On 8 February, UNDP ImpactAim Venture Accelerator hosted a public and private sector gathering to promote innovation for impact, present the newly established Platform#5 and celebrate the achievements of Accelerator and Pre-Accelerator programs.

During the event, guests got an overview of Platform#5 and its structure, learned about the various Accelerator programs, and explored the Armenian SME sector.

UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia Natia Natsvlishvili, RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan, and RA Deputy Minister of Economy Rafael Gevorgyan welcomed the participants of the event.

“We - the women, are the half of the society and this is the half who has equal capacities, equal skills to contribute to the well-being of the society. However, unfortunately we still see that women do have certain limitations to enjoy their rights and utilize their capacities to the fullest. This is the challenge that the project has been trying to tackle especially promoting women’s participation in high productivity sectors.

I would like to thank our Government partners, also the civil society organizations, which have been part of this project and together with us labored to achieve these results,” said UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia Natia Natsvlishvili.

The aim of the Platfrom#5 goal is to provide a human-centric, SDG-aligned ecosystem level innovative support mechanism that is established to boost women’s entrepreneurship and employability in areas of increased productivity labor in Armenia.

During the past months, within the scope of different accelerator programs, about 300 women from Yerevan and other regions had an opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skills, promote their businesses and test their business ideas.