AGENDA
| Sunday, October 20, 2019 |
| 3:00 – 5:00 pm Panelist and moderator meetings at Grand Hotel Yerevan 5:00 – 7:00 pm Welcome Reception and Registration at Grand Hotel Yerevan |
| Monday, October 21, 2019 |
| 8:15 am Meet at Singing Fountains in Republic Square 8:30 am Buses depart to Dilijan National Park 10:00 am Dilijan National Park 12:00 noon Lunch at Ureni Restaurant, Dilijan 02:30 pm Margahovit Forest, Tree Nursery, Environmental Education Center Estimated time of arrival back to Yerevan, 6:30 pm. |
| Tuesday, October 22, 2019 Venue: American University of Armenia, Paramaz Avedisian Building, first floor, Manoogian Hall, (AUA) (40 Marshal Baghramyan Ave. Yerevan, Republic of Armenia) |
| 8:30 am Registration Opens at the American University of Armenia |
| 10:00 am Opening Session – Welcome remarks, AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, Alen Amirkhanian – Welcome remarks, Armenia Tree Project, Jeanmarie Papelian – RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan |
| 10:45 am Keynote Speaker Topic: Armenia’s Future and Forests Speaker: Anthony Davis, Interim Dean and Professor, College of Forestry, Oregon State University |
| 11:30 am Break |
| 12:00 noon Panel 1 Topic: Key Challenges and Opportunities for Armenia to Protect and Increase its Forest Coverage: Institutional, Human, and Technical Aspects Panelists: – Vardan Melikyan, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Environment – Hovik Sayadyan, Technical Task Leader, UNDP Armenia – Vahe Matsakyan, Acting Head, Armenian Forest Service (Hayantar) – Aram Gyulkhasyan, Acting Director, Forest Monitoring Center, Ministry of Environment – Mikayel Santrosyan, Head, Department of Flora Monitoring, RA Environmental and Mining Inspection Body – Vardan Urutyan, Rector, National Agrarian University of Armenia Moderator: Alen Amirkhanian, Director, AUA Acopian Center for the Environment |
| 1:30 pm Lunch at AUA |
| 2:15 pm Panel 2 Topic: Rural Energy Demand, Poverty, and Forest Conservation: How to Make Progress on All Fronts Panelists: – Robert Ghukasyan, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Armenia on Community Development – Astghine Pasoyan, Director, Foundation for Energy Savings (FAO, GIZ, UNDP expert) – Hayk Chobanyan, Governor of Tavush Marz – Lusine Avetisyan, Head, Department of Environmental Strategic Programs and Monitoring, RA Ministry of Environment – Samvel Tamoyan, Candidate of Science, Docent, Chair of Forestry and Agri-Ecology, Armenian National Agrarian University – Artur Alaverdyan, Yerevan State University – Hovhannes Ghazaryan, National Coordinator, UNDP-GEF Small Grants Programme Moderator: Alen Amirkhanian, Director, AUA Acopian Center for the Environment |
| 3:30 pm Panel 3 Topic: Forestry-Sector Initiatives Supported by International Organizations: A Critical Overview of Impacts and Gaps Panelists: – Vardan Melikyan, Deputy Minister of Environment – Hrayr Yesayan, Head, Division of Financial Planning of Current Programs in Real Sector, RA Ministry of Finance – Armen Gevorgyan, Country Representative, Caucasus Network for Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions (Sustainable Caucasus) – Karen Manvelyan, Director, WWF-Armenia (WB-IUCN FLEG Program) – Jason Sohigian, Deputy Director, Armenia Tree Project Moderator: Dmitry Mariyasin, Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) |
| 4:45 pm Break |
| 5:00 pm Panel 4 Topic: Special Focus on Biodiversity Conservation including Invasive Species and the Challenges They Raise for Armenia’s Forests Panelists: – Georgi Fayvush, Institute of Botany, RA National Academy of Sciences – Hasmik Khachatryan, Deputy Director, Institute of Zoology, RA National Academy of Sciences – Siranush Nanagyulyan, Head of Chair, Faculty of Biology – Chair of Botany and Mycology, Yerevan State University – Alla Aleksanyan, Institute of Botany, RA National Academy of Sciences – Marine Arakelyan, Zoology Chair, Biology Faculty, Yerevan State University – Samvel Baloyan, Deputy Director, Environmental PIU, RA Ministry of Environment Moderator: Siranush Galstyan, Adviser, GIZ Environmental Program |
| 6:15 pm Close of Day 1 |
| 7:30 pm Dinner Reception at Kantegh Restaurant (7/1 Zakyan St, Yerevan 0010) |
| Wednesday, October 23, 2019 Venue: American University of Armenia, Paramaz Avedisian Building, first floor, Manoogian Hall, (AUA) (40 Marshal Baghramyan Ave. Yerevan, Republic of Armenia) |
