Dear colleagues

Due to the circumstances, I quit my job at the “Environmental project implementation unit” State Agency of the Ministry of Environment of Armenia where I have been a director for more than two years. I express my deep gratitude to the staff of the Agency, whose dedicated and responsible work made it possible to record many successes in this short time, the most important of which are listed below:

  1. During 2018-2019, two full project proposals at the total cost of USD 4 million have been developed by EPIU and later approved by the Adaptation Fund Board becoming the 2nd and 3rd projects being implemented by the Adaptation Fund in the Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Southern Caucasus. The first project would implement rehabilitation and flood prevention activities in Artik city closed stone pit area, while with the help of the 2nd   one social-economic activities would be implemented in the communities underway.
  2. In 2019 the Adaptation Fund launched new grant Funding Windows to Accelerate Action, Innovation and Learning in Adaptation. The new grant window projects (only two project proposals from developing countries have been approved) approved by the Board included “Engaging future leaders: digital education module on adaptation challenges and best practices for youth” EPIU’s grant project (USD 237000).
  3. In 2018 the EPIU organized the preparation and submission of the 6th National Report on Biodiversity and the 7th National Report on Combating Desertification to the relevant Convention Secretariats.
  4. In March 2019 EPIU was accredited in Green Climate Fund as a direct access entity which is the largest climatic fund and financial institution serving the Paris Agreement. To date, 95 organizations have been accredited to the GCF, of which 45 are national entities (including the SA “EPIU”) (including national agencies such as Agency for Agricultural Development of Morocco, Brazilian Development Bank, Korean Development Bank, Ministry of Environment of Rwanda, etc.).

Accreditation in GCF enables EPIU to develop and implement projects for up to USD 10 million.

From 2018 EPIU has been implementing Readiness proposal financed from GCF in the framework of which a number of important documents have been developed (Country Program, Procedure for submitting “No Objection” letter, etc.), awareness-raising campaign, dozens of potentially viable funding proposals have been identified, through a series of workshops three candidate banks have been identified for accreditation in GCF, etc.

None of this could have been undertaken without the support of our partners, international organizations, local consulting organizations, individual experts, Ministry of Environment and other state bodies, just caring persons.

Taking the opportunity, I would like to thank everyone and urge you to continue supporting EPIU in fulfilling its modest mission.

Good luck to all of us.

Meruzhan Galstyan