COP17 provides business leaders in the country with a great platform to learn from global stakeholders as well as provide lessons from Armenia. We spoke with Ralph Yirikian, General Director of Ucom, about sustainability leadership and how the time has come for real action.
Interview : Nazareth Seferian Photo : Ucom
Mr. Yirikian, when people think of how business can impact the environment, digital technologies and telecommunications are not the first sectors that come to mind. As a telecom company and technology leader, what is your vision of environmental protection at Ucom? What personally convinced you that sustainability belongs in the center of the company’s strategy, not on the sidelines?
— Let me approach this from a slightly different angle. Ever since I have been in the telecom sector, which is more than 25 years now, nobody has thought of the “unknown soldiers” who are at the very heart of our connectivity solutions – the engineers and field workers that set up the infrastructure of the technology and keep it running. We’re so used to connectivity these days, it is a part of our everyday lives. This is also true for the environment in which we live – we take it for granted in the same way!
This is not the first year that I am trying to spread an ideology in our economy that businesses are not just supposed to focus on their bottom line. They need to be useful to the country – to our homeland – and to extend a hand to society. They should not just talk about having a positive impact, they should take clear action. Nobody can afford to remain indifferent anymore.
Over the years, we have focused more and more on the environment. Ucom has been allocating a growing budget to run programs that have a long-term, positive, sustainable impact on the environment.
We plan to keep continuing in this direction, delivering real solutions on the ground while raising the awareness of our own staff and society at large. Let me start with perhaps the simplest one of our many programs – Uforest. Along with our long-term partner in the environmental sector, the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC), we have committed to planting 10,000 trees annually and, so far, we have already planted 40,000 trees at the Urtsadzor forestry station.
Ucom recently completed a full carbon footprint assessment of its own headquarters. What did that process reveal, and what did it commit the company to changing in its own operations?
— This was an important milestone for us, and it has helped us relay a clear message – supporting external activities is good, but one must start from one’s own “home”. Imagine how wonderful our cities would be if each of us cleaned the small public space in front of our homes and shops! This uses that same principle – each company must take steps to monitor and reduce its own carbon footprint, and that combined effort will have a tangible positive impact on our environment. Additionally, this comes with a strong positive consequence in terms of making our employees more aware of the issue and demonstrating to them that it is a real priority for the company.
As part of our carbon footprint assessment, we underwent an expert analysis and there was a clear list of recommendations, based on which we have come up with an action plan to reduce our emissions both at our headquarters as well as in the field. We should see the first results within a year or so, in terms of reduced footprint. But we already see the impact it has had on our employees and their mindset. They realize now, more than ever, that this is a team commitment as well as an issue of individual responsibility. In the past, when we organized our tree-planting initiatives, it was not easy to get employees to volunteer for this work. Now, we are often oversubscribed – more people show up than we can accommodate! There is definitely a lot more interest in environmental issues within our staff today than ever before.
It’s great to see increased awareness among staff members, and you have said often that we need to achieve something similar in society at large. What is the role of education and culture in this process?
— Of course, education is a key part of environmental awareness, and it is a critical piece that we need to put into place in the puzzle. When we think of important subjects at school, the ones that come to mind might be mathematics, physics, chemistry, perhaps languages… But environmental awareness should be as high on that list as any of those other subjects, in my opinion. In fact, I believe that the environment should be a mandatory subject of study not just in school, but in universities as well. After all, these are the institutions that produce the citizens of tomorrow – our future businessmen, politicians, and decision makers of all kinds are sitting somewhere in a school or university today, learning all kinds of things that will affect the choices they make tomorrow. How can we imagine a better future if environmental awareness is not among the subjects they are learning?
This is also why we recently joined forces with FAST Foundation within the Generation AI program, linking AI education with environmental thinking and encouraging students to use technology to address real-world sustainability challenges. With Ucom’s support, the project component of the program now has a green focus, with 10 student AI projects in the 2026–2027 academic year set to address environmental challenges aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
We have worked for a long time with SunChild NGO, which has been educating the public through its film festival. Over the years, they have exposed our society to over 760 films from around 150 countries, continuously promoting dialogue and cooperation around environmental issues. This year’s edition will coincide with COP17 and will provide a strong channel for the use of culture to convey messages in support of biodiversity. So SunChild is like a school that teaches the importance of the environment. But it is only one school out of more than thousand in Armenia, and a lot more needs to be done.
Speaking of biodiversity, Ucom has provided technological solutions to help educate the general public on the range of wildlife in Armenia, while also helping protect our flora and fauna. Tell us more about those solutions and how they have had an impact in the country.
— There are several important things we are doing in this area. Our thermal cameras in natural reservations give conservation experts much needed solutions that help them monitor and protect wildlife. This critical infrastructure allows them to keep a constant eye on the beautiful wild animals that roam our country, protecting them from poachers, forest fires, or other dangers.
We have also invested in solar-powered off-grid cameras that serve this mission. The autonomous solar stations that power these cameras are critical because they allow the monitoring of remote areas that are not covered by the power grid. The constant availability of data from these cameras allows experts to conduct in-depth scientific research on the movement of endangered species.
Another interesting project we have on this topic is smart birdwatching. Ten AI-powered smart bird feeders have been installed in schools and communities across Armenia, allowing the public to observe and identify birds through an online platform. When a bird approaches the feeder, an integrated camera automatically activates, takes a photo, and records video. The AI algorithm then analyzes the image and identifies the bird species. This is a wonderful educational program that we are implementing with SunChild NGO, teaching our children and youth about the amazing diversity of birdlife in the country. It is very engaging and powerful, much more effective than textbooks.
Through the Ucom Fellowship program with Impact Hub Yerevan, you have supported around 20 environmental startups so far. What made you invest in Armenia’s green entrepreneurship ecosystem, and where does that partnership go next?
