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CRD / TI ARMENIA NEWS
PRESS RELEASE
Media Contact:
Sarah Tyler (Berlin, Germany)
Transparency International
Tel: +49-30-3438 2019
Fax: +49-30-3470 3912
[email protected]
Nara Arzumanyan
Center for Regional Development/ Transparency International Armenia
Tel/Fax: +374 1 585 578
[email protected]
www.transparency.am
INDEPENDENT INSTITUTIONS, EFFECTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND TRANSPARENT
DECISION-MAKING NEEDED TO TACKLE CORRUPTION IN ARMENIA, SAYS
TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL REPORT
Yerevan/Berlin, 29 October 2004 --- A new report The National Integrity
Systems TI Country Study Report - Armenia 2003 has been published today
by Transparency International (TI) and TI's national chapter in Armenia,
the Center for Regional Development (CRD)/TI Armenia. TI is the leading
global non-governmental organisation devoted to combating corruption.
The TI study assessed the effectiveness of the Armenian National
Integrity System (NIS), which is comprised of key institutions that
contribute to the fight against corruption. None of the institutions
evaluated are functioning effectively in Armenia, according to the
report. Among the key systemic factors influencing the NIS in Armenia
are the absence of political will, the lack of independence and autonomy
of institutions, the weak legal framework and poor law enforcement, the
lack of administrative and human capacity, the low level of public
participation in the policy-making, etc.
"It is difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of Government
anti-corruption activities in Armenia", said report co-author and CRD/TI
Armenia chairwoman Amalia Kostanyan, "though in the last year certain
steps (such as adoption of the Anti-Corruption Strategy Program,
establishment of the Anti-Corruption Council and Monitoring Commission,
joining GRECO, etc.) have been taken by state authorities". Political
will to combat corruption implies not only the adoption of the National
Anti-Corruption Program... but also evident intolerance towards
everyone's illegal and immoral behaviour irrespective of position and
income, Kostanyan continued.
Most Armenians are still sceptical about commitment of the Government to
fight corruption. Only 22% of respondents of the phone survey conducted
by the CRD/TI Armenia in February 2004 believed that the adoption of the
Anti-Corruption Strategy demonstrated political will to combat
corruption. The view of experts is similar: Armenia received a score of
3.1 against a clean score of 10 in the TI Corruption Perceptions Index
2004, published on 20 October. According to the index, which is based on
the views of business people and country analysts, corruption is a
serious problem in Armenia.
"Ongoing reforms appear to be of declarative nature only and are
perceived as driven by donors", as the report stated, "to turn this
around local ownership of anti-corruption reforms must be combined with
more effective donor assistance".
The report calls for the promotion of law enforcement, along with the
improvement of existing legislation. Armenia also needs greater checks
and balances to curb the power of the President compared with the
legislature, and greater independence of the judiciary, prosecutors, and
police, as well as more transparency in the decision-making process.
The report emphasises the need to promote free and fair elections, by
strengthening the party system, making electoral commissions more
accountable to the public, and giving more rights to proxies and
observers. Improving institutional capacity is another priority. "The
success of the reform process is largely determined by the broad support
of the country's population, which can be promoted by enhancing public
awareness and education", according to the report. The role of
professional and independent media and, specifically, investigative
journalism, is also crucial for success in the fight against corruption.
A revised National Anti-Corruption Strategy and its Action Plan should
include the reforms cited above. Best practices of anti-corruption
measures all over the world should be reviewed to identify those most
applicable to Armenia.
The National Integrity Systems TI Country Study Report - Armenia 2003
was authored by Amalia Kostanyan, Chairwoman at CRD/TI Armenia, and
Varuzhan Hoktanyan, Public Policy Expert at CRD/TI Armenia. The report
was prepared under the auspices of a programme developed by the TI
Secretariat together with Professor Alan Doig and Stephanie McIvor of
the Teesside Business School in the United Kingdom. It is the latest in
a series of TI country study reports on national integrity systems.
