YEREVAN, OCTOBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The UN Development Programme, "Children of Armenia" fund and U.S. Agency for International Development will implement a development program in rural communities of Yervandashat and Shenik of the marz of Armavir. Within the framework of the program, the school village will be fundamentally reconstructed in Shenik, and the water supply system will be repaired in Yervandashat. As Consuelo Vidal, the Permament Representative of the UN Development Programme mentioned during the October 12 ceremony of signing the memorandum on the program implementation, rural poverty reduction is a primary task both for the RA Government and for international structures interested in long-term development of Armenia. Consuelo Vidal mentioned that planning and budgeting of the programs were implemented joint with local self-government bodies of those communities. "The UN Development Programme attempts to assist economic development and opening of vacancies in rural settlements of Armenia," she said. In C.Vidal's words, economic growth is at present fixed in Armenia, but not all Armenians make use of it. In her words, the living standard is high in Yerevan, what can not be said about marzes. It was also mentioned that the UN Development Programme implemented working out of projects on development of 20 border villages, and at present works are done in the direction of securing financial assistance for those programs.

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