Steps taken by the Public Council within the framework of the Republic of Armenia Anti-Corruption Strategy Implementation Action Plan for 2015-2018
22 March 2016
In December 2015, a working meeting took place in the Public Council of the Republic of Armenia with the participation of members of the Public Council of the Republic of Armenia, Chairperson of the Commission on State and Legal Affairs of the Public Council, member of the Public Council Grigor Badiryan, as well as Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Suren Krmoyan. During the meeting, point 32 of the draft of the Republic of Armenia Anti-Corruption Strategy Implementation Action Plan for 2015-2018 was considered which provides for consideration — during the sittings of the Public Council — of issues on prevention of and fight against corruption, raising of public awareness regarding the existence, causes, gravity of and the harm caused by corruption, publication of information concerning considerations of those issues and ensuring of its availability to the public.
During the meeting, it was proposed to establish within the Public Council an advisory system for the fight against corruption.
Taking into consideration the results of and the proposals made during the meeting that took place in the Public Council in December 2015 and dedicated to issues on the fight against corruption, a Working Group was established in January 2016 upon the instruction of President of the Public Council Vazgen Manukyan. Members of the Public Council must be included in the Working Group, and the activities thereof will be co-ordinated by the Commission on Civil Society Development of the Public Council and the Commission on State and Legal Affairs of the Public Council.
The President of the Public Council considered with Chairpersons of the two mentioned Commissions Grigor Badiryan and Hovhannes Hovhannisyan the structure, main directions of activities and goals of the Working Group. It was emphasised that the Working Group must serve as a co-operation platform through the inclusion of various non-governmental organisations actively dealing with issues on the fight against corruption.
Importance was attached to public awareness on corruption and the fight against it.
It was proposed that the Public Council should arrange meetings at least 4 times a year, during which all issues raised will be considered. It was also planned to consider those issues during the sitting of the Public Council of the Republic of Armenia to take place in March.
In March, a working consultation on the above-mentioned issues was held by President of the Public Council Vazgen Manukyan, with the participation of Team Leader of the Multi-Sector Budget Support Programme Londa Esadze, Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Suren Krmoyan, as well as members of the Working Group of the Public Council Grigor Badiryan and Hovhannes Hovhannisyan.