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PARLIAMENTARY HEARINGS ON THE THEME "PARLIAMENTARY ETHICS: THE MP'S BEHAVIOR RULES"
http://www.parliament.am/news.php?cat_id=2&NewsID=6174&year=2013&month=10&d ay=17
17.10.2013
On October 17 the RA NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs
jointly organized parliamentary hearings by the USAID-funded Support
Program to the Armenian National Assembly (SANAP) and the Organisation
for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Yerevan Office on the
theme "Parliamentary Ethics: The MP's Behavior Rules."
The RA NA Vice President Hermine Naghdalyan, deputies, representatives
of the RA state bodies, local and international organizations, civil
society and experts were taking part in the hearings.
The Committee Chairman Davit Harutyunyan has informed the attendees
that during its activity the NA Committee on Ethics has received 21
applications, and 16 of them have been refused, all the materials
are posted on the NA website and are accessible for the public. Davit
Harutyunyan has introduced the functions and problems of the Committee
and noticed that problems have been emerged, which will be solved. He
expressed hope that the hearings would help to improve the legislation
of the sphere.
Rick Stapenhurst, a consultant/advisor to the governance/parliamentary
program and a Professor of Practice at McGill University's Institute
for the Study of International Development of Canada delivered a
speech "The International Standards in the Sphere Parliamentary
Ethics and the General Tendencies of Development." He has noticed
that during the last decades in the whole world the trust towards
the parliament decreases, except Sweden and Denmark. The reasons
are numerous: lack of democracy, change of value systems, increase
of education, etc, thus system changes are necessary to be made,
which will control the MPs' behavior and will boost the rise of the
trust towards parliaments. According to the expert, it is necessary
to have a Behavior Code, where the MP's behavior rules are affirmed
and in case of their violation the applying punitive measures, which
in different countries are very diverse.
John Lyon, the British expert on Parliamentary Ethics delivered a
report "The Main Principles of the Regulation: Some Issues of the
Practical Use of the Rules." Sharing his experience and knowledge
during his activity he has said that in Great Britain, for example,
the Behavior Code is changed every 4-5 years. Its goal is to have a
strong, reliable parliament, raise the trust of the public towards
the parliament. It was noted that 6-7 countries have officially
approved Behavior Codes. The expert has noted that in the Commission
for Standards in Great Britain the cases, when the MP's behavior
negatively reflects on the prestige of the parliament become a matter
of examination.
Armen Khudaverdyan, the member of the Ethics Commission of the RA High
Ranking Officials delivered a speech on the theme "The Declaration
of the Property and Incomes: the Practice and the Problems."
An exchange of thoughts was conducted, and the participants presented
their recommendations and positions through their speeches and
questions.
Summing up the hearings Davit Harutyunyan noted that the hearings
went on in the atmosphere of concerned and effective debates,
recommendations were sounded, which would promote the improvement of
the legislative sphere.
http://www.parliament.am/news.php?cat_id=2&NewsID=6174&year=2013&month=10&d ay=17
17.10.2013
On October 17 the RA NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs
jointly organized parliamentary hearings by the USAID-funded Support
Program to the Armenian National Assembly (SANAP) and the Organisation
for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Yerevan Office on the
theme "Parliamentary Ethics: The MP's Behavior Rules."
The RA NA Vice President Hermine Naghdalyan, deputies, representatives
of the RA state bodies, local and international organizations, civil
society and experts were taking part in the hearings.
The Committee Chairman Davit Harutyunyan has informed the attendees
that during its activity the NA Committee on Ethics has received 21
applications, and 16 of them have been refused, all the materials
are posted on the NA website and are accessible for the public. Davit
Harutyunyan has introduced the functions and problems of the Committee
and noticed that problems have been emerged, which will be solved. He
expressed hope that the hearings would help to improve the legislation
of the sphere.
Rick Stapenhurst, a consultant/advisor to the governance/parliamentary
program and a Professor of Practice at McGill University's Institute
for the Study of International Development of Canada delivered a
speech "The International Standards in the Sphere Parliamentary
Ethics and the General Tendencies of Development." He has noticed
that during the last decades in the whole world the trust towards
the parliament decreases, except Sweden and Denmark. The reasons
are numerous: lack of democracy, change of value systems, increase
of education, etc, thus system changes are necessary to be made,
which will control the MPs' behavior and will boost the rise of the
trust towards parliaments. According to the expert, it is necessary
to have a Behavior Code, where the MP's behavior rules are affirmed
and in case of their violation the applying punitive measures, which
in different countries are very diverse.
John Lyon, the British expert on Parliamentary Ethics delivered a
report "The Main Principles of the Regulation: Some Issues of the
Practical Use of the Rules." Sharing his experience and knowledge
during his activity he has said that in Great Britain, for example,
the Behavior Code is changed every 4-5 years. Its goal is to have a
strong, reliable parliament, raise the trust of the public towards
the parliament. It was noted that 6-7 countries have officially
approved Behavior Codes. The expert has noted that in the Commission
for Standards in Great Britain the cases, when the MP's behavior
negatively reflects on the prestige of the parliament become a matter
of examination.
Armen Khudaverdyan, the member of the Ethics Commission of the RA High
Ranking Officials delivered a speech on the theme "The Declaration
of the Property and Incomes: the Practice and the Problems."
An exchange of thoughts was conducted, and the participants presented
their recommendations and positions through their speeches and
questions.
Summing up the hearings Davit Harutyunyan noted that the hearings
went on in the atmosphere of concerned and effective debates,
recommendations were sounded, which would promote the improvement of
the legislative sphere.