On April 16, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern, USAID Armenia Mission Director Jatinder Cheema, and Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Arthur Grigoryan signed two grant agreements for USAID assistance to the Ministry to increase public awareness of the new pension system and enhance the quality of services to women victims of domestic violence in Armenia. Representatives of the Armenian government and the U.S. Mission also attended the ceremony.

The goal of the first program is to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, through the recently established Pension System Awareness Center Foundation, to conduct public awareness campaigns and to implement effective financial literacy projects in 2012 related to pension system reform.

With the second agreement, USAID will support the Ministry to assess the availability and accessibility of services to victims of domestic violence, identify existing gaps, and develop plans to ensure better coordination and efficiency.

Both of the grants are part of the Health and Social Reform Assistance Agreement that USAID signed with the Armenian government in August 2010.