Venue: 308E, Paramaz Avedisian Building
Address: Baghramyan Ave., 40, Yerevan, Yerevan, 0019, Armenia
Ms. Marina Mkhitaryan will discuss the next step in Armenia’s development, namely strengthening the country’s ability for social innovation. She will talk about how Kolba Lab, a UNDP Armenia initiative, helps citizens and communities identify solutions to social challenges, such as, provision of public services or environmental protection and restoration. Kolba Lab seeks to:
- Empower citizens to have a say in shaping their short-term and long-term future;
- Open the cabinet doors to innovative and fresh solutions coming from the citizens (filtered through the lens of expert selection); and
- Bridge the two social layers, namely, development/government agencies and users/citizens, in an effort to achieve better social cohesion in the country.
Ms. Mkhitaryan’s talk will give the AUA community an opportunity to learn from Kolba Lab’s methodology, activities, and successes.
About the Speaker
Marina Mkhitaryan is a development professional with more than 15 years experience managing development programs, media outlets and NGOs. Marina has a dual degree in Philology and Law from the Yerevan State University. She has also completed a mid-career course on International Law and Legal Studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University, US). Marina is a fellow of the John Smith leadership program, the European Alpbach (http://www.alpbach.org) Forum and the Social Leader Forum (http://www.cb.joint-civic-education.net/). Since 2011 Marina is the Country Coordinator of Armenianand International Social Innovation Camps. She has designed and managed the InfoVillage national network of community-based telecommunication centers and injected innovation and new tools in the traditionally low-tech development interventions. Currently she leads the Innovations Lab (http://kolba.am/) at UNDP Armenia, managing research and innovation at the newly created social venture incubator.