If Armenia wants to improve its image, it has to do something for humanity – do it well, do it prominently, do it imaginatively, courageously and consistently for a very long time. It’s as simple as that.

Simon Anholt, independent policy advisor for nation branding, identity and reputation said this in his interview to Mediamax.

He is an author of three major international surveys - Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index, Anholt-GfK Roper City Brands Index and Anholt State Brands Index.

Simon Anholt’s latest research, The Good Country Index, is the first to measure exactly how much each country contributes to the planet and to humanity.

The Good Country Index tries to measure how much each country on earth contributes to the planet and to the human race. Using a wide range of data from the U.N. and other international organizations, it has given each country a balance-sheet to show at a glance whether it’s a net creditor to mankind, a burden on the planet, or something in between.

In this context, “good” means contribution to humanity and is the opposite of “selfish”, not the opposite of “bad”.

Armenia ranks the 72nd on the Good Country Index and is placed between Mozambique (71st) and Albania (73d).

Rating includes 7 categories, covering science and technology, culture, international peace and security, world order, planet and climate, prosperity and equality, health and wellbeing.

Armenia’s lowest ratings is in the categories of “Health and Wellness” and “Culture”, and the highest in the categories of “Prosperity and Equality,” and “International peace and security”.

Presenting the necessity for creating Good Country Index, Simon Anholt noted:

‘The quickest and surest route to an improved national image is through contributing regularly and noticeably to humanity and the planet: doing things that give people in other countries good reasons to feel glad that you exist. This is why I created the Good Country Index: I wanted some measurement of reality alongside the measurement of perceptions provided by the Nation Brands Index, to see which countries actually contribute most to the global commons”.

Full interview is available here.