Displaced Karabakh Armenians: monthly aid extended to June 2027, new jobs programme in January
- Published
- Place
- Yerevan, Armenia
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Armenia’s Labour Ministry set out changes to support for people displaced from Karabakh on 9 November. Monthly aid for certain groups (children, people aged 63 and over, people with disabilities, students…) is extended until June 2027: 30,000 drams a month from January to March, then 15,000 drams from April to June. It reached 46,000 people in October. Emergency aid for vulnerable families, paid to 8,600 families, continues until December 2027. On housing, 9,042 certificates have been approved, covering about 37,000 people; 5,372 families have already used them, mostly in Kotayk, Armavir and Ararat provinces. A draft would include children born up to 31 December 2027, with 3 to 5 million drams per child depending on place of residence. The 2027 budget earmarks 42 billion drams for the programme.
Analysis
The authorities openly favour “increasingly targeted” aid: the aim is now to steer beneficiaries towards work and self-reliance, said Edgar Bznuni, a division head at the ministry. A new programme starts on 1 January 2027: training vouchers worth up to 250,000 drams, partial income-tax refunds for employers, and bonuses of 100,000 then 200,000 drams for employees who stay three and twelve months. Rent compensation of 40,000 drams per person has been available since July for small vulnerable households.
Possible consequences
The changes to the housing programme are open to public consultation before the government adopts them.
