In November 2014, The American University of Armenia (AUA)’s Center for Responsible Mining launched a new project called the Mining Legislation Reform Initiative (MLRI), which is made possible through founding support from the Tufenkian Foundation.

MLRI is a multi-year effort to ensure that mining in Armenia provides sufficient benefits to the country and local communities. The initiative involves drafting and passing legislation that elevates the socio-economic benefits of mining, while reducing the negative environmental and public health impacts.

A key component of the MLRI will be collaborating and partnering with civil society, advocacy groups, academic institutions, and relevant national and international organizations. MLRI will work with the key governmental and legislative bodies in getting the draft legislation passed into law.

One of AUA’s first steps for ensuring the success of the initiative was hiring Mr. Garen Nazarian to manage the project. Before joining AUA, Mr. Nazarian was a fellow with Armenia’s Ministry of Justice for two years, which was sponsored by Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and aimed at legislative reforms in the justice sector. Mr. Nazarian worked as a trial attorney for the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office before moving to Armenia in 2012.