorities. Here they are:

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19 Absence of agricultural machinery Low productivity of privatized land Absence of irrigation on non-home-adjacent land plots of the Community Need to provide housing to the residents of unsafe houses or to renovate such houses Difficulties of selling agricultural products Absence of computers and Internet Need to renovate roads within the Community and to improve the drainage system Absence of a culture center Inaccessibility of soft loans Need to renovate the potable water main, to increase the number of sources supplying water to the Community, and to improve the potable water network within the Community Difficulties of selling livestock products 6. Priority Problem Analysis Once the priorities were identified, problem casual links were explored and solutions proposed. Problem Causality Analysis and Mapping of Responsibilities 18

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23 7. Statement of Outputs Based on the analysis of priority problems, the following outputs have been stated: Overcome the difficulties related to agricultural processing (inability to pay for leased agricultural machinery, unreasonable delays, and so on) by means of creating a pool of multi-purpose agricultural machinery Increase the productivity of privatized land plots Create opportunities for increasing the volume of agricultural plant processing by means of addressing the problem of non-irrigated land Provide dignified housing conditions for the residents of currently unsafe houses Create conditions to overcome agricultural product sale difficulties Give the Community access to modern sources of information Have well-made roads within the Community, with a drainage system Have a culture center Create conditions for overcoming the difficulties related to the sale of livestock products Improve access to potable water Help the farmers with large-scale agricultural activity by means of making long-term low-interest credit accessible for them Medium-Term Projects Projects were defined on the basis of solutions derived from the problem causality analysis. From the alternative solutions, the ones that corresponded to pre-defined criteria (degree of solution of the problem, required financial resources, and feasibility of operation and maintenance) were selected. Thus, the following projects have been selected: 1. Acquire agricultural machinery in accordance with the List (see Annex 7) 2. Carry out measures to improve the productivity of 200 hectares of privatized land 3. Create a dairy processing workshop or establish a milk supply station (for 2 tons per day)

24 4. Build new cottages for residents of unsafe houses (a total of 18 families) or reinforce the unsafe houses 5. Create a fruit processing (drying and canning) workshop or supply station (for 1.5 tons per day) 6. Establish a computer center with Internet connectivity 7. Rehabilitate 3-kilometer intra-community roads and install a drainage system 8. Build a 200-seat culture center 9. Make long-term low-interest credit available (without requiring any security) 10. Rehabilitate [8-kilometer] potable water main and increase the number of sources (by building two new captations and a 3-kilometer main), and rehabilitate the network within the Community (2.5 kilometers) 23

25 11. Build a gravity-flow irrigation water main (13 km) from the unsettled areas of the River Kirantz, which will also supply irrigation water to Sarigyugh, Kirantz, and Sevkar villages (a total of four communities) The choice of these solutions does not mean that the other solutions will be overlooked. Any change of circumstances may bring other solutions to the forefront and trigger new solutions. The assessment of projects and the classification of priorities were done using the pair-wise method (see Annex 1). Priority Setting Matrix Using Pair-Wise Method According to the pair-wise method, projects scored the following number of points: Project Development Project Discussions. For the purpose of addressing project implementation issues, monitoring and evaluating them, and identifying potential sources of funding for projects, each project was discussed in a joint workshop of the working and focus groups, to which relevant experts had been

26 invited, as well. Projects were discussed and examined with experts at Marz and national levels for purposes of compatibility with policies. As a result of the discussions, medium-term projects were identified. 25

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28 10. Annexes Annex 1. Methodology 1. Planning Steps and Principles The Nerkin Tsaghkavan Community Development Plan (CDP) was developed during July and August, 2006 by a group comprising community residents and UNDP experts. Public participation in the CDP elaboration process has been achieved by means of discussions with the Village Municipality staff and the Community Council, as well as discussions in general community assemblies (to address general matters pertaining to the CDP) and an initiative group (CDP elaboration process). The Development Plan has been elaborated through the following steps: 1. Preparatory activities; 2. Community vision statement; 3. Social-economic overview; 4. Problem identification and analysis; 5. Statement of outputs; 6. Medium-term objectives and underlying priorities; and 7. Project development Here are the main principles underlying the development of the Community Development Plan: Participatory: the Community residents, through a group of representatives formed on voluntary grounds by the General Assembly of the Community, participated in the process. This format helped achieve process transparency and accountability. In addition to the Community residents, stakeholders from outside of the Community participated, as well (including the Marz Governor s Office, the Government, international organizations, donors, non-governmental organizations, private sector representatives, and the like). Compatible: National, regional, and neighboring communities interests have been factored in. Complementary: The capacity existing in neighboring communities has been taken into account. Consensus-Based: Differences in opinion have been respected and decisions taken on the basis of compromise. Feedback: With a certain sequence order, the activities have 27

