Armenian environment minister, UN-Habitat chief discuss green development, COP17
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Minister of Environment Hambardzum Matevosyan, within the framework of the Seventh Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) in Kenya, met with United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach.
Matevosyan briefed Rossbach on Armenia’s priorities regarding sustainable and green urban and rural development.
“Green and circular economy strategies, as well as the promotion of energy efficiency, occupy a special place on Armenia’s agenda. In this context, the Minister emphasized that Armenia can benefit from UN-Habitat’s expertise in the development of ‘smart’ cities and rural communities, as well as in advancing the circular economy,” the statement released by the Ministry reads.
“The discussion also covered key areas of ongoing cooperation between the Urban Development Committee of Armenia and UN-Habitat, including the digital urban planning services platform, the integration of the Urban Cadastre with the National Geoportal, and a number of other current and prospective joint initiatives. Matevosyan noted that Armenia, as the host country of the COP17 (Seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity), is highly interested in addressing this important topic from all perspectives, including the sustainable coexistence of human settlements and the preservation of biodiversity.
‘Significant progress has been made in the field of biodiversity in recent years. By adopting the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs), we are ready to cooperate with UN-Habitat in their implementation, as they include targets aimed at the green transition of cities and sustainable development,’ he said.
The Minister also informed the UN-Habitat Executive Director that, within the framework of COP17, Armenia plans to hold a Cities Forum with the participation of mayors and stakeholders from urban authorities, which will take place alongside the main conference.
At the end of the meeting, the Minister invited UN-Habitat partners to visit Armenia.