2019 | ARMENIAN LAWYERS' ASSOCIATION

Address of the President of the “Armenian Lawyers’ Association” NGO

Dear Friends, Partners and Supporters,

With great love, pride and responsibility, I present to you the 2019 annual report (hereinafter referred to as the report) of the “Armenian Lawyers’ Association” NGOs activities, where the summaries of the activities of our organization and the financial results of finished and ongoing projects are presented. It is very important for us to adhere to the principles of good faith of the structure before our beneficiaries, members, partners and donor organizations, therefore we publish a report for each year.

From the point of view of projects, the 2019 was a sated and ample year. It should be noted that throughout the year the ALA has continued to implement the “Commitment to Constructive Dialogue” project, which though was completed, but yet recorded unprecedented tangible quantitative and qualitative performance indicators and success stories which may pave the way for new cooperation in the future. The successful implementation of another project “Armenia: Promoting Anti-Corruption Conduct and Reforms” which began in October 2018, was also important. It was implemented by the Center for International Private Enterprise, the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, the Corporate Governance Center and the Yerevan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

I should especially mention that all the achievements and the implementation of the ideas of the ALA are only possible thanks to the direct participation of the ALA’s close-knit team, its members and staff, volunteers and stakeholders in Yerevan and in the regions, partners and donors, to whom I want to express my deepest gratitude. This year the CSO coalitions played an active role through concentrating the public potential and further strengthening their capabilities. I assure all of you that our joint work is appreciated and leads to desired results, which inspires us to continue working and creating with great enthusiasm.

Best regards,

Karen Zadoyan, Lawyer

President of the “Armenian Lawyers’ Association” NGO

INTRODUCTION

The ALA was founded in 1995 in Yerevan, during its activities it enjoys the public’s trust, it is an established structure in the field of law and civil society in the RA. Having a clear mission, vision, strategic action plan and values, the ALA successfully implements the tasks set before it and provides solutions to them.

One of the main activities of the ALA is the protection of human rights, including the protection of socially vulnerable groups and women’s rights, and raising the level of legal awareness, fighting corruption in Armenia, supporting justice and other targeted reforms, educating lawyers and promoting civil society.

During the reporting period the ALA established business relations with state, private and international organizations, the number of which is constantly expanding. The ALA has 5 branches: in Yerevan and the provinces of Shirak, Lori, Gegharkunik and Syunik, where regional structures and local self-government bodies are involved in the implementation of programs, as a result of which the impact of ALA programs are becoming more widespread.

The ALA has a rich legal library, the services of which are used by young lawyers from Yerevan and the provinces and other interested persons. The ALA operates a trilingual (in Armenian, English and Russian languages) official website: https://armla.am/. The ALA, also being the coordinator of the Secretariat of the CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenian (hereinafter referred to as the Coalition), operates the official website of the Coalition: http://aac.am/, ensures the normal course of the Coalition’s activities, provides expert support to the Coalition, covers the activities of the Coalition, ensures the publicity of the results of the activities.

In 2019 the independent professional news website www.iravaban.net has been operated with high access rates in Armenian and English, it has more than 175000 followers on the social media website “Facebook”. Also the website bizprotect.am has continued to function, where anonymous reports on possible corruption risks and other violations in the business sphere are presented, and the ALA ensures that they are addressed by the competent authorities. It should be noted that for the first time in Armenia a large-scale awareness campaign of the Anti-Corruption Compliance Programs (ACCP) was launched, which was the first inclusive awareness of need for the introduction of ACCPs.

ALA’s MISSION, VALUES AND TEAM

The Mission of the Armenian Lawyers’ Association is to develop a new generation of highly professional lawyers, having a modern outlook and moral values, as well as to promote the establishment of the rule of law and formation of the legal culture in the society.

The values of the organization are:

Modern legal culture rooted in the heritage of universal and Armenian centuries-old values,
A law-abiding, educated society, which is aware of its rights,
Protected human rights,
Lawyers with high professional knowledge and moral values,
A strong civil society.

ALA Team

The key to ALA’s success is its team. Professional specialists, who regularly improve their knowledge both in Armenia and abroad, make an invaluable contribution to the development and establishment of the structure, coming up with new initiatives and innovative ideas. The ALA regularly organizes events aimed at raising the professional qualities of its members, developing related skills, as well as a number of cultural events. The ALA team attaches great importance to the ideology and values of the structure and is always guided by them during its activities.