29 been reflective. Flexible: Any change of the situation can be added in. Sustainable: The general arrangements by which the Plan was developed and adopted (i.e. its participatory nature and the approval by the Community Council and the Community General Assembly) ensure the sustainability of the Plan. 2. Preparatory Activities The Community Development Plan has been elaborated by means of official talks at two levels (regional and local). To improve consistency and avoid redundancies, introductory meetings were held and understandings reached with regional officials and the community leadership. The UNDP Community Development Plan objective was presented and specific arrangements on joint work were made. Participation in the CDP process was achieved by means of community general assemblies and discussions in a working group. Community General Assembly Purpose: Two general assemblies were convened during the CDP process, the first of which was intended to raise awareness, to mobilize, and to build an initiative group, while the second was held to discuss and approve the draft CDP. Method of Convening: the Community general assemblies were convened by means of announcements published by the Village Municipality. The announcements were posted in visible sites within the Community. The working group was made up of the Village Mayor, the Village Municipality Staff, the Community Council members, and the initiative group. Initiative Group Purpose: To identify, analyze, and proposal solutions to the problems of certain groups, including socially-vulnerable groups of the population. Principles of Formation: The desire of participants to be involved, the approval of the majority of the general assembly, and the diversity of the group (in ethnic, professional, and age-gender terms) were taken into consideration. Method of Formation: The initiative group was formed in the first General Assembly of the Community by means of voluntary nomination and selfnomination. It was made up of representatives of various social segments of the population. 28

30 For a list of the working group members, see Annex Community Vision Statement The community vision is a desirable situation in the future towards which all the members of the community collectively aspire. The community vision as a light spotted in the distance guides the development of the community, and each community institution, with its functions in the context of its authority and mission, incrementally makes it closer. The community vision setting process was carried out by means of a community-wide contest and a presentation in the working group. Contest A community-wide contest for essays on the topic My Vision for the Development of Nerkin Tsaghkavan was organized and conducted. Instructions on how to take part in the contest were developed and disseminated within the community (as well as posted on the Municipality wall), which stated the main assignment (i.e. to present their vision for the community, values, issues, their causes, consequences, and solutions) and the terms of participation. The papers were evaluated by community development experts. The authors of the best papers received prizes. Working Group Parallel to the evaluation of essays, statements of the Community vision were extracted and combined with the one proposed in the working group. As a result of this exercise, a common community vision was articulated. 4. Social-Economic Overview The social-economic situation in the Community was analyzed by methods such as data surveys and working group discussions. Surveys and analysis of available information Information on the Community was collected from different organizations (the Village Municipality, the Marz Governor s Office, the Government, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the like). The Tavush Marz Development Plan, as well as the last several years community budgets, its triennial development plan, and other community-related plans were studied. Working group discussions 29

31 The Community s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) were identified in the working group. This analysis then served as a basis for identifying the issues faced by the Community and proposing solutions. 5. Problems Indentification and Analysis The problems were analyzed in the following stages: I. Problem identification and mapping; II. Problem assessment; and III. Analysis of urgent problems using a causality scheme. I. Problem Identification and Mapping: the focus groups identified all the problems that the participants deemed related to community development. The identified problems were then grouped according to the competent authorities. II. Problem Assessment: the focus groups determined the most serious problems that need to be solved in order to start a process of fundamental community development. The problems assessment was performed using a so-called Problem Acuteness and Trend method. The Problem Acuteness and Trend Method. Each participant received sheets containing a list of all the problems (one problem per sheet). The participants were then asked to assess the problems as Very Acute, Acute, and Less acute by jointly choosing assessment criteria in advance, including: The number of people affected by the problem; The impact of consequences; and The incidence of the problem. Each participant was asked to mark his/her grade to each problem on the opposite side of the problem sheet. Then, the participants were asked to sort the problems by the trends observed during the last two-years ( Worsens, Remains unchanged, or Improves ), after which all the participants sheets were analyzed using the ratios specified in Table 1. 30

32 6. Medium-Term Objectives and Underlying Priorities Priority-Setting. The assessment of projects and the classification of priorities were done using the pair-wise method, for which medium-term feasibility (access to financial, human, material, and other resources) was taken as a benchmark. The Pair-Wise Method. The examined problems were filled out in vertical and horizontal lines of a matrix (see Table 2), after which each problem stated in a vertical line was compared with all the problems mentioned in the horizontal lines. The top priority identified as a result of this comparison was written in the box where the lines cross. After all the boxes were filled in this way, the incidence of each problem was calculated, and the problems were classified in the order of incidence. According to this classification, priorities were set. The advantage of this method (see Table 2) is that projects are separately compared to one another, which, as opposed to the previous method, allows group analysis and discussion of each project. 31

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