Civic will, plus the intolerance of the society is equal to the effective fight against corruption. Of course, this is not the final formula in order to reduce the level of corruption but an important precondition.
In order to fight against corruption systematically it is necessary to have knowledge in the sphere. In the framework of the EU funded “Multi-Faceted Anti-Corruption Promotion” Project the “Armenian Young Lawyers Association” NGO and partner Freedom of Information Center of Armenia organized a three-day anti-corruption training in Yerevan for the CSOs of Yerevan. This is the 4th training organized in Yerevan.
“You know how low the legal awareness of the population is. We can say that the population is inclined to corruption which helps them to solve the problems in “easy” and “short” periods,” said the Project Manager of “Multi-Faceted Anti-Corruption Promotion” Project and the President of the “Armenian Young Lawyers Association” NGO, Karen Zadoyan.
The schedule of the three-day training includes principles of good governance, information about the notion of corruption, history of its development and reasons for its occurrences, etc.
Each participant presents his/her vision of the fight against corruption, how effective the fight against it is carried out.
“I think that not only the state but also the NGOs, mass media, political parties and the society in general must fight against corruption,” said the representative of “Pyunik” union of disabled people of Armenia, Samson Khachaturyan.
“As much as we are aware, it is not implemented effectively, but I won’t insist on the opinion that no activity is implemented,” mentioned the representative of the “Social Justice” NGO, Sona Arakelyan.
“There must be a state and social will, but first of all the state must create institutions which will implement the fight against corruption,” said the representative of the “Armenian Center for Integration and Democracy” NGO, Lusine Zakalashvili.
“I think that it is implemented ineffectively, that is why I am here, that is why I participate in the anti-corruption seminar, that is why I left all my work and try to do my best to learn all the mechanism which will help me to resist this evil,” half in jest, half in earnest said Sergey Sargsyan, representative of the historical cultural NGO, “ArmComedy.”
The participants got acquainted to the notion of ant-corruption public monitoring, methodology and international practice. The aspects and issues of the RA Government Program, Strategic Program of the RA Legal and Judicial Reforms 2012-2016, international experience and mechanisms of creating anti-corruption coalitions were discussed. Practical work was also carried out.
Sergey Sargsyan was most of all interested in the RA Government Program. He confidently asserted that he would follow the implementation of the points of the RA Government Program. Then he made a joke saying that if the Government was not able to implement the Program than the happiest part of his life would begin: he would start criticizing the authorities in the framework of “ArmComedy” TV show.
CSO and Media Organizations, who have completed the training successfully, will have opportunity to participate in the tender for small grants to undertake monitoring, watchdog activities and journalistic investigations.
You can see the list of CSOs and the media participants of the Anti-Corruption Training here.