COOPERATION

The ALA is constantly striving to expand the circle of its supporters and partners, while continuing close cooperation with its longtime partners. This year, the organization has implemented various judicial, anti-corruption and professional measures, acquiring new partners, including various non-governmental and international organizations, state bodies and business structures.

The European Union

The EU funded “Commitment to Constructive Dialogue” project, which was launched on the 16^th December, 2016 and lasted 34 months continued to implement its goals throughout 2019 and was successfully completed. The project was implemented by the ALA (leading organization) in cooperation with the following partners: “Agora Central Europe” NGO (Czech Republic), Armenian Center for Democratic Education (CIVITAS), International Center for Human Development, SME Cooperation Association and the Union of Armenian Communities. The main goal of the project was to strengthen the influence of CSOs and CSO coalitions on the development of public policies in 9 target areas, and the specific objectives were to strengthen the ability of CSOs to build coalitions and focus on constructive and strategic policy engagement with local and central government partners.

During the reporting year, the ALA continued its active participation in the meetings of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) Armenian National Platform as well as at the conference.

Center for International Private Enterprises

Starting from the 1^st October, 2018 “Armenia: Promoting Anti-Corruption Conduct and Reforms” project was being implemented by the Center for International Private Enterprises, the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, the Corporate Governance Center and the Yerevan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The main goal of the program was to introduce Anti-Corruption Compliance Standards in Armenian businesses, which will contribute to dissemination of corporate governance and ethical values in Armenia. One of the results of the program was the anti-corruption policies implemented in a number of business companies in Yerevan and the provinces. In addition, due to the constant and consistent efforts of the ALA, the contribution of ACCPs in the private sector became continuous, being included in the RA Anti-Corruption Strategy and its 2019-2022 Implementation Action Plan.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

On 17 and 18 April, the Government-Civil Society International Expert Conference: “RA Anti-Corruption Strategy under International Experience” was held in Yerevan.

In Yerevan from April 17-18 2019, the government-civil society expert conference titled “the RA anti-corruption strategy under the guidance of international practice” was held in Yerevan. The Conference was organised jointly by the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, the CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenia and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, in the framework of the “Commitment to Constructive Dialogue” project supported by the European Union, and in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Centre for International Private Enterprises (CIPE). The conference was a unique event in Armenia, where the potential of national and international legal expertise interested in the fight against corruption came together and proposals were collected with the direct participation of the CSO community. Most of the proposals later were incorporated in the RA Anti-Corruption Strategy and its 2019-2022 Implementation Action Plan.

Cooperation with the CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenian

The Coalition continued to achieve its goals and provide expert assistance to the Government of the Republic of Armenia in the process of developing, adopting and implementing anti-corruption and judicial policy in Armenia. The series of public discussions in cooperation with the RA Ministry of Justice and the ALA deserves attention. In particular, in July-August 2019, in the provinces of Shirak, Lori and Gegharkunik, the coalition has organized a series of provincial discussions of the 2019-2022 anti-corruption strategy and its revised draft, and the final public discussion of the revised draft was held in Yerevan,.

Cooperation with the Constructive Dialogue Network of Armenian CSOs

On February 16^th, within the framework of the EU-funded “Commitment to Constructive Dialogue” project, 10 sectoral coalitions of CSOs signed a declaration of cooperation, deciding to establish a network of constructive dialogue of Armenian CSOs. The purpose of creating the network was to unite the forces and put it on a legal basis. The network entrusted the administration of its secretariat to the ALA. In a short time, the network managed to influence the public policies of the budget process and lead to the implementation of relevant legislative reforms. The Constructive Dialogue Network of Armenian CSOs currently unites about 14 sectoral CSOs, which have about 250 member structures.

The impact of the CSO-Government constructive dialogue on the development and/or improvement of public policies.

RA Anti-Corruption Strategy in Light of International Experience; 2 day international anti-corruption conference.

On 17-18 April, Yerevan hosted the Government-Civil Society expert conference on the topic of “RA Anti-Corruption Strategy in Light of International Experience.” It was organized by the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenia and the RA Ministry of Justice in the framework of the EU funded “Commitment to Constructive Dialogue” project and in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Center for International Private Enterprises (CIPE).

Within the framework of the conference, international and national experts in the field of anti-corruption, all interested persons and actors interested in the fight against corruption in the Republic of Armenia gathered under one roof. The main goal of the conference was to discuss the necessary steps that will allow Armenia to develop its anti-corruption reforms in line with international best practices and national context. The results of the conference were summarized and submitted to the RA Ministry of Justice for the purpose of inclusion within the framework of the RA Anti-Corruption Strategy. The summary included proposals of the international and national experts, state bodies, specialized CSOs and CSOs operating in various fields.

On 3 October 2019, the Government of the Republic of Armenia approved the “Anti-Corruption Strategy of the Republic of Armenia and its Implementation Action Plan for 2019-2022”.

It should be noted that before the adoption, during the whole period of the development of the draft, 133 proposals were presented by the Coalition and the ALA, of which 101 were fully or partially adopted as part of the strategy, and that only 31(32?) of the proposals were not adopted. Among the above-mentioned proposals are the summarized proposals of the international conference as well.

The 2019-2023 RA Judicial and Legal Reforms Strategy in the Context of Increasing Public Trust.

On 27 September, the Civil Society-Government Conference “2019-2023 RA Judicial and Legal Reforms Strategy in the Context of Increasing Public Trust” was organized within the framework of the EU-funded Commitment to Constructive Dialogue (CCD) project by the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia and the Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the Public Council.

Issues related to transitional justice tools, increasing public confidence in the judiciary, improving public accountability structures, and improving the efficiency of the law enforcement system were discussed at the conference. The results of the conference, including the proposals and concerns, were summarized and submitted to the RA Ministry of Justice for the purpose of inclusion in the framework of the strategy of judicial and legal reforms of the Republic of Armenia.

On 10 October, 2019, the RA Government approved the “Judicial and Legal Reforms’ Strategy of the Republic of Armenia and its Implementation Action Plan for 2019-2023”. It should be noted that the report includes the ALA recommendations for the application of transitional justice in the Republic of Armenia, according to the period of application, according to the scope of application cases and according to the mechanisms of application. In particular, according to the mechanisms of application, the Department of Criminal Justice has established a specialized court to investigate corruption crimes, and the section of the Truth Search Process has established a Commission on Truth and Reconciliation. One of the accepted proposals is the need to make structural changes in the RA General Prosecutor’s Office, according to which a new specialized anti-corruption subdivision will be established in the structure of the Prosecutor’s Office to fight corruption.

Introduction of continuous public control mechanisms in the budget process

Emphasizing the continuous monitoring and public participation in the budgeting process, the ALA submitted a proposal to the RA Government, according to which, in the coming years, a separate provision will be envisaged in the timetables of the works envisaged by the decisions of the RA Prime Minister on starting the budget process, where the involvement of sectoral CSOs in medium-term expenditure programs and in the process of compiling budget applications (before sending applications to the Ministry of Finance) will be mandatory.

In response to ALA’s proposal, a legislative reform was made by the decision of the RA Prime Minister, and a provision was added to the schedule approved by the RA Prime Minister’s decision “On Starting the Budget Process of the Republic of Armenia for 2021”, according to which, before submitting budget applications to the RA Ministry of Finance, the bidding bodies must discuss their applications, including calculation justifications, with the sectoral CSOs by organizing public discussions.

It should be noted that in order to implement this reform, the ALA organized more than 20 public discussions with the state bodies to discuss medium-term expenditure programs and budget applications published by the state bodies, and also presented observations and suggestions on those applications.

Government-CSOs constructive dialogue issues; RA Law on “Making Amendments and Addenda” to the RA Law on “Non-Governmental Organizations”

On 15 October, the Government-CSO conference on the subject of “Government-CSOs Constructive Dialogue Issues; Legislative Field” took place. It was organized by the Armenian Lawyers’ Association in the framework of the EU funded “Commitment to Constructive Dialogue” project. The aim of the conference was to discuss with the CSOs and the Government the changes envisaged in the Laws on Non-Governmental Organizations, the Law on Foundations, the joint work and the forthcoming steps.

It should be noted that on 13 November, 2018, the ALA, together with 102 partner NGO foundations, sent an application to the Chairman of the State Revenue Committee (SRC), expressing a negative stance on the SRC developed drafts of making changes and amendments to the laws on “NGOs” and on “Foundations” and on the new form of the report of the NGOs adopted by the Chairman of the State Revenue Committee.

As a result, a working group on CSO-SRC was set up at the suggestion of ALA to ensure the transparency and accountability of NGOs and foundations, as well as to discuss a number of issues in draft laws and to find legal solutions.

The working group, which included the ALA representatives and Coalition members, representatives of the State Revenue Committee, the Central Bank and the Ministry of Justice, elaborated a draft law on amendments to the RA Law on NGOs based on consensus, which was approved by the RA Government. In addition, on 15 February, 2019 the SRC Chairman declared its new form on NGO reports invalid.

The above-mentioned successes prove successful examples the CSO – Government constructive dialogue, and in the future, the ALA will continue to invest its efforts and expertise in developing and improving public policies in favor of the public interest, protection of human rights and development of the corruption-free Armenia.

RA National Assembly

The ALA, on its own initiative, developed and published the following report: “Applicability of the Mechanisms of Transitional Justice in the Republic of Armenia in the Light of International Experience.” The main objective of the report is to present the essence of transitional justice, its applicability in Armenia, the existing international experience, tools, mechanisms and institutes with successful and unsuccessful examples in different countries, as well as to identify in comparative and analytical ways the most effective applicable models with minimal risks in case of implementation of transitional justice in Armenia.

At the invitation of the RA National Assembly Speaker, the ALA President Karen Zadoyan, as the main speaker, presented the report on 24 May, 2019, during the hearings in the National Assembly. The ALA experts also made speeches, outlining the risks and problems, as well as the concise perceptions of the implementation of transitional justice at the domestic level, which are important for Armenia.

RA Traffic Police

The traffic police presented the procedure for taking exams for driving licenses and issuing driver’s licenses, the list of documents subject to mandatory submission for obtaining a driver’s license, defining the types and descriptions of national driver’s licenses, as well as the draft decision of the Government of the Republic of Armenia on “repealing the Decision N 1158-N of 18 September, 2018 of the RA Government”. According to the draft, the number of questions in the theoretical examination questionnaire was adjusted to international standards, which increased from 10 to 20, with the possibility of two errors. This was the main proposal of the ALA, which aimed to update the Soviet databases on issues related to the new “modern safety rules” for modern vehicles.

The next proposal submitted by the ALA, which was also included in the project, was that in addition to passing the practical exam at the autodrome or the parking lot, the practical part of the practical examination would be to inspect the component in real conditions.

Venice Commission

During the reporting year, ALA’s legal experts discussed with the representatives of the Venice Commission the judicial and anti-corruption reforms, referring to the RA Anti-Corruption Strategy and its 2019-2022 Implementation Action Plan and the directions of judicial reforms. The need to introduce a new anti-corruption institutional system in Armenia, the possibilities of applying transitional justice tools and the directions of the planned constitutional reforms were especially emphasized.

ALA PROJECTS AND IMPLEMENTED ACTIVITIES-SUMMARY

“ALA for Modernization” Project

The main goal of the project is to modernize ALA, partner CSOs and CSO coalitions in the areas of strategy, financial stability, management, governance, human resources, public communication, the improvement of communications, participation and policies, and services.

“Commitment to Constructive Dialogue” project

The Project was financed by the EU and implemented by the “Armenian Lawyers’ Association” in cooperation with the following partners: “Agora Central Europe” NGO (Czech Republic), the Armenian Center for Democratic Education-CIVITAS, the International Center for Human Development, the SME Cooperation Association and the Union of Communities of Armenia.. The duration of the project was 34 months. The total cost of the Action is about 2.222.256 million Euros of which the EU contribution is 2.000.000 Euros.

The overall objective of the Action was to enhance the influence of CSOs on the public policy processes in 9 target areas, and the specific objectives were to strengthen the ability of CSOs to build coalitions and focus on constructive and strategic policy engagement with local and central government partners. To this end, coalitions of 7 sectoral CSOs have been established, the capacities of coalitions of 2 sectoral CSOs have been developed, as well as 47 sub-grant programs have been provided. In addition, CSO incubators have been established in Yerevan and the provinces of Armenia, within the framework of which CSOs have been regularly trained to develop their internal capabilities.

The target areas of the program were justice, human rights, education, the social sphere (social inclusion of children with disabilities), business, public finance management, agriculture, energy and the economy.

During the implementation of the program, the program website operated in bilingual Armenian-English version: https://ccd.armla.am/, which not only provided high visibility of the Program, but also contributed to the increase of the Program’s accountability and transparency.

“Armenia: Promoting Anti-Corruption Conduct and Reforms” project

The project was funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The duration of the project was 1 year: from October 2018 to October 2019. The budget for the project was $ 47,220, of which $ 41,970 was to be provided by the National Endowment for Democracy.

Within the framework of the program, courses on “Anti-Corruption Compliance in Business” were organized in 4 Armenian provinces: Lori, Syunik, Gegharkunik, Shirak for companies engaged in various economic activities. 26 small and medium enterprises have adopted a statement on business ethics and anti-corruption compliance, undertaking to take action on other components of the anti-corruption compliance program.

Within the framework of the program, 17 members of the Coalition adopted a statement on the implementation of the Business Ethics and Compliance Initiative in Armenia.

The 4th Stream of the Anti-Corruption School for Young Leaders

The 4th Stream of the Anti-Corruption School for Young Leaders was launched in 2019. The students of the school were young people of different professions, interested in fighting corruption and promoting principles of integrity, implementing anti-corruption reforms, changing the anti-corruption environment and culture in Armenia.

On 9 December 9, the International Anti-Corruption Day, was the school’s graduation ceremony, during which the audience presented their individual research under the leadership of the school’s lecturers. The solemn ceremony of handing over the graduation certificates followed the presentation of the works.

Launch of an Online E-Learning Platform for the Internal Capacity Building of the CSOs/CSOs Coalitions

One of the most important results of the “Commitment to Constructive Dialogue” project was the creation of an online e-learning platform for the Internal Capacity Building of the CSOs/CSOs Coalitions: <ccd.armla.am/elearning/courses>. The training module consists of 10 topics and related educational materials, including videos made by experts specifically for platform beneficiaries, text materials, presentations, and sample policy papers of developed internal regulations and policies.

In order to test the effectiveness of the participants’ knowledge, an expert questionnaire-quiz was developed by the experts on each topic. Moreover, the listener will have the opportunity to pass to each subsequent topic only if he/she correctly answers at least 80% of the test questionnaire-quiz of the previous topic. After answering the 10 learning topics and their test quizzes in the prescribed manner, the student will receive a Certificate of Completion of the Internal Capacity Building Module of CSOs and CSO Coalitions

The training is attended by CSOs and CSO coalition members from Yerevan and Armenian provinces.

Free legal advice to citizens

The ALA’s Yerevan and regional offices provided free legal advice to citizens, especially the socially vulnerable, on various legal issues and disputes. Legal documents, including litigation, were drawn up as part of the consultation.

Free legal advice to CSOs

The ALA’s Yerevan and regional offices provided free legal advice to NGOs and foundations on registration and re-registration issues, including the development of charters, protocols and statutory changes. Consultations and clarifications were provided on NGOs’ direct business activities, tax liabilities, reports, registration of volunteers, organization of work with them, employer-employee legal relations and other legal issues. These and other issues have been made available to the public, and “100 Questions and Answers on the Activities of Non-Governmental Organizations” which includes information on legislative changes have been published.

The launch of BizProtect.am Whistleblowing System and Free Legal Advice to Businesses

The ALA’s Yerevan and regional offices provide free legal advice to business representatives on various legal issues, including tax, customs, public procurement, licensing and issuing permits, as well as other legal relationships. The consultation was provided both through office visits and through telephone means and online, including through the BizProtect.am whistleblowing platform and on questions posted on social media.

It should be noted that in 2019, through the BizProtect.am whistleblowing platform launched and operated by the ALA, a number of notifications were received on the website, which were sent to state bodies to ensure the process. 7 issues raised by the announcement received a complete solution, 12 were given legal clarification and advice, and 5 decisions were made in favor of the informant.

THE 2019 FINANCIAL REPORT ON THE FINANCIAL MEANS OF THE ALA: ALA BOARD AND CONTACTS

Other operating costs

Thousand AMD (Armenian Dram)

	2019	2018

Salary	91,171	108,011
Materials	0	0
Goods	1,342	354
Fuel	951	1,368
Delivery of services	32,830	40188
Fees	12	110
Property tax	146	146
Rents	468	928
Mail, telecommunications	2,304	2,160
Office and other utility costs	4,460	2,787
Banking services	32	32
Annual wear and amortization	20,656	30,819
Travel	270	1,665
Other operating expenses/ audit and consulting	14,348	11,443
Other operating expenses/ conversion	4,270	1,371
Force Majeure	0	0
Advertising	0	0
Expenses from fines, penalties, court costs	0	0
Partners’ expenses	66,799	76,374
Sub-grant expenses	336,971	105,764
*Total:*	577,030	383,520

ALA’S COUNCIL

The ALA Board is considered to be the governing body of the Organization in the periods between sessions of the General Assembly.

Name, Surname	Position
Karen Zadoyan	ALA President, President of the ALA Board
Arpine Yeghikyan	Executive Secretary of the ALA Board
David Abgaryan	Member of the ALA Board
Narine Karapetyan	Member of the ALA