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: [email protected]
Web: <; 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.