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Board of Trustees
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Armen Chilingaryan is a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) specialist with over 27 years of experience in policy development, programme implementation, and capacity building. His expertise includes DRR governance, early warning systems, urban resilience, community-based DRR, and post-disaster recovery. From 2008 to 2025, he held senior DRR positions at UNDP Armenia, including Project and Programme Coordinator and Programme Manager, leading initiatives that supported national policy processes and strengthened risk-informed development. He has also contributed to international recovery processes, including PDNA engagements in Albania, Türkiye, and Armenia. Since March 2025, he has been engaged with UNDP’s Regional Hub as Chief Technical Specialist, supporting regional initiatives on urban resilience and climate risk in Central Asia. He has also been a Senior Lecturer at the Crisis Management State Academy since 2011. From 2008 to 2025, he held senior DRR positions at UNDP Armenia, including Project and Programme Coordinator and Programme Manager, leading initiatives that supported national policy processes and strengthened risk-informed development. He has also contributed to international recovery processes, including PDNA engagements in Albania, Türkiye, and Armenia. Since March 2025, he has been engaged with UNDP’s Regional Hub as Chief Technical Specialist, supporting regional initiatives on urban resilience and climate risk in Central Asia. He has also been a Senior Lecturer at the Crisis Management State Academy since 2011. -
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Arpine Hakobyan: Experienced manager, civil society sector expert, researcher, and specialist in development project impact assessment and community development. Arpine Hakobyan has 20 years of professional management experience in the non-profit sector. She has joined the NGO Center from 2002. She is the president of NGO Center from 2015. He has provided highly effective communication and leadership skills as an executive, trainer and consultant. She is highly committed, open-minded, motivating and embracing leader who catalysis cooperation among team. Arpine Hakobyan is a qualified specialist in Social Sciences as a sociologist. As a sociologist and professional researcher, she has conducted a number of program evaluations. In addition, she has conducted numerous social researches in diverse fields starting from designing the research until reporting. As a certified trainer, he has more then 15 years of experience working in non-formal education. Concentration spheres include proposal writing and logical framework, needs assessment and research methods, fundraising, management and strategic planning, social work, monitoring and evaluation, community mobilization, and management. Arpine Hakobyan also has her contribution in the field of intergenerational education in the context of academic education, teaching at the Public Administration Department of YSU Faculty of International Relations, “Non-Governmental Organizations-Management”. Being a skilled community development specialist, Arpine Hakobyan makes a great contribution to the strengthening of both community active groups and Local Self-Government Bodies. "Only self-sufficient communities can be self-governing" - this is the ideology that guides her in his work with communities. During the last years, she also initiated and successfully managed a social enterprise /TUC-Truism Unique Center/, which is an active model of community development with business approaches and ideology of social influence. She 2019-2002 chaired the CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenia. Since 2021, he has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Disaster Risk Reduction National Platform Foundation. -
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Ara Nazinyan has more than 30 years of professional experience working with governments, United Nations agencies, the World Bank, and USAID. He specializes in disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, water resources management, and social development programs. He holds a Master’s degree in Development Management from Imperial College London. During his career, Ara Nazinyan has led strategic programs in Armenia, Central Asia, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe. He has played a key role in the establishment and development of Armenia’s disaster risk reduction system, including the creation of the national platform and the strengthening of government capacities. He has also been involved in the development of post-disaster recovery systems, national strategies, and assessment mechanisms in different countries. A program led by him within the framework of the World Bank was recognized as one of the best in the region. Currently, he continues his work at the international level as an expert, supporting different countries in the development of risk management, urban resilience, and climate policies. At the same time, he is actively involved in social initiatives and professional communities, contributing to knowledge sharing and the development of young professionals. Ara Nazinyan is the founder of the Social Housing Foundation, a board member of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction Foundation, and a representative of Housing Europe. Programs implemented under his leadership have received the EU Sustainable Energy Award. He is fluent in Armenian, English, and Russian. Ara Nazinyan combines strategic thinking, practical experience, and leadership skills with the goal of contributing to safer, more resilient, and sustainable societies. -
