In February 2021, the Caucasus Institute was contracted by UNDP Armenia to conduct a pilot study in Goris, a consolidated border community in the Syunik Province of southern Armenia. The goal was to reveal ways to attack the key vulnerabilities and build the resilience and sustainability of the community in the post-COVID-19 reality.
The study was informed by the results of pilot studies conducted by Caucasus Institute for UNDP Armenia in two other communities, Sisian in Syunik Province and Areni in Vayots Dzor Province, in August-September 2020.
The following Action Plan and Long-Term Development Scenario summarize the findings of the study and propose recommendations on steps towards enhancing the resilience of the community.
The pillar of this scenario is the spirit of openness and innovation that exists in the Goris community despite the new challenges.
The scenario focuses on reformatting the community’s two main industries, via a transition from extensive old-fashioned use of large land areas to intensive agriculture allowing minimum use of soil, water and energy, and introduction of new creative forms of tourism, primarily, agrotourism and family-style hospitality with an accent on the community’s unique historical and natural features.