OGP Independent Reporting Mechanism and partners have jointly organized a webinar, entitled “What Next for Open Government in the Eastern Partnership Countries?, on June 24, 2020, to discuss the latest findings and recommendations from the IRM assessments of OGP National Action Plans from the Eastern Partnership countries. Ms. Mariam Zadoyan, ALA representative, has also participated in the event.
Grounded in common trends identified in recently published IRM reports for Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, and the work of OGP partners in the region, this webinar has focused on anti-corruption and citizen-centered public services as areas in which individual and collective progress can be made by countries in the region, building on past efforts and good practices from across OGP countries.The speakers included Mathieu Bousquet, Head of Unit of the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) of the EU Commission; Jeff Lovitt, representing International Experts Panel of the IRM; Tinatin Ninua, Deputy Director of the OGP IRM; Viktor Nestulia, Senior Manager (Eastern Europe & Central Asia) of the Open Contracting Partnership; Jasmina Haynes, CEO of the Integrity Action; Rusudan Mikhelidze, representing OECD Anti-Corruption Network; Tatevik Margaryan, IRM Researcher for Armenia; Diana Mirza Grisco, IRM Researcher for Moldova and Giorgi Kldiashvili, Founder of the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) and representing OGP Steering Committee. During the webinar, a poll has been organized on the most vital component on the reagon, and more than half of the participants have agreed that the judiciary is the sector where the intervention is mostly needed.
Participants have been engaged in a conversation on the challenges and opportunities for taking these recommendations forward. In this regard, Ms. Mariam Zadoyan noted that it is also necessary to focus on open response measures such as introduction of commitments improving access to justice, as well as boosting open and accountable justice. “Introduction of a unified e-justice system” is imperative nowadays in order to ensure the access to justice in times of the pandemics, focusing on provision of remote justice services (e.g foreseeing procedures for online submission of documents, possibilities of conducting court proceedings by telephone or video conferencing where practicable). Other participant’s shared this viewpoint, noting that there is a need to make the region ready for crises.
At the end, participants have thanked the hosts of the webinar for organizing such an informative and comprehensive webinar.