The “Eastern Partnership Community Dialogue” event took place on 6-7 June in Yerevan, Armenia, organized with the support of the EU for Integrity Programme. The purpose of the event was to discuss effective mechanisms and challenges in implementing anti-corruption measures, public finance management, participation, and innovation, which are cornerstones of open and good governance.
Eighty representatives from the state administration system, local governments, and civil society of Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova, as well as international organizations, participated in the event. The Armenian Lawyers Association was represented by Anti-Corruption Experts Mariam Zadoyan and Syuzanna Soghomonyan.
Key figures delivering welcome speeches included the Chief of Staff of Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, the Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Armenia Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, Mission Director of USAID/Armenia John Allelo, the Director of Governance and Fragile States of Counterpart International Katherine Krueger, and Regional Coordinator of OGP for the Eastern Partnership countries Peter Varga.
During the event, ALA representative Mariam Zadoyan facilitated a roundtable on whistleblowing. Participants explored innovative e-tools with up-to-date features and identified common challenges faced by whistleblowers. The discussion featured platforms like the state-run Azdararir whistleblowing platform, along with Haytnir.am and Bizprotect platforms led by the Armenian Lawyers’ Association. The conversation brainstormed strategies for civil society to advocate for supportive environments and examined legal frameworks and best practices for establishing robust whistleblowing mechanisms that safeguard individuals who expose wrongdoing.
Other topics explored during the event included public participation, participatory budgeting, access to information, and civic space.
The two-day event served as a marketplace of ideas to bolster civic engagement in good governance reforms through the exchange of good practices.
Photo Credits: RA Government Website, Armenian Lawyers’ Association, Open Government Partnership
