Open Government Partnership - Armenia

On 29 July 2015, at the initiative of the FOICA and with the assistance of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, a seminar entitled “Tools for civil society for the monitoring and evaluation of Open Governance Partnership – Armenia processes” was held in Yerevan.

The event was aimed at presenting the interested stakeholders from civil society with the tools and methodology developed by the FOICA, for monitoring and evaluating OGP processes, as well as identifying the capacities of the civil society in this regard and possibilities for joint work.

In her opening remarks, Tsovinar Arevyan, National Programme Officer at the Democratization Programme of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, noted: “The OSCE Office in Yerevan is interested in the OGP processes and supports several initiatives of the civil society in conducting monitoring of the OGP Second Action Plan’s implementation in Armenia. With view to organizing their monitoring and evaluation activities more effectively, it is paramount that civil society organizations act in good coordination, so that they complement and not duplicate each other. I hope today’s event will help achieve this goal”.

Aram Asatryan, Expert from the Staff of the RA Government, who was also invited to the discussion, noted that the Government needs consistent monitoring of the civil society, to identify implementation shortfalls and mistakes and to correct these.
Liana Doydoyan, FOICA Expert and OGP Working Group Member; and legal expert Gevorg Hayrapetyan presented draft monitoring methodology and its key directions. Liana Doydoyan noted that the methodology was developed by using international experiences of the civil society within OGP framework; the Independent Reporting Mechanism and that the methodology is based on the main OGP principles of transparency and free access to information, public participation and accountability. The same principles will apply when monitoring OGP processes: the OGP Action Plan development stage, implementation of the Action Plan and its impact assessment. These three stages will be monitored through surveys, analysis, private meetings and questionnaires.

Liana Doydoyan suggested that the NGO representatives work together and prepare joint assessment report. To this end, it was decided to hold online discussions on the draft methodology and developed questionnaires. Several organizations, including Rights without Borders, Araza, Union of People in Lori NGOs have already expressed their readiness to get involved in a joint monitoring effort, as a result of which it is envisaged to have the first comprehensive monitoring and assessment report about OGP Processes in Armenia.

OGP expert Artak Qyurumyan presented the methodology of Independent Reporting Mechanism and its goals. As he noted, it is important that both the commitments included in the Action Plan and OGP processes in general stem from the principles of transparency, free access to information, public participation and accountability. Thus the Government should take all possible efforts in disseminating information, ensuring public participation and transparency, both at a stage of Action Plan’s development, and implementation of the commitments, as well as every commitment should ensure at least one of these principles.