Expert: State support programs don`t  cover basic needs of Artsakh  residents; burden falls primarily on NGOs and international  organizations

ArmInfo.  State support programs don't even cover the basic needs of Artsakh  residents; the burden falls primarily on NGOs and international  organizations.

INNOBIZ Director Naira Margaryan made this statement in an interview  with an ArmInfo correspondent on the sidelines of an event summing up  the results of the BYUR project, implemented by INNOBIZ in  partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development  (EBRD). The project aims to integrate forcibly displaced Artsakh  residents into Armenia. She noted that there are no official  statistics on how many of our compatriots from Artsakh currently  remain in Armenia. According to some estimates, approximately 19,000  Artsakh residents have left, mostly due to unemployment and  inadequate living conditions.  According to margaryan, there is  currently a trend of deconcentration, from forcibly displaced Artsakh  residents to anyone in need. "But, in reality, after such a  large-scale disaster, according to international practice, it takes  about 10 years to work with these people to help them integrate,  ensure they have decent living conditions, and be able to perceive  their new place of residence as their new homeland,"  the head of  INNOBIZ pointed out.

Working with Artsakh residents as part of the BYUR project since the  summer of 2024, Margaryan noted that our compatriots lived in more  socially disadvantaged conditions, in a different culture. "They  didn't have a market economy in the classical sense, and we need to  help them integrate. This requires a comprehensive set of  measures-not just providing shelter, which isn't being done yet, not  just meager benefits, but truly ensuring the long-term integration of  these people," she noted.

Introducing the BYUR project, Margaryan clarified that, with the  support of the EBRD, an educational platform was created to train  forcibly displaced Artsakh residents to launch their own  microbusinesses.  "We teach how to form an idea from scratch, build a  small business, integrate, sell, organize it all, and calculate  whether it makes sense or not. And the next step is trying to find  funding for them," the head of the organization explained. During the  first phase of the program, 1,800 people completed training on the  platform, and were accompanied throughout the course by a mentor in  each specialty. As a result, approximately 200 Artsakh residents have  opened their own businesses here.

INNOBIZ, as she noted, intends to continue pursuing the path of  attracting financial resources from other sources, including  following the path of social entrepreneurship, in order to continue  working and providing assistance to the people of Artsakh and other  people  in need.