Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan attended the official opening of YES-Armenia Young Experts program. The project is a unique opportunity for young professionals to participate in the country’s development process, bring new energy and a breath of fresh air to civil service and promote its modernization.
Complimenting the EU partners and the Center for Strategic Initiatives on the official opening of YES Armenia program, the Prime Minister stated in part, “It is inspiring for us to see that under this project, 20 young people, talented professionals from Armenia and the Diaspora, will be involved in public administration. You have gone through a complicated selection process, and you have been selected from more than 300 applicants. I wish you good luck. I hope you that will live up to our expectations and get the most out of the program, for which you had decided to participate in it.”
As the Head of Government noticed, YES Armenia is another good example of cooperation between Armenia and the European Union. It features important priorities such as involving talented Diaspora-based young people in the reform of public administration, combining the efforts of the Armenian Government and international partners in areas of mutual interest.
“Under YES Armenia program, 20 Armenian youth, 12 from Armenia and 8 from the Diaspora – from the United States to China – will work in ministries and other public agencies during the coming year. By making daily use of their knowledge and experience, they will give a boost to public administration; participate in the reform of education and science, healthcare, environmental protection, power engineering and many other areas. The program is the first ever attempt implemented in this format with EU partners, and I hope that if successful, it will be implemented on a long-term and continued basis,” Karen Karapetyan said.
Reminding that a few days ago the Republic of Armenia and the European Union signed the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, Karen Karapetyan once again congratulated those present on that occasion, expressing confidence that it would open up new opportunities for EU-Armenia cooperation.
The program beneficiaries will work with high-ranking government officials at ministries and other State agencies. They will be involved in different projects: development of a new concept and strategy for secondary vocational education, support for civil service reform, horticulture modernization, development of a public and private sector partnership (PPP) system in Armenia, etc.