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The 2026 activities of the Youth Parliament programme began at the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia on August 24, the National Assembly said.
“For the third consecutive year, the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, jointly with the UNDP programme ‘Fostering the Responsiveness, Effectiveness, Transparency and Inclusiveness of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia’, has been implementing the Youth Parliament project. Your active participation demonstrates that it is successful and in demand,” Davit Hambaryan, Chief of Staff-Secretary General of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, said while welcoming the participants.
He thanked the partners from the United Nations Development Programme, stressing that effective and continuous cooperation with the National Assembly Staff had produced important results, contributing to young people’s civic education, the strengthening of democratic values and their active involvement in public life. Hambaryan encouraged the young participants to make the most of every meeting and discussion, wishing them interesting, meaningful and productive working days.
Elina Ishkhanyan, Assistant to the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, conveyed National Assembly President Ruben Rubinyan’s greetings and warm congratulations to the members of the Youth Parliament, noting that being young opens many doors for them.
“Being young provides a great opportunity to put forward new ideas. In this regard, National Assembly President Ruben Rubinyan is an inspiring example for us, as after his election he became the youngest parliament speaker in the world,” Ishkhanyan said.
Ruzanna Hayrapetyan, Coordinator of the UNDP Parliamentary Support Programme, highlighted the importance of the programmes being implemented and presented the work carried out over the past several years and the Youth Parliament’s agenda. She encouraged the young participants to make full use of the unique opportunity to make their voices heard in the National Assembly.
Hegine Khachikyan, Deputy Chief of Staff of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, wished the Youth Parliament members success and said that on this platform, experts from the National Assembly Staff and employees of the National Assembly Secretariat, with the support of international partners, would present the activities of the legislature, as well as legislative mechanisms and tools.
The 2026 Youth Parliament has 44 members. Three standing committees have been formed: the Standing Committee on Health Care, the Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs, and the Standing Committee on Territorial Administration and Environmental Protection.
The young participants joined the committees through self-nomination according to their preferences. Chairs and deputy chairs of the standing committees were elected. As part of their work, Youth Parliament members familiarised themselves with the activities of parliament, the functions and procedures of the National Assembly’s bodies and standing committees, and watched a video about the activities of the 2025 Youth Parliament.
The UNDP programme “Fostering the Responsiveness, Effectiveness, Transparency and Inclusiveness of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia” is funded by the governments of Sweden, Norway and Canada, as well as by the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.