The 8th Meeting of the Project Board of the UNDP-GCF “De-Risking and Scaling-up Investment in Energy Efficient Building Retrofits” project was held.
Hakob Simidyan, Minister of Environment of the Republic of Armenia, and Natia Natsvlishvili, UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia, attended the board session as Co-Chairs of the project board. Representatives of interested state institutions and Council members also participated.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Board approved the amended composition and agenda.
In his opening remarks, Hakob Simidyan, Minister of Environment of the RA, emphasized the importance of the project:
“This program is of strategic importance for the Ministry. It is an initiative that delivers tangible results on the ground—results that are not only environmental, but also socio-economic, contributing to the advancement of energy efficiency. Although we are registering progress, we also face certain difficulties and challenges stemming from objective factors. I trust that our commitment to finding solutions and ensuring the full implementation of the projrct is evident to our partners.”

The Minister expressed his gratitude to UNDP partners and partner state institutions for their contributions to the project. He emphasized the importance of addressing the challenges that emerged during implementation in order to adopt more targeted and effective approaches in future initiatives.
“We are in the final stage of the project. Important steps lie ahead in the coming year, and we must redouble our efforts to utilize the available funds more effectively,” noted the minister.
Natia Natsvlishvili, UNDP Resident Representative, reaffirmed the strong partnership between UNDP and the Government of RA aimed at implementing the country’s environmental policy. She noted:
“Tackling climate challenges requires strong and continued partnerships. Through our close collaboration with the Ministry of Environment of the RA, we are turning our goals into concrete actions for a greener and more sustainable future.”
During the session, Rusudan Tushuri, International Manager of the Project, presented the current results and progress, addressed existing challenges, and outlined the action plan for 2025–2026.