On 27 February, the regular working meeting of the NA-CSO Open Platform took place at the “Opera Suite” Hotel. The deputies of the National Assembly, representatives of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, and civil society organizations were present at the meeting. Lusine Nalbandyan, a legal expert from the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, was also present. Attendees referred to the state programs aimed at improving demographic situation and child care support, as well as discussions on social factors affecting demographic improvement.
Lusine Nalbandyan noted that the statistics show that the birth rate is decreasing in Armenia. However, the increase in benefits will not contribute to a higher birth rate and will not lead to a systematic and profound solution to the problems. In particular, the decline in the birth rate in the RA is due to both low socio-economic well-being, rates, and problems associated with parents’ combination of work and child upbringing /care. Another issue is the distinction between “urban working mothers” and “village working mothers” which is extremely risky.
The expert pointed out that promotion of the issue should be solved by specific sectoral promotion, with the primary priority being to improve social conditions through health, housing, education, employment, programs, where the citizen will be able to bring up a child with dignity, rather than promotion by raising the amount of benefits. That is to say, the Government should definitely review the target issue and the means chosen to achieve that target – the increase in benefits.