On 12 March, 2020, a working meeting was held at the RA Ministry of Economy with the participation of Lusine Nalbandyan, legal expert of the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, Advisor to the Ministry, Head of the Department for Improving Business Environment Artemis Ter-Sargsyan and representative of the same department Lilit Avenyan. During the meeting, the legal expert presented a report on the project “Armenia: Promoting Anti-Corruption Conduct and Reforms” supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and co-funded by the European Union, and implemented by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, Corporate Governance Center and Yerevan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Lusine Nalbandyan shared the Association’s experience in the process of introducing anti-corruption model policies in business companies. In particular, she reported that business organizations in Yerevan and the regions filled in the questionnaires, followed by one-day training courses on anti-corruption compliance programs, and at the end, the business companies that participated in the training and implemented model policies developed by ALA experts received certificates.
During the project implementation Bizprotect.am and Iravaban.net sites have published awareness materials about the anti-corruption compliance programs and the necessity to implement the programs in business companies. The expert noted that it is very important to explain when dealing with businesses that localizing Compliance Programs is not just about adopting internal corporate rules, ethics or business rules, but rather, applying them in practice, appointing responsible persons and being consistent in maintaining and improving those policies.
The participants discussed the necessary actions for the introduction of Anti-Corruption Compliance Programs in the scope of the RA Anti-Corruption Strategy and its Implementation Action Plan for 2019-2022.