AGFUND and Armenia Enhance Collaboration on Women’s Empowerment and Social Development

Riyadh, 30 January 2025 – His Royal Highness Prince Abdul Aziz bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Chairman of AGFUND's Board of Directors met at AGFUND His Excellency Mr. Narek Mkrtchyan, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, where both held discussions to strengthen bilateral cooperation on critical development initiatives. This visit follows the effortsinitiated during the visit of His Royal Highness to Armenia in November 2024, where he engaged with Armenian administration to identify areas of mutual collaboration.

In a significant step forward, AGFUND approved a project for Armenia titled “LEAP Forward: Lifelong Education and Advancement Program for Women” in December 2024. This project, to be implemented in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Armenian Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, is designed to promote women’s economic participation and empowerment in Armenia. It also underscores the shared commitment of AGFUND and Armenia to advancing gender equality and inclusive development.

The LEAP Forward initiative aims to address these challenges by providing targeted education, skills development, and capacity-building programs. Special attention will be given to vulnerable groups, including rural women, ethnic minorities, forcibly displaced persons, and individuals with disabilities. The program will integrate non-formal and continuous education, mentorship, career guidance, and employment linkages to foster long-term socioeconomic inclusion and resilience.

During the visit, both parties discussed strategic priorities for the AGFUND-Armenia partnership, emphasizing the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement, sustainable impact, and gender-responsive policies. They reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing social and economic development through evidence-based, scalable, and inclusive initiatives that align with global development goals, with a focus on the recently announced during COP 16 “The Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security” that aims to supporting smallholder farmers and alleviate desertification, land degradation, drought, and climate change.