YEREVAN, JUNE 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Agreements on budget co-financing within the framework of the Outcome-Based Budgeting Program implemented by the UNDP in Armenian urban communities were signed on June 8 by UNDP Resident Represenative to Armenia Ms. Consuelo Vidal and Dilijan Mayor Armen Santrosian, Ijevan Mayor Varuzhan Nersisian, Masis Mayor Sasha Hakobian, Vedi Mayor Varuzhan Barseghian and Abovian Mayor Artyusha Muradian. C. Vidal signed an agreement on participation in the Public Works Program operating in Ijevan with Nubar Gudsughian, representative of the SHF Community Fund International (US) - USAID's contractor. She said that the UNDP is not alone in its implementation of community assistance programs in Armenia: the Armenian Social Investment Fund and the Union of Community Financiers have been involved in the process. According to her, the purpose of the Output-Based Budgeting Program that has been operating since 2005 is to ensure an active participation of the population in the planning and fulfilment of community budgets. This approach aimed at consolidating the local authorities and citizens is a new one not only in Armenia but also in the whole region. The experience that the cities of Ijevan, Masis, Abovian, Vedi and Dilijan have gained during the program will be presented in the manual "Work Implementation-Based Budgeting in the Local Self-Governemnt System" to be published soon.

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