The National Integrity Systems TI Country Study Report - Armenia 2003
and other country study reports in English can be downloaded at:
www.transparency.org/activities/nat_integ_systems/country_studies.html
The National Integrity Systems TI Country Study Report - Armenia 2003
publications in English and Armenian can be downloaded at:
www.transparency.am/Website/eng/id71.htm
www.transparency.am/Website/arm/id71.htm
---
http://www.transparency.am/Web site/eng/default.htm
PRESS RELEASE
Media Contact:
Sarah Tyler (Berlin, Germany)
Transparency International
Tel: +49-30-3438 2019
Fax: +49-30-3470 3912
[email protected]
Nara Arzumanyan
Center for Regional Development/ Transparency International Armenia
Tel/Fax: +374 1 585 578
[email protected]
www.transparency.am
INDEPENDENT INSTITUTIONS, EFFECTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND TRANSPARENT
DECISION-MAKING NEEDED TO TACKLE CORRUPTION IN ARMENIA, SAYS
TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL REPORT
Yerevan/Berlin, 29 October 2004 --- A new report The National Integrity
Systems TI Country Study Report - Armenia 2003 has been published today
by Transparency International (TI) and TI's national chapter in Armenia,
the Center for Regional Development (CRD)/TI Armenia. TI is the leading
global non-governmental organisation devoted to combating corruption.
The TI study assessed the effectiveness of the Armenian National
Integrity System (NIS), which is comprised of key institutions that
contribute to the fight against corruption. None of the institutions
evaluated are functioning effectively in Armenia, according to the
report. Among the key systemic factors influencing the NIS in Armenia
are the absence of political will, the lack of independence and autonomy
of institutions, the weak legal framework and poor law enforcement, the
lack of administrative and human capacity, the low level of public
participation in the policy-making, etc.
"It is difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of Government
anti-corruption activities in Armenia", said report co-author and CRD/TI
Armenia chairwoman Amalia Kostanyan, "though in the last year certain
steps (such as adoption of the Anti-Corruption Strategy Program,
establishment of the Anti-Corruption Council and Monitoring Commission,
joining GRECO, etc.) have been taken by state authorities". Political
will to combat corruption implies not only the adoption of the National
Anti-Corruption Program... but also evident intolerance towards
everyone's illegal and immoral behaviour irrespective of position and
income, Kostanyan continued.
Most Armenians are still sceptical about commitment of the Government to
fight corruption. Only 22% of respondents of the phone survey conducted
by the CRD/TI Armenia in February 2004 believed that the adoption of the
Anti-Corruption Strategy demonstrated political will to combat
corruption. The view of experts is similar: Armenia received a score of
3.1 against a clean score of 10 in the TI Corruption Perceptions Index
2004, published on 20 October. According to the index, which is based on
the views of business people and country analysts, corruption is a
serious problem in Armenia.
"Ongoing reforms appear to be of declarative nature only and are
perceived as driven by donors", as the report stated, "to turn this
around local ownership of anti-corruption reforms must be combined with
more effective donor assistance".
The report calls for the promotion of law enforcement, along with the
improvement of existing legislation. Armenia also needs greater checks
and balances to curb the power of the President compared with the
legislature, and greater independence of the judiciary, prosecutors, and
police, as well as more transparency in the decision-making process.
The report emphasises the need to promote free and fair elections, by
strengthening the party system, making electoral commissions more
accountable to the public, and giving more rights to proxies and
observers. Improving institutional capacity is another priority. "The
success of the reform process is largely determined by the broad support
of the country's population, which can be promoted by enhancing public
awareness and education", according to the report. The role of
professional and independent media and, specifically, investigative
journalism, is also crucial for success in the fight against corruption.
A revised National Anti-Corruption Strategy and its Action Plan should
include the reforms cited above. Best practices of anti-corruption
measures all over the world should be reviewed to identify those most
applicable to Armenia.
The National Integrity Systems TI Country Study Report - Armenia 2003
was authored by Amalia Kostanyan, Chairwoman at CRD/TI Armenia, and
Varuzhan Hoktanyan, Public Policy Expert at CRD/TI Armenia. The report
was prepared under the auspices of a programme developed by the TI
Secretariat together with Professor Alan Doig and Stephanie McIvor of
the Teesside Business School in the United Kingdom. It is the latest in
a series of TI country study reports on national integrity systems.
The National Integrity Systems TI Country Study Report - Armenia 2003
and other country study reports in English can be downloaded at:
www.transparency.org/activities/nat_integ_systems/country_studies.html
The National Integrity Systems TI Country Study Report - Armenia 2003
publications in English and Armenian can be downloaded at:
www.transparency.am/Website/eng/id71.htm
www.transparency.am/Website/arm/id71.htm
---
http://www.transparency.am/Web site/eng/default.htm