ALA is a Member of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) Coalition

Established in August 2006, the UNCAC Coalition is a global network of over 350 civil society organizations (CSOs) in over 100 countries, committed to promoting the ratification, implementation and monitoring of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). The importance of public participation in the fight against corruption is defined in Article 13 of the UN Convention against Corruption.

In 2014, ALA became the member of the UNCAC Coalition and has the opportunity to participate in the activities of the Coalition, in its conferences, to post articles on the official website of the Coalition, to cooperate with other member organizations of the Coalition, as well as to participate in the elections of the Coordination Committee.

On 20 October 2015, the UN Convention against Corruption Coalition was registered in Vienna as an independent non-profit association. The newly formed association is the successor to the network. Here is preserved the network management structure including the Coalition Coordination Committee represented by the 12 members. The objective of the Association the same: to encourage civil society activities at the national, regional and international levels, aimed at the ratification, implementation, enforcement and monitoring of the UN Convention against corruption.

On 21 April 2016, based on its application and the decision of the Coordination Committee UNCAC Coalition, ALA became a member of the newly formed Association.

The Armenian Lawyers Association which is one of the effective and prestigious professional organizations working in the Armenian anti-corruption sphere will hereafter have its contribution to the implementation of the goals of the UNCAC Coalition.
Armenia acceded to the UN Convention against Corruption on 7 April, 2007.

ALA was granted a Special consultative status at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

By the decision of the UN Economic and Social Council from July 21, 2014 the Armenian Lawyers Association is in Special Consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN. With the Special Consultative status ALA gained series of rights and privileges. Specifically, this status enables to be informed about the provisional agenda of ECOSOC, to make a request to the Secretary General to place items of special interest in the provisional agenda of the Council. In addition to other privileges, ALA is enabled to attend the meetings and to access the United Nations and designate official representatives to the United Nations headquarters in New York and United Nations offices in Geneva and Vienna.

The Establishment of the CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenia  

On 28 November 2014, an anti-corruption event was organized in Yerevan by ALA in the framework of the “Multi-Faceted Anti-Corruption Promotion” Project, and Anti-Corruption Coalition composed of 70 civil society organizations (CSOs) was established in Armenia. The establishment of the Anti-Corruption Coalition aims to contribute to the efficiency of the anti-corruption struggle in Armenia. As of July 2017, the coalitions comprises 95 CSO members.

The aims of the CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenia are:

• To increase effective CSO oversight of the government’s anti-corruption reform strategy
• To assist to strengthening and development of anti-corruption institutional mechanisms
• To promote the anti-corruption perception and awareness among the public and to support to the rights protection of the corruption victims
• To strengthen the anti-corruption monitoring and public surveillance abilities of CSOs and their capacity to carry out anti-corruption activities.

After the Ceremony of the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Coalition its members referred to the RA 2014-2018 draft anti-corruption strategy.

On 23 September 2015, the CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenia signed a joint statement with the RA Ministry of Justice about the creation of the Government-Civil Society anti-corruption working platform and two anti-corruption working groups on the criminalization of illicit enrichment in Armenia and effective institutional system of fight against corruption. As a result, illicit enrichment was criminalized in December 2016 and came into force on 1 July 2017. In addition, the RA Law on the Corruption Prevention Commission was adopted in June 2017 and will come into force on 10 April, 2018.

About Coalition: https://iravaban.net/en/eu-project-en/coalition/about-coalition
List of the members of CSO’s Anti-Corruption Coalition:  https://iravaban.net/en/eu-project-en/coalition/members

“Business Advocacy Network” is a non-official union of organizations and individuals, which aims at promoting social-economic reforms and developing private entrepreneurship in Armenia, ensuring the involvement and participation of business community and civil society in developing, implementing, regulating, and assessing public policy.
The network has a goal to make the voice of business community accessible to state bodies, act as a structure able to more effectively implement the interest protection of small and medium businesses and their stakeholders.