News: Events

On October 15, the Armenian team of SALAR International organized a meeting with the Standing Committee on Financial, Credit and Budgetary Issues of the National Assembly at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Yerevan. The discussion concerned the analysis of fiscal decentralization gaps, which was carried out by international experts Elton Staffan and Kelmend Zayazi within the framework of the “Support to Decentralization and Local Government in Armenia” (DeaLog) project.

From August 25 to 30, the leadership of the Salar International Armenian team was on a working visit to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. The “Support to Decentralisation and Local Government Reforms in Armenia” (DeaLoG) project participated in the events dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Salar International organization.

A meeting was held with the participation of Ashot Harutyunyan, administrative head of Yeghegis settlement, and Nelli Harutyunyan, principal of the local secondary school, to discuss the format, purpose, and philosophy of school–community cooperation. Yeghegis has recently joined the program implemented within the framework of education decentralization.

The administrative head and the school principal shared their ideas and visions for the future, aimed at integrating the school into the broader community life.

Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Tatevik Stepanyan received international experts Elton Staff and Kelmend Zayazi.

A delegation has arrived in Armenia as part of the “Support to Decentralisation and Local Governance Reforms in Armenia” (DeaLoG) program, with the mission of identifying gaps in fiscal decentralisation and conducting a comprehensive analysis.

The meeting was attended by the Armenia team of the program as well as Shane Quinn, the Program Director based in Sweden.

Shane Quinn welcomed the Deputy Minister and her team, expressing confidence that the meeting would be open, constructive, and effective.

On June 17 of this year, a meeting was held at the office of the “DiaLoG” project implemented by Salar International with representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.

The meeting was prompted by the visit of international experts Elton Stafa and Kelmend Zajazi to Armenia, aimed at discussing fiscal decentralisation with national and local stakeholders, civil society organizations, experts, and other interested parties, as well as developing a roadmap on the topic.

On June 19, 2025, at the office of the Salar International organization's "DeaLog" project, our team and international experts met online with representatives of 12 communities of the republic.

The topic of fiscal decentralisation was discussed with the communities of Arevut, Ferik, Gavar, Alaverdi, Vagharshapat, Goris, Artik, Akhuryan, Berd, Jermuk, Kapan, and Abovyan. The meetings were attended by community heads, deputy heads, municipal administration secretaries, and officials responsible for financial matters within the municipalities.

Deputy Minister of Health Artak Jumayan received a delegation led by Shane Quinn, Head of the "DeaLoG" project of the "SALAR International" organization.

The meeting was attended by international experts on fiscal decentralisation, Elton Stafa and Kelmend Zajazi.

The parties discussed the process of fiscal decentralisation in the healthcare sector, along with the main directions of ongoing programs and reforms.

On June 19, 2025, at the office of the Salar International “DeaLog” project, our team and international experts met with experts in the financial and economic sphere and representatives of CSOs in Armenia. Among them were former Minister of Finance and Economy Levon Barkhudaryan and former Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration Armen Khudaverdyan. An in-depth professional discussion took place on the topic of fiscal decentralisation. 

As part of the study on fiscal decentralization in Armenia, international experts Elton Staffan and Kelmend Zayazy, accompanied by the DeaLog project team, continue their meetings with key stakeholders in the field.

On June 18, the delegation visited Yerevan Municipality and met with Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan.

The meeting discussed the mechanisms for forming the Yerevan community budget, programs implemented in the city, and issues related to the Union of Communities.

International experts Elton Staffa and Kelmend Zayazi, who arrived in Armenia within the framework of the “Support to Decentralisation and Local Self-Government Reforms in Armenia” (DeaLog) project, met with the heads and representatives of the responsible departments of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia.

The meeting was attended by the Armenian team of the project and the project manager in Sweden, Shane Quinn.