| 8:30 am Coffee & Networking at AUA |
| 9:00 am Panel Session Topic: Financing Mechanisms for Forest Conservation, Restoration and Afforestation Panelists: – Irina Ghaplanyan, Deputy Minister, RA Ministry of Environment – Carmen ArguelloLopez, Green Climate Fund Advisor for FAO’s Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia – Alain Retiere, Cap2100 International [to be confirmed] – Diana Harutyunyan, Climate Change Programme Coordinator, UNDP – Glenn Bush, Assistant Scientist, Woods Hole Research Center Moderator: Vahagn Voskanyan, Impact Investment Advisor, UNDP |
| 10:00 am Speaker Topic: Afforestation and Reforestation in Semi-Arid Landscapes – The Israeli Perspective Speaker: Dr. Omri Bonneh, Interim Chief Forester, KKL-JNF |
| 10:45 am Break |
| 11:00 am Speaker Topic: Green Belt Movement and the Kenyan Forest Governance Success – Mobilizing Communities Speaker: Mr. David Mathenge, Green Belt Movement, Kenya |
| 11:45 am Speaker Topic: Lebanese Reforestation Initiative: Success in Steering the Policy Sail Speaker: Dr. Maya Nehme, Executive Director, Lebanon Reforestation Initiative |
| 12:30 noon Break + Lunchette |
| 1:00 pm Parallel Sessions |
| Parallel Panel 1 (Akian Gallery, American University of Armenia Paramaz Avedisian Building) Topic: The Role of the IT Sector and Technological Innovation in Forest Conservation and Restoration Panelists: – Levon Melikyan, Deputy Head, RA Cadastre Committee – Arman Avagyan, Deputy Director, RA Forest Monitoring Center – David Kocharov, VP, Synergy, National Information System for Forestry and Wildlife (MC-SNIFFS) – Arman Vermishyan, Representative Office Director, Caucasus Nature Fund-Armenia – Peter Langdahl, Project Officer, Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – Guy Hydrick, GIS Administrator, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Boston, Massachusetts Moderator: Yeva Danielyan, Forest Monitoring Center, RA Ministry of Environment |
| Parallel Panel 2 (Room 208E, American University of Armenia Paramaz Avedisian Building) Topic: Nurseries and Commercial Forestry – Prospects in Armenia Panelists: – Ruben Petrosyan, Advisor to Head of RA Forest Committee – Hasmik Khurshudyan, Head, Chair of Forestry and Agri-Ecology, Armenian National Agrarian University – Anahit Ghukasyan, Director, Institute of Botany, RA National Academy of Sciences – Arthur Harutyunyan, Operations Manager, Armenia Tree Project – Ruben Khachatryan, Founder, Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets – Samvel Tamoyan, Candidate of Science, Docent, Chair of Forestry and Agri-Ecology, Armenian National Agrarian University Moderator: Anthony Davis, Oregon State University |
| Parallel Panel 3 (Manoogian Hall, American University of Armenia Paramaz Avedisian Building) Topic: Forest Fire Safety and Wildfire Management – Policy and Strategic Considerations Panelists: – Sargis Kyureghyan, Head of the Fire-Rescue Preparation Division of the Rescue Forces Department, the RA Ministry of Emergency Situations – Vardan Manucharyan, Head, Department of Normative and Technical Document Supervision, RA Urban Development, Technical Standards, and Fire Safety Inspection Body – Ashot Sargsyan, International expert on Disaster Risk Reduction – Sasun Manukyan, Head, Kapan Forest Enterprise – Dennis Fiore, Fire Management Specialist, US Forest Service – Satenik Mnatsakanyan, Chair, Engineering Sciences, AUA; Coordinator of AUA’s EU Horizon 2020 RESPONDRONE Project – Peter Dekkers, Director of Strategic Business Development, Fire Solutions, FLIR Netherlands Moderator: Georgi Arzumanyan, Programme Policy Adviser, Sustainable Growth and Resilience Portfolio UNDP |
| 2:15 pm Closing Plenary and Key Takeaways Venue: American University of Armenia, Paramaz Avedisian Building, first floor, Manoogian Hall, (AUA) (40 Marshal Baghramyan Ave. Yerevan, Republic of Armenia) |
| 2:45 pm Buses Depart from American University of Armenia for the following field trips: |
| Option 1. Open House at ATP’s Tree Nursery in Karin Village Option 2. Tour of Garni Temple and Geghard Monastery Option 3. Environmental Tour of Lake Sevan |
| Option 4. Student and Young Leaders Summit Venue: American University of Armenia, Paramaz Avedisian Building, first floor, Manoogian Hall, (AUA) (40 Marshal Baghramyan Ave. Yerevan, Republic of Armenia) |