In 1997 Armenia received GEF assistance to implement the project "First National Report, Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan to CBD". In 1999, the combined work of eight groups of specialists resulted in the First National Report on the Biodiversity of Armenia and the Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP), which were prepared in line with CBD guidelines and the priority development goals of Armenia.

The Government has endorsed the BSAP, which will be the basis for national biodiversity policy and will soon be adopted officially. It aims at ensuring the conservation, sustainable use and regeneration of Armenia's landscape and biological diversity. It includes a budget for its implementation, identifying what can be funded in Armenia and what needs international funding, indicating possible sources of finance.

Since March 2001 a project has been launched as a second phase of the Biodiversity Enabling Activity. It received additional support from the GEF and includes the assessment of capacity-building needs, the establishment of a Clearing House Mechanism in Armenia and the preparation of the Second National Report (see Article 6, questions 18 - 29).

Several new laws have also recently been adopted and numerous projects have been funded (see under Article 8, questions 81, 82 and 84).

In many state and private higher educational institutions, students receive thorough teaching on biodiversity at the global level, for example at the Faculty of Biology of Yerevan State University, a special course on "Conservation of Biodiversity" has been taught since 2000. The introduction of this new subject is directly connected with the implementation of one of the actions of the Armenian "Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan" (see Article 12 questions 173-174).

Armenia has undertaken to fulfil a number of obligations on the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources and on the resolution of problems related to access to genetic resources and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use. With the coming into force of the CBD the priority of issues related to access to genetic resources has increased and the need for the development of a strategy on the free exchange of gene fund samples and open access to collections of plant geneplasm has emerged (see Article 15).

Technical and scientific co-operation is reflected in several actions of the BSAP (see Article 18, questions 254-255).

Armenia has participated in the Black Sea Economic Co-operation Forum since 1992. Armenia also co-operates with the Interstate Ecological Council for the CIS Region, and has signed the following agreements within the CIS region:

· "Agreement on co-operation in the field of ecology and environment protection" (1992)
· "Agreement on co-operation in the field of information exchange for ecology and environment protection" (1998);
· "Agreement on co-operation in the field of forestry and forest industry" (1998)
· "Agreement on co-operation in the field of ecological monitoring" (1999).

Agreements between the Governments of the Russian Federation and Armenia, and between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Armenia are at the stage of being signed. In these agreements the conservation of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna is selected as a priority. An agreement on the establishment of a regional environmental centre (REC) in Georgia for the Caucasus was signed between Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in the autumn of 1999.

Negotiations have started with Azerbaijan and Georgia on a joint project to clean up point sources of pollution, but have not been completed. Armenia has an agreement with Turkey, dividing the use of the transboundary Araks and Akhourian rivers in equal proportions (see Article 5 questions 13-14).

In 2000, together with the Russian Federation under the auspices of the European Economic Commission, a Seminar of experts on "participation in EIA in transboundary aspects" was conducted (see Article 14 question 211).

In the Framework of the Pan-European Strategy for Biological and Landscape Diversity there is a Program Element "Establishment of potential for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Newly Independent States (NIS)", which contains a separate action "Development of regional co-operation (Armenia, Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan) aimed at better management and sustainable use of biodiversity in transboundary territories" (included in Strategy during the conference "Biodiversity in Europe" in March, 2000). For this purpose, a regional seminar will be organised in Armenia in June, 2001 (see Article 18 questions 254-255).

Armenia participated in a regional project with Georgia and Azerbaijan which included a component entitled: "Arid and Semi-Arid Eco-system Conservation in the Caucasus" (see question 374).