In Numbers 46% 54%

41,247 people assisted in December 2020

0 USD cash-based transfers made WFP Armenia 123 MT of food assistance distributed Country Brief US$7.1 m six months (February – July 2021) net funding requirements December 2020

Operational Context Operational Updates The WFP Armenia Country Strategic Plan (CSP) for 2019-2024, focuses on programme implementation with innovative interventions • In December, WFP commenced the distributions of food and delivery modalities in the areas of nutrition, social protection, assistance to 44,000 people whose food security has been food value chains, and disaster risk reduction. These activities negatively affected by COVID-19. In partnership with the continue contributing to the efforts to end hunger and achieve food Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, WFP reached 22,782 security and improved nutrition by 2030. To ensure sustainable and people in Yerevan and 21,218 in Kotayk. With the support of equitable impact, WFP programmes are inclusive and gender- 25 municipalities identified as delivery points across the transformative to empower women in key areas, ensure education for regions of Yerevan and Kotayk, local authorities received all, have a climate-sensitive design and improve the sustainable rations consisting of four commodities: wheat flour, lentils, management of natural resources. In order to respond to COVID-19, vegetable oil and canned beef from WFP and arranged an emergency budget revision was approved, allowing WFP Armenia distribution among beneficiaries. WFP’s distributions for COVID-19 assistance will continue beginning of January to support the procurement of emergency personal protective equipment and medical equipment for the health response, as well as 2021. providing food assistance to vulnerable populations affected by the • In December, WFP supported 11,000 people in Yerevan with health and socio-economic consequences of the pandemic. On 27th in-kind assistance provide assistance for those affected by September, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan across the COVID-19. disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh escalated, leading to • In December, two of three WFP cargo planes arrived in considerable people movements into Armenia. Due to the conflict, Armenia from Belgium with much needed COVID-19 relief the Government of Armenia adopted martial law with temporary supplies, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), with restrictions on rights and freedoms. On November 10th, Azerbaijan, the financial support of AGBU Europe as part of the COVID- Armenia, and Russian signed a Tripartite Statement that halted all 19 health emergency response. Through the common hostilities among parties involved in the conflict. service platform WFP continued to support partners The first COVID-19 case was registered 1st March and the delivering urgently needed items. Government imposed a State of Emergency mid-March which lasted • In December, WFP, the Russian Federation and the Government of Armenia celebrated the tenth-year till mid-September. Most public health preventive measures remain in place. Аs of 31 December, 159,409 positive cases have been reported anniversary of the School Feeding programme. WFP continued with take-home rations (THR) provision to primary in the country. Armenia is still facing a second wave of the pandemic with higher number of cases compared to the first wave back in school children and kitchen helpers of WFP’s School Feeding Spring 2020 but slowing down from peaking in the months of supported regions of Lori, Kotayk, Armavir and Gegharkunik October and November. as an alternative measure to the suspension of onsite provision of school meals by the Government in response to WFP has been in Armenia since 1993, initially to provide emergency the pandemic. THRs have already been distributed to kitchen support. Since 2000, WFP has shifted to development assistance and helpers from all four provinces; distributions to school under the CSP focuses on enabling, supporting and strengthening an children from Armavir province (marz) and to children’s environment for the government to provide solutions for increased families in other regions are ongoing. WFP and the food and nutrition security. Armenia is an upper-middle income, Government of Armenia will continue THR modality during landlocked, net food-importer country vulnerable to external shocks. the second school’s semester commencing mid- January Since its independence in 1991, the border closure with neighbouring 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues spreading across Turkey and Azerbaijan has constrained the country’s economic the country and to limit any potential exposure risks with the development. According to the latest National Statistical Service data, provision of in-school daily meals. the poverty rate reached 26.4 percent in 2019. while keeping most of 2017 Human Development Index: 0.755 Population: 2.97 million • WFP’s is actively involved in supporting the UNCT’s the public health preventive measures(positioning in itplace. at 83 out of 189 countries) Response Plan Strategy to be launched in mid-January and Population: 2.97 million Income Level: Upper middle the Cooperating Framework Response plan within the same Chronic malnutrition: 9% of children Income Level: Upper middle between 0 and 59 months week providing assistance to spontaneous arrivals in 2019 Human Development Index: Chronic malnutrition: 9% of children Armenia. 0.76 (81 out of 189 countries) between 0-59 months Contact info: Sudia Musa ([email protected]) Representative and Country Director: Jelena Milosevic Further information: www.wfp.org/countries/armenia

• WFP’s Nutrition programme in Armenia has actively been meeting WFP Country Strategy potential partners on Social Behaviour Change Communication Campaigns (SBCC) across Armenia, developing a stakeholder engagement plan and finalizing pre-testing plan for SBCC materials. Country Strategic Plan 2019 – 2024 (CSP) The region of Kotayk was selected as SBCC pilot location and a (July 2019 - June 2024) school mapping as well as initial meeting with regional officials and Total Requirements Allocated Contributions (in USD) headmasters was conducted. (in USD) 32.1 m 24 m Monitoring 2021 Requirements Six-Month Net Funding Requirements • During December the M&E unit took part in the second Rapid Food (in USD) (in USD) (February-July 2021) Security Assessment (RFSA) in Yerevan and all 10 regions of Armenia. 14 m 7.1m Due to the urgency of the assessment, four teams were deployed simultaneously with participation of country office staff from various Strategic Result 1: Everyone has access to food units. The RFSA is aimed at finding food security and other needs of the spontaneous arrivals from Nagorno-Karabakh and host families Strategic Outcome 1: Vulnerable populations in Armenia, including schoolchildren, have access to adequate and nutritious food year round in the communities where they are concentrated and identifying the most vulnerable groups. The results of the RFSA will allow WFP to Focus area: Root Causes plan its new Food Assistance Programme, which will provide cash- Activit y 1: based transfers to the spontaneous arrivals and host population • Strengthen and complement the national school feeding programme to country-wide. The programme implementation is in partnership with facilitate handover to the Government the Government of Armenia. Strategic outcome 4: Vulnerable populations in Armenia have access to basic • The M&E unit has updated the monthly market price data for needs and livelihoods during and in the aftermath of a crisis. Focus area: Crisis Response November into the WFP VAM Data Bridges system. Since 27 September 2020 during the military hostilities having taken place in Activity 4: • Support to Government and partners to identify and provide food the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, the Armenian dram (AMD) assistance to vulnerable populations. depreciated significantly against USD (by more than 8 percent), Strategic Result 5: Countries have strengthened capacity to implement SDGs affecting the prices of imported food, fuel and other commodities. The depreciation has also impacted the prices of locally produced Strategic Outcome 2: National policies, programmes and systems are food and goods, which are either a substitute to imported goods, strengthened to improve food security and nutrition among targeted groups by 2024 affected by the increase of fuel prices or other imported commodities included in their cost. Since September 2020 the following food Focus area: Root Causes prices increased: sunflower oil by 14 percent, sugar – 14 percent, Activity 2: buckwheat – 3 percent, eggs – 12 percent, potatoes – 7 percent, • Provide technical support to national institutions to generate an wheat flour - 1.6 percent. evidence-base and inform policies, strategies and systems to address • In December WFP’s M&E unit launched its Beneficiary Feedback food insecurity and malnutrition in Armenia. Mechanism, a special feedback registration tool designed for Strategic Result 8: Sharing of knowledge, expertise and technology, Beneficiary Feedback Registration for COVID-19 emergency food strengthen global partnership support to country distribution targeting the most vulnerable families. Feedback efforts to achieve the SDGs registration will enable Programme’s to register, analyse and evaluate Strategic Outcome 3: Vulnerable populations benefit from improved constructive concerns and adjustments for further distributions. The capacities of national entities and partners to prevent and respond to hotline is active and collecting received calls from WFP beneficiaries. emergencies Focus area: Crisis Response Activity 3: • Provide on-demand service provision to the Government and other partners.

• The United Kingdom joined as a donor of the WFP wholegrain value chain project in Armenia to invest in green technologies and support farmers and bakeries to increase the quantity and quality of whole Donors grain wheat products in markets. In parallel, WFP’s Berd project The Republic of Armenia, Russian Federation, United Nations Trust Fund for (which provides farmers in the cooperative of Tavush a variety of Human Security, WFP 2030 corporate funds, RA Ministry of Health, Fruitful crops to cultivate their land as well as the necessary equipment, Armenia Fund, Armenia General Benevolent Union (AGBU), Izmirlian training and an assortment of high-quality seeds and fertilizers) Foundation, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UN SDG Fund, My step Foundation, Saint Sarkis Charity, Mr. Eduardo Eurnekian companies, Embassy completed packaging design for their produce (beans) and is in the of the United Kingdom to Armenia, ECHO, Government of Flanders. process of scaling up with potential partnerships to increase market

opportunities. • The Republican Union of Employers of Armenia (RUEA) worked with WFP on an assessment of food systems in Armenia, with a particular focus on market functionality and supply chain dynamics measuring

change over an annual period conducting three rounds of data. The National Agrarian University of Armenia also completed feasibility

studies and desk reviews to identify new opportunities for

developing food value chains across the country.

WFP Armenia Country Brief December 2020 Photo Caption: WFP Armenia organizing food distributions.