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Fighting Corruption: Strengthening Coop bw NA, Civil Soc., Media

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  • Fighting Corruption: Strengthening Coop bw NA, Civil Soc., Media

    PRESS RELEASE
    Eurasia Foundation Representative Office in Armenia
    4 Demirchyan Street, Yerevan, Armenia
    Contact: Alisa Alaverdyan
    Tel/Fax: 374 10-58-60-59, 58-61-59
    E-mail: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]
    Web: www.eurasia.am <http://www.eurasia.am/>


    Fighting Corruption in Armenia: Strengthening Cooperation between the
    National Assembly, Civil Society and the Media



    Yerevan, Armenia - More than 130 representatives of Armenia's National
    Assembly, media and civil society, and 30 representatives of international
    organizations and experts, came together on April 6-7th for a conference to
    discuss the cooperation between the National Assembly, civil society and the
    media in the fight against corruption. The conference was organized by the
    National Assembly of Armenia (NA), the Eurasia Foundation (EF), the
    Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the United
    Nations Development Program (UNDP).

    Arthur Baghdasaryan, Speaker of Armenia's NA, opened the event by stating
    that "the consistent fight against corruption is a political necessity for
    Armenia. The successful fight against corruption depends on the progress of
    democracy, because democracy means transparency, supervision and public
    monitoring; that is to say everything, which is necessary for achieving
    success in this difficult struggle." He especially emphasized that "the role
    of an independent press and mass media is pivotal in the fight against
    corruption." U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans; UNDP Resident
    Representative, Consuelo Vidal; OSCE Ambassador, Vladimir Pryakhin; and EF
    Regional Vice President, Andrea Harris, also made opening remarks.

    During the first day, participants heard presentations on the role of the
    media; of public monitoring institutions including the Chamber of Control;
    and on cooperation between the NA and civil society in the fight against
    corruption. In each session, the experience of international experts and
    representatives of governments in other countries of the CIS, Eastern Europe
    and Armenia served as a basis for sharing lessons learned and best
    practices. During break-out sessions on day two, participants discussed each
    of these issues in smaller groups and developed recommendations for future
    cooperation between the NA, civil society and the media. For example, the
    working group on public monitoring institutions suggested that current
    legislation must explicitly state the functional separation between internal
    and external auditing of government activities; and it must also clarify
    what kind of auditing information can be made available to the public and
    the media.

    The conference concluded with an announcement of the formation of an
    Armenian chapter of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians against
    Corruption (GOPAC), an international network of parliamentarians dedicated
    to good governance and combating corruption through improved legislation and
    active citizen oversight.

    "The Eurasia Foundation is heartened by the fact that the leader of the
    country's Parliament is so willing to engage non-governmental organizations
    and the media as equal partners in the fight against corruption. In the
    coming years, EF intends to continue its work for increased cooperation
    between these sectors." stated Ms. Harris.

    In a recent workshop on anti-corruption, the OSCE demonstrated that the
    engagement of the country's government, non-government and media structures
    are all necessary for fighting corruption. Ms. Vidal from the UNDP agreed:
    "we believe that public participation in the fight against corruption is
    essential and we will continue to actively support national actors in
    reducing corruption in Armenia - in order to alleviate poverty, to improve
    the social structure of the country, to promote economic development, and to
    enhance Armenia's democratic development overall."

    The two-day Conference was closed with a reception at the Government
    Reception Hall, which was attended by the Chairman of the National Assembly
    of the Republic of Armenia, the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, as well as
    representatives of government, civil society and the media.

    # # #

    The Eurasia Foundation is a privately managed non-profit organization
    supported by the U.S. government and other public and private donors. Since
    1992, the Eurasia Foundation has invested more than $335 million through
    more than 7,700 grants and technical assistance projects in Armenia,
    Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova,
    Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

    _____

    This press release is made possible by the generous support of the American
    people through the United States Agency for International Development
    (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of the Eurasia Foundation and
    do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States
    Government.
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