Open Government Partnership - Armenia

A document has already been tabled before the deputy justice minister for several months: it must be submitted to the government by the end of the month. Once the government approves it, all the ministers will have new colleagues in the adjacent Public Council.

The document gives the council the right to appeal to the ministers for at least 2 months without obstacles to make the important decisions together in the corresponding sphere. This is among the main principles of the "Open Government Partnership" initiative. "The initiative is important in that its principles must be introduced in each ministry. Based on the same procedure, councils must be set up under each minister, which must be composed entirely of civil society representatives. They will include NGOs, the media, as well as actors of the industry, who will regularly (not less than once in 2 months) meet and discuss with the minister the key developments, drafts, policies and strategies in the sector," said Deputy Justice Minister Suren Krmoyan.

4 years ago Armenia joined the "Open Government Partnership" to enable citizens’ involvement in the government decisions. 65 countries in the world have decided to ensure more transparency for its citizens, working with non-governmental organizations.

Armenia has completed the first action plan, and the second is in the process of development. "Most importantly, we must ensure its continuity, because this is a tool by which the government can make its activities more transparent, more effective and show its colleagues and the public the results of its work and increase the confidence in government policies and programs.The more we involve our stakeholders, the more they become interested in the implementation of the policy," said Suren Krmoyan.

Source: www.yerkirmedia.am