UN-SPIDER Is Conducting a Technical Advisory Mission (TAM) To the Republic of Armenia

At the request of the Minister of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Armenia, UN-SPIDER is conducting a Technical Advisory Mission (TAM) to Armenia from 27 June to 1 July 2022. With this mission, UN-SPIDER together with experts aims to assist Armenia in improving disaster risk management and emergency response by the utilization of the space-based technologies and geospatial information, thereby helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The expert team is comprised of experts from the following institutions:

  • Earth and Planetary Image Facility, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
  • Delta State University, USA
  • Iranian Space Agency, Iran
  • Oklahoma State University, USA
  • Geoinformatics Center, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand
  • Group on Earth Observation (GEO)
  • UN-SPIDER/UNOOSA

During the TAM, the team will meet key government departments and institutes that contribute to disaster management and emergency response and also conduct a national workshop to collect the necessary information. Visits and meetings are planned to the following organisations:

  • Ministry of Emergency Situations
  • Ministry of High Technological Industry
  • Ministry of Health
  • Ministry of Economy
  • Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures
  • Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports
  • Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • RA Police
  • Cadastre Committee
  • Space Museum
  • United Nations in Armenia

During the mission UN-SPIDER together with its partners and the Armenian colleagues observed and discussed a variety of topics, such as:

  • Current strategies and policy frameworks related to disaster risk reduction, space and geospatial information
  • Availability of geospatial information
  • Current use of space-based technologies
  • Institutional linkages and coordination
  • Data sharing practices
  • Applications of geospatial information
  • Existing capacities and needs
  • Challenges and constraints

Furthermore, the team congratulated Armenia for its first Armenian satellite that has been launched into space in May 2022.

The outcome will be a comprehensive report with observations, recommendations, and action plans for enabling Armenia to effectively utilize space-based information in all phases of disaster management.

We will update the news once the TAM is completed.