Terms of Reference (ToR)/Social Economy Policy Specialist

Development of Armenia’s Social Economy Criteria Framework

Position: Social Economy Policy Specialist

Duration: 3 months (12 weeks)

Engagement Type: Individual Expert Consultant or Team

Commissioning Organization: Armenian Caritas Benevolent NGO

Audience for the final product: AC, Government institutions (national, regional and local), private sector, CSOs, academia, and other stakeholders.

Purpose: Produce a practical and concise draft policy framework, defining essential Social Economy criteria for Armenia, aligned with Caritas Europa and EU standards, and ensuring conformity with the Armenia’s legal and policy context. The output will be ready for multi‑stakeholder validation and will serve as a basis for future state recognition of SE.

Background

Armenia is advancing inclusive local development and decentralization while facing social and economic vulnerabilities in rural and border regions. “ARAMAZD. SCALE” project of Armenian Caritas prioritizes national recognition of the Social Economy through a contextualized criteria framework, co‑created with state, private and civic actors. A clear, locally owned framework (definition, eligibility criteria, governance, transparency, and impact requirements) is a prerequisite for downstream legislation, tailored support measures, and integration into public policies and community development plans.

Currently, Armenia lacks:

Clear legal definition and recognition framework for social economy entities
Tailored support mechanisms for SE development
Integration of SE principles into national and local development strategies
Alignment with EU social economy standards and Caritas Europa values

Objective

Design a comprehensive National Social Economy Recognition and Support Framework that strengthens Armenia’s policy foundation for social economy development and fosters an enabling environment for sustainable SE growth։

Sets a country‑adapted definition of SE entities consistent with EU practice and Caritas Europa values.
Establishes eligibility criteria (mission, governance, profit allocation, reinvestment, transparency and accountability, stakeholder participation, public benefit, and impact measurement).
Proposes policy and regulatory options (recognition, fiscal and procurement measures, access to finance, support services) aligned with RA strategies.