Vadym Reznychenko, Country Manager of JTI in Armenia, told Regional Post about the company and its CSR activities in Armenia.
Text : Arshak Tovmasyan
Photo : JTI
Mr. Reznychenko, tell us about your company and its CSR strategy.
Our parent company Japan Tobacco Inc. is the world’s third-largest tobacco company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Like in JT, at JTI, we strive to fulfill our responsibilities to our valued consumers, shareholders, employees, and the wider society. These four stakeholder groups (4S) are at the heart of everything we do. And our commitment to serving these groups is represented in the 4S model.
We always try to exceed the expectations of our four stakeholder groups wherever we can and we will continue to contribute to society as a whole, recognizing that our growth benefits from a sustainable society and enhancing our corporate value.
For our Group to grow sustainably, it is vital for us to contribute to the sustainable development of our society. Our community investment policy determines a common goal across the Group: “To contribute to developing inclusive and sustainable communities.” We believe that everyone should be able to participate in society and that inclusive societies are better for business. In line with our community investment policy, and as a responsible local community member, we recognize the value of nature, culture, and human diversity and work with various stakeholders to resolve social issues.
Tell us more about JTI’s CSR activities in Armenia.
In Armenia, we have numerous CSR partners and have implemented many activities with them in the past years. One of these partners is Armenian Caritas. We cooperate with Caritas in many countries worldwide, and in Armenia, we started cooperation in 2012. Through these years, we have supported many programs, such as Soup Kitchen for the elderly, Food Distribution, and Warm Winter projects for the elderly and other vulnerable people. All these activities were implemented in Gyumri, where Caritas is headquartered.
Do you have any other partners in the area of social support?
We cooperate with Apaga Charitable Foundation Fund and supported several projects with them. During the pandemic, we supported families that lost their funding source and provided them with essential commodities. We also supported the establishment of model farming practices in Armenian provinces, specifically in Gegharkunik and Kotayk.
As a company with Japanese roots, we know you also support promoting Japanese culture in Armenia. Can you tell us more about this?
Indeed, we do support the promotion of Japanese culture in all locations where we operate. In Armenia, we closely cooperate with the Japanese embassy and the Hikari Center, which is an Armenia-Japan Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Center. We have supported many projects through these years, including Japanese film festivals, various master classes, and concerts by Japanese performers.
What other projects do you support in Armenia? Do you support cultural institutions?
We support two major cultural institutions in Armenia, Matenadaran Museum and Museum after Sergey Parajanov. With both institutions, we have more than a decade of cooperation history, and we are very proud that we were able to contribute to the institutional development of these important cultural institutions of Armenia.
With Matenadaran, we implemented several projects ranging from procuring materials to restore ancient manuscripts to financing scientific publications.
With Parajanov Museum, we have a long history of projects, varying from institutional support to the museum (provision of modern conditioning and lighting systems), procurement of an exhibit for the museum, and financing of publication of various books.
What other CSR projects have you supported in Armenia?
We have implemented several projects with other institutions as well, namely the National Gallery of Armenia (supported the exhibition of Japanese art and provided support to the restoration department), V-Ann, Human Art Dialogue NGO, Komitas Museum, and others. We hope that our example and commitment to CSR will inspire other companies to be more active and implement projects benefiting Armenian communities and the country as a whole.
Information
Japan Tobacco International (JTI) is a leading international tobacco and vaping company selling its products in over 130 countries. It is the global owner of both Winston, the number two cigarette brand in the world, and Camel, outside the USA. Other global brands include MEVIUS and LD. JTI is also a significant player in the international vaping market with its heated tobacco brand, Ploom, and e-cigarette brand, Logic. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Company employ more than 46,000 people and has been awarded Global Top Employer for the ninth consecutive year. JTI is a member of the JT Group of Companies. For more information, visit www.jti.com.
“The Armenian-Japanese “Hikari” Scientific, Educational and Cultural Center NGO was established in 2005-2006, but large-scale cultural programs began to be implemented after 2010 when the area allocated to the center was renovated and technically equipped with a grant from the Japanese Government. JTI occupied a unique place among our supporters and significantly supported us during this period. To this day, we still use the computer, notebooks, and printers donated to Hikari by the JTI, as well as thanks to the support of the JTI, the first book of Hikari titled “71 haiku” was published. We express our deep gratitude to the entire JTI staff, especially the Armenian office, for their constant and fulfilling support.”
Karine Piliposyan, Head of “Hikari” Armenian-Japanese Center
Apaga Charity Foundation and JTI ARMENIA are jointly implementing programs aiming at the capacity development of socially disadvantaged families. These are very important projects, and we are proud to establish a sustainable business practices for families in rural Armenia. We are very happy about our partnership and are looking forward to collaborating with JTI on other projects in the future.
Roza Solomonyan, Executive Director “Apaga” Foundation
“Dozens of valuable works in Armenian and foreign languages have been published in Matenadaran with the support of JTI ARMENIA. We are grateful for this partnership and look forward to continuing our collaboration.”
Vahan Ter-Ghevondyan, Former Director of Matenadaran
“Sergey Parajanov Museum has been collaborating with JTI Armenia for a decade already, and with their help, the museum has realized a list of worthwhile projects. Such partnerships are essential for cultural institutions and can serve as a model for cooperation. We are very grateful to JTI and look forward to continuing our collaboration and partnership.”
Anahit Mikayelyan, Director of Sergey Parajanov Museum
Join us on Telegram