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Maria Hovumyan is a management consultant, business trainer, professional facilitator, and organizational coach with over 20 years of experience. Since graduating from Yerevan State University, she has continuously invested in her professional development to ensure her services meet international best practices. Her qualifications include certifications in Modern Management and Human Resource Management from Cambridge International College, multiple Training of Trainers (ToT) programs delivered by leading global experts and consulting firms, and internationally recognized certifications such as Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and EFQM. She is also a certified trainer by CMC-Global on ISO 20700:2017 Guidelines for Management Consultancy Services, a founding member of the IASP Armenia Chapter, holds a Mini-MBA in Innovation Management from the European Institute of Leadership and Management, and has been trained by the EBRD as a Digital Transformation Strategy Consultant. As the founder of IMPACT Solutions consulting company, Maria works at both local and international levels, promoting high standards in management consulting. Her areas of specialization include development of professional associations and communities, participatory strategic planning with broad stakeholder engagement, digital transformation strategies, and experiential learning. She has provided services to public institutions, businesses, and NGOs, supporting strategy development for a wide range of organizations. Maria has designed and facilitated more than 200 workshops with up to 50 participants, as well as conferences and large-scale events with up to 400 participants in Armenia and internationally. -
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Hamlet MatevosyanMember of BTHamlet Matevosyan is the founding rector of the Crisis Management State Academy of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Armenia, Major General of the Rescue Service, Associate Professor of Military Science, and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Pedagogical and Social Sciences. Mr. Matevosyan has been active in the fields of Disaster Risk Management and Civil Defense since the 1990s. From 1992 to 2022, he headed the Crisis Management State Academy. He has been engaged in scientific activities since 1974. His research has focused on management issues and disaster risk reduction. During his scientific career, he studied remote management systems, ways to improve the stability of economic management systems, and later, crisis management issues. He is a co-author of 3 scientific reports and 3 laws, and the author of around 180 scientific and methodological publications. Many of his scientific works have been practically applied in different sectors in Armenia. Mr. Matevosyan has participated in a number of professional trainings in the fields of disaster risk management and civil protection in Bulgaria, Italy, Hungary, Sweden, the United States, Japan, Switzerland, and Armenia. For his patriotic service and professional activities, he has received around three dozen medals, commemorative medals, certificates of appreciation, and letters of gratitude. He has participated in many international scientific and practical conferences in around 20 countries worldwide. Under his leadership, the Crisis Management Institute implemented international programs with the United Nations, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, NATO’s “Partnership for Peace” program, as well as relevant institutions from Italy, Germany, Sweden, France, Switzerland, the United States, and Estonia. Since 2026, he has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Disaster Risk Reduction National Platform Foundation. -
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Hasmik Altunyan is an experienced management and development professional with nearly two decades of expertise in economic development, agricultural innovation, disaster risk management, climate resilience, and sustainable community development. She is recognized for her strong leadership skills, as well as her ability to design, coordinate, and evaluate complex development programs. The programs led by Ms. Altunyan have been funded by major donors, including SDC, USAID, ADA, EU, UNDP, UNICEF, SoH, and others. These initiatives have focused on agribusiness development, risk-informed community development, promotion of organic agriculture, women’s economic empowerment, strengthening community climate resilience, and the introduction of agroforestry systems. As a program manager, consultant, and evaluator, she has consistently demonstrated strong strategic planning abilities, effective resource management, sustainable partnership building, and solid monitoring, evaluation, and accountability skills. She has extensive experience in program design, Market Systems Development (MSD), Local Economic Development (LED), and strategy development. Ms. Altunyan has provided consulting services to organizations such as UNDP, ILO, UNICEF, WHO, SoH, Green Lane, and ICARE. She has conducted more than 20 mid-term and final evaluations covering climate change adaptation, disaster risk management, women’s economic empowerment, agriculture, and local development. -
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Edmon Azaryan is an economist and disaster risk reduction specialist with over 15 years of professional experience in humanitarian service, resilience building, and public safety. He built most of his career at the Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS), where he progressed from volunteer to Head of the Disaster Management and Population Movement Department. In this role, he was responsible for the development and simultaneous implementation of projects in disaster risk reduction (DRR), migration, climate change, and mine risk education, among others. He led preparedness, response, community-based disaster risk reduction, and capacity-building initiatives across Armenia in close cooperation with state institutions and local communities. Mr. Azaryan also has international experience, having served as a Disaster Management Officer for Turkey and the South Caucasus Region on behalf of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. He was deployed to Moldova as an IFRC representative for a one-month mission and worked as a consultant on the revision of the Central Asia Regional Contingency Plan under IFRC engagement. His public service and contributions to community risk reduction and educational initiatives have been recognized by the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, as well as by the Shirak Regional and Lusarat community authorities. As the ARCS representative to the Disaster Risk Reduction National Platform, and since 2021 a member of its Board of Trustees, he brings practical expertise in community resilience, interagency cooperation, and risk-informed planning. Since 2017, he has also served as President of Edgar Partners LLC.
european union civil protection and humanitarian aid 
unhcr 
world vision armenia 
Studio One