2005 – ongoing

One of the major areas of ICHD’s work is promoting the participatory democracy in Armenia and in the region. Here ICHD works with national and local decision makers, building their capacity to engage the citizenry through various channels; promotes environment conducive for the participatory decision making process; develops and implements mechanism that enable the effective participation of citizens in the decision making process at the national and local levels. The Town Hall Meeting mechanism, one of the most effective and vibrant models of facilitating public participation in decision making process both in local and expert communities. The Town Hall Meeting (THM) mechanism creates meaningful opportunities for citizens to participate in public decision making.

2000-2002

In early 2000’s ICHD focused on supporting the just emerging business networks in Armenia promoting the interests of businesses. The local societies of business owners advocating on behalf of the business community in Armenia have been in the basic stage of their evolution in the beginning of the century. In this situation one of ICHD’s priorities have been the promoting business relations among Armenian businesses and their potential partners in various countries.

2000-ongoing

Following its mission, ICHD focuses on contributing to the transition from authoritarian leadership culture to lateral and process oriented leadership culture since early 2000. A successful transition to market economy and democracy requires a new democratic pluralistic political culture with a different set of basic approaches to problem solving.  To address these issues in the experience of young leaders from Armenia and the region, ICHD has partnered with Conflict Management Group (CMG, later part of the Mercy Corps) in the Momentum Program: Changing Negotiation and Leadership Culture. The goal of this program is to assist young promising decision-makers from the region to acquire the leadership skills necessary to turn their respective countries into more democratic and prosperous entities that can hold their place in the world politically and economically and to apply new negotiation and leadership skills in developing cross-regional cooperative gain projects. Since April 2000, CMG, in close cooperation with ICHD and supported by renowned organizations of Armenian Diaspora, the Carnegie Foundation, and the USAID Mission to Armenia, developed and successfully ran eleven Armenia Momentum programs. The current outcome of this program is the extensive networks of over a hundred new style leaders in Armenia and across the region. ICHD, as the Librarian of the Momentum Network, in close cooperation with CMG and Mercy Corps and guided by CMG’s Director of Momentum program, Dr. Arthur Martirosyan have cultivated the network and regularly initiated various opportunities for the network members to interact and solve problems of shared interests through common efforts.