Yerevan – On September 23, 2010, the five-year USAID-funded Human and Institutional Capacity Development (HICD) Project held its closeout event at Armenia Marriott Hotel in Yerevan. The Academy of Educational Development (AED), which implemented the program, presented an overview of the project in the context of 16 years of USAID-funded capacity development programs in Armenia. Stakeholders from the Armenian government and international institutions, as well as beneficiary organizations shared the outcomes and achievements of HICD activities in the country. The event was accompanied with an exhibition where a number of project beneficiaries displayed the successes of their organizations as a result of HICD interventions. Launched in 2005, HICD has spanned a variety of organizations in public, private and non-profit sectors and has focused on a variety of fields. The project has effectively cooperated with partner organizations to address the performance gaps of key institutions that have an important role for USAID’s strategic priorities. In the past few years, USAID has closely worked with and provided support to the Armenian Government, including the Ministries of Economy, Health, Labor and Social Affairs, the Central Bank of Armenia, the Public Services Regulatory Commission, as well as the National Assembly of RA. It has also worked with a number of companies in the private sector, particularly with small and medium enterprises in tourism and IT, as well as with active players in civil society, including advocacy NGOs, watchdogs and think tanks. The project’s approach to capacity development goes beyond traditional training. The HICD team in Armenia provided a comprehensive package of human and institutional capacity development services, including conducting needs, impact and performance assessments; identifying performance gaps, developing targeted training and non-training interventions; monitoring and evaluating capacity development process; and designing and implementing follow-on activities. During sixteen years of USAID-funded capacity development projects, including HICD, USAID has organized more than 1,300 training and capacity building activities. Over 24,000 Armenian leaders, policymakers and professionals, and over 5,000 Armenian organizations benefited from capacity development assistance. The HICD Project was implemented and administered by AED. AED is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1961 in the USA that operates in more than 150 countries worldwide.

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