On June 27, the Economic Development and Research Center (EDRC) organized a Government–CSO dialogue on the topic “Social Protection 2026: Policy and Budget” with the participation of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the RA and civil society organizations (CSOs). The aim of the event was to strengthen the role of CSOs in the budgetary process and to promote closer communication within the CSO sector in shaping the priorities of the social protection sector and in decision-making on budgetary matters.

EDRC experts presented to civil society representatives the policies to be implemented in the social protection sector for 2026–2028 and the expenditure trends envisaged in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), explained changes in the 2026–2028 budgetary process, and provided information on available opportunities and tools for CSO participation in different phases of the budgetary process.

Representatives from the MLSA, in turn, presented the Support Programmes for People Forcibly Displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh and clarified the reforms underway in the Poverty Assessment System.

The event was organized within the framework of the “Budgets 4 Citizens” (B4C) project, which is implemented with the financial support of the European Union in cooperation with the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, the Economic Development and Research Center (EDRC), and Agora Central Europe (Czech Republic).

The photos can be found here.