— This is an excellent program where young entrepreneurs develop real solutions to our environmental problems and come up with business models that have a positive impact embedded in them.
We have focused a lot on the topic of circular economy, which is critical today because it helps reduce waste and promotes a more efficient and effective use of the limited resources and materials available in our surroundings.
Impact Hub Yerevan incubated startups that will be part of tomorrow’s business landscape, providing practical solutions to real environmental issues, while also being profitable businesses. We believe that supporting such teams is an investment in a more sustainable future for our country. The program lasts almost a year, and participants go through several intensive workshops and get mentorship support. The most promising among them also receive seed funding. We are happy to continue this partnership with Impact Hub Yerevan and keep investing in Armenia’s green entrepreneurship sector.
Mr. Yirikian, you have been personally leading corporate responsibility in Armenia for several decades now, and all the programs you mentioned at Ucom are part of the consistent manifestation of your own personal commitment. But 2026 is special – Armenia is hosting CBD COP17 and the Government has invested a lot of time and effort in making this event a success. What does COP17 mean for the private sector in the country? What should Armenian businesses do to ensure that our country remains in the spotlight on important global issues?
— I hope that COP17 will boost environmental awareness among local businesses and increase their sense of responsibility on this topic. While I have seen businesses use environmental issues as a focus for their public relations activities, it is now high time to walk the talk. This event and the global attention that comes with it should be our signal to take real action. I am hoping that the state will adopt a program during COP17 that will lead to strong public-private partnerships. The state has lots of resources, of course, and can do much more than the private sector can do alone. Real change can only come when companies join hands with the government. There should be a sense of partnership without transactional expectations, which means action for the sake of real impact.
After all, any damage to the environment will negatively impact us sooner or later. We are alarmed when we see reports of wolves or bears entering villages, but why don’t we stop to consider that this was actually caused by human interference in the natural habitats of those creatures? When you hunt and kill Bezoar goats, for example, this leads to a shortage of natural prey for wolves and, when they can no longer find food, those wolves are naturally attracted to farms and villages where they can attack sheep and other livestock. Both businesses and individuals must realize that we must be careful when we look at the environment in terms of economic gain, because there are always risks and consequences that must be included in our calculations.
Speaking of such calculations, you are speaking at several panels during COP17. One of them is on the topic of “The Invisible Supplier: Business, Biodiversity and the Unpriced Input.” The other highlights the necessary collaboration between environmental organizations, tech companies, local communities, and the Government. In your experience, how well do businesses actually understand these topics today, and what are the elements that help or hinder cooperation around the environment?
— The reality is that it’s a lengthy learning curve that will take a lot of time. The state has an important role to play here. When businesses tell the state that they are on board, this is when the state can move more freely and take real action. Before that happens, the state can help raise awareness and educate the businesses that don’t understand how to be environmentally responsible while also rewarding the companies that are having a positive impact.
Businesses are used to thinking about supply chain risks from a financial point of view. But environmental issues related to the supply chain can also lead to a crisis, and the risk for businesses of losing everything is just as real in this case.
On the topic of collaboration, any business that wants to do something on this topic today should not feel alone. There are so many organizations in Armenia today that are implementing good projects in these areas. Businesses that are interested should find them, learn from them, and work together. All the partnerships I already mentioned during this interview are an example of the collaborative approach that Ucom has taken so far. When it comes to working with communities, it is all about communication. There are many environmental projects today gathering dust on the tables of community leaders and policy makers. They are not coming to life because of a lack of understanding, which leads to the absence of funding. Of course, there are challenges. There are ignorant people in every community, and also in state bodies. But they are temporary and they should not cause individuals and companies to give up. A handful of ignorant people should not stop something that will benefit lots of people.
As soon as companies show the will to learn and act, they will start communicating and discussing these issues with the right stakeholders, and then these programs will kick off. I have been doing this for 20 years now, and I believe in its importance so much that I am now also investing my own personal resources. After all, I am thinking of my future grandchildren – what kind of country and planet do I want to leave them? I want to emphasize here that this is not just about Armenia. This is about the region and the planet. An environmental crisis in a neighboring country is just as much our problem as it is theirs. Migratory flows of wildlife will be affected by it, and that will impact our environment as well. Rivers and other critical resources that flow into our country will also be negatively impacted. We are all interconnected through nature, and this is why we cannot find solutions alone – the only way is to act together!
If you had a magic wand, what is the one change in Armenia that would make the biggest difference for biodiversity over the next decade? What can individuals, companies, and public bodies do to make that “magic” a reality over the coming years?
— I represent a technology company, so I prefer not to think of it as a magic wand, but rather as a green button! I will be honest and say that my hopes don’t lie with my generation or those who are slightly younger than me. I believe the solution is in the hands of the younger generation.
First of all, it is important to say that Ucom will continue our programs in this area. We have not yet revealed our full arsenal when it comes to fighting climate change. But, as I said before, we need to scale this up, and we cannot do that without the state’s endorsement and active engagement. It is very important that schools and universities have a compulsory subject teaching children and youth about environmental responsibility. This will shape the people who will take ownership for biodiversity and environmental protection in the future, whether in the private sector, public sector, or elsewhere.
In the end, this is an issue that affects us all. Just like the visible wires and invisible waves that connect us and our devices to each other today, nature brings us together in a way that we have taken for granted. We pick up the phone and call someone thousands of kilometers away, no longer marveling at how this is actually a miracle of modern technology. In exactly the same way, the natural resources and biodiversity that we are blessed with in Armenia today are also miracles that deserve to be appreciated.
Instead of hoping for magic, let’s use our natural ability to communicate as human beings and our technological solutions to come together and build a sustainable future for our planet!