Anti-Corruption Education shall start from the Youth

Three mechanisms for efficient fight against corruption. Karen Zadoyan, the Coordinator of Secretariat of the CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition, introduced these mechanisms today, on 13 July in the framework of the Summer Camp, which was organized in Aghveran.

According to him it is necessary to establish an independent anti-corruption body in Armenia; criminalize the illicit enrichment in the framework of legislative reforms; as well as to adopt the RA Law on the Promotion and Protection of the Reporting Persons (Whistleblowers Law).

Only in this way considerable progress in fight against the corruption will be recorded in Armenia.

Karen Zadoyan also addressed to the causes of the spread of corruption, spoke about its level as well as made a historical overview.

Of course this overview could not be complete without the introduction of best international practice. And this example started from the leader. According to Karen Zadoyan the founding Prime Minister of Singapore managed to turn the wheel of development of his state. He laid his struggle on the following bases: integrity, political will and development of anti-corruption organizational capacity. Simplification of the procedures and regulations, such as the principle of a single window, put an end to the so called corruption in the low level or the lower corruption in Singapore. Whereas the corruption in the upper levels was defeated by means of the political will, development of anti-corruption organizational capacity (Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau -CPIB) and development of legislation (Anti-Corruption Law).

After the lecture the youth participated in the auction of values. They split into groups, and each member of the group introduced the three values that he/she chose. Each participant received one million featured AMD to buy the preferable values in the value auction. Further each group introduced the three values which they bought paying the highest price. At the end, all participants together chose the three most preferable values among the nine highest: those being – love, patriotism and knowledge.

At the end Karen Zadoyan urged the youth: “If you will not have serious anti-corruption values in your life, your professional life will be very difficult. Life is changing, and the things that we today introduce theoretically, you will see in practice in the future.”

Mariam Zadoyan, advocate of the Armenian Young Lawyers Association, explained the notion of the legal entities, their types and main differences. The participants performed group works.

Narine Sargsyan, President of “Future is Yours” NGO said that the organization has been implementing an anti-corruption educational program during the past 5 years in cooperation with the OSCE Yerevan Office. The objective of the program is to provide anti-corruption education and training to the youth aged 16-22. The camp is implemented in the framework of the mentioned program.

“Why the youth aged 16 – 22? Because just in this age the man’s position is developed and shaped. In addition the youth, the young people are those whose blackboard still has place for the education and training. And by filling this blackboard correctly with education and training this will further be developed into skill and capacity and they will be able to apply this in the future life,” Ms Sargsyan said.

For already three months the teenagers and youth who were enlivened in the program through tender participate in anti-corruption trainings. The theme is corruption risks in the private entrepreneurship sector. The participants shall analyze the Law on Private Entrepreneurship, further they will develop a legislative package and introduce it to the Head of OSCE Yerevan Office and the adopting bodies.

“This is not an ordinary training,” Ms Naira Gyulnazaryan, Coordinator of Anti-Corruption Projects of OSCE Yerevan Office said, “The children not only communicate with each other, know each other, but become more activated, formed as a citizen. Such seminars in addition to technical knowledge, contribute to the development of other skills as well. We provide analytical, presentation, communication and other skills. And they will use these skills in their future life.”

Notably, the young people step forward with innovations and more prepared. “This is really inspiring for us. We are very happy to have such an opportunity to work and educate the youth who wish to study and to become masters of their country,” Ms Gyulnazaryan said.

According to the participants, the workshop provided them quite a lot of knowledge. Davit Byuzandyan is a pupil at the high school. He believes that through the anti-corruption education the pupils will record a serious progress in fight against corruption. “Fight against corruption should be effective and rapid. This evil continues to be a threat in our society. The health sector is especially corrupted.”

“A Patriot cannot choose the corrupt way.” This is the belief of Norayr Shoghikyan, young participant of the seminar, a future journalist.

“If a person can buy everything with money, I think he can sell everything for this money, such person is able to sell his homeland for money. Thus, I do not accept any form of corruption, neither I accept the people who practice corruption,” said Norayr.

Iravaban.net