On October 13, the First Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Investments of the Republic of Armenia Garegin Melkonyan received the Regional Coordinator for Europe of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Paola Albrito.

During the meeting the possibilities of cooperation with Armenia and, particularly, with the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments of RA within the framework of the global risk reduction initiative have been discussed.

Paola Albrito represented the concept of UN Disaster Risk Reduction for 2015-2030, main goals of the concept and programs being implemented in Armenia and the region.

The First Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Investments of the Republic of Armenia Garegin Melkonyan touched upon the ongoing process of Armenia's long-term development strategy and nationalizing the UN's sustainable development goals, mentioning that now it is a favorable period for Armenia to consider adopting acceptable provisions for disaster risk reduction in strategic programs. He also expressed the readiness of the Ministry to cooperate in this direction within the jurisdiction of the Ministry and on the basis of national priorities at the same time taking into account the successful international best practices.

The parties stressed the importance of private sector involvement in the process of disaster risk reduction.