Concluding Conference of “Citizens’ Participation in the Decision Making Processes of Local Self-Governance Bodies: Introduction of EU Experience” project took place in Lori marz. The Conference was aimed to summarize the activities carried out in the project framework.
President of the Armenian Young Lawyers Association Mr. Karen Zadoyan, “Citizens’ Participation in the Decision Making Processes of Local Self-Governance Bodies: Introduction of EU Experience” Project Manager attached importance of the carried out activities and noted that in future they would contribute to the development of the mechanisms of citizens’ participation in decision making processes and public control over the activities of Local Self-Governance in Armenia.
“It is planned that in the end of the project, procedural and system level reforms will be recommended as a result revealed problems and best experience,” Mr. Zadoyan said.
Karen Zadoyan assures that implementation of the reforms will promote the citizens’ participation in decision making processes of Local Self-Governance Bodies as well as implementation of public control.
Representative of the Ministry of Territorial Administration Mr. Karen Bakoyan, Head of the Division of Coordination of Local Self-Governance Affairs referring to the project said that the citizen’s participation in decision making should be the integral component of modern democracy and management
“The Conference organized in the framework of “Citizens’ Participation in the Decision Making Processes of Local Self-Governance Bodies: Introduction of EU Experience” project may create essential prerequisites for the progress and be good platform to outline future directions,” Mr. Karen Bakoyan mentioned
Working with people especially in rural communities, introducing and explanation of their rights to the people is very important, as they have no access to information and do not know how to protect their rights,” Mr. Arsen Darbinyan, Deputy Governor of Lori marz expressed such point of view attaching importance to the activities of the Armenian Young Lawyers Association. He believes that work which the Association carried out will have results.
In order to have a better understanding about the carried out activities a video on the events in Stepanavan and Margahovit organized in “World Café” format was presented to the participants’ attention.
During group works organized at the meeting, the participants summarized the results of similar meetings organized in Margahovit and Stepanavan, listened to the new ideas and suggestions.
“Such discussions are important, especially when the experience of other countries is presented and discussed in separate groups; it is a very good method of work,” Gevorg Manukyan, President of “Armenian Constitutional Right- Protective Center” NGO said.
Mr. Menua Brutyan, President of “Association of Lori residents” NGO believes that the selection of the participants is very important in organizing of such events.
“In any case they have a positive trend and I hope that such measures will result in participatory management level in our country,” Mr. Brutyan said.
“Naturally they help to identify the problems, and as you can see a chain of problems that we face, and they cause all participants to think about the solutions,”according to Ms Armine Kalashyan, “World Vision Armenia” Stepanavan Regional Development Project Manager, this is a process that needs a long time.
Miss Syuzanna Soghomonyan the Project Expert assures that the project uncovered really serious problems. Specifically, in accordance to the Law on Local Self-Government, the community head can establish public councils. However there are problems here.
“We recommend that the council members are elected based on specific criteria. That is establishing prior to the election a selection board, which may be composed of the representatives of the municipality, as well as the community heads, who will accept the corresponding tender documents for the selection of the council members,” Miss Soghomonyan said.
Mr. Arthur Sukiasyan, Project Expert, considers that the project has achieved the set goals.
“During the meetings that took place in the communities we learnt the problems that exist in places. The residents themselves were raising the issues that exist in the sphere, and we got a picture which we may say was more than our expectations,” Mr. Arthur Sukiasyan noted
A similar event was conducted by the Georgian Young Lawyers Association in the urban community of Akhaltsikhe City and the rural community of Vali village in Samtskhe-Javakheti region. According to Ms Lela Taliuri, Election Project Coordinator of “Georgian Young Lawyers Association” NGO, such regional projects are really important, as they provide opportunity to exchange experience and help to identify specific problems.
“Right now we are in a process to think about a new law on the mechanisms and regulations about the citizens’ involvement in decision making process. We found out some well mechanisms, also taking into account the Czech Republic experience, and also the idea that was coming from the population, like having on-line conferences or having open door meetings,” Ms Taliuri said.
Reforms of the sphere will be the final result of “Citizens’ Participation in the Decision Making Processes of Local Self-Governance Bodies: Introduction of EU Experience” project.
The project was implemented by the “Armenian Young Lawyers Association” NGO in cooperation with partners, “Georgian Young Lawyers Association” NGO and “Agora Central Europe” Agora CE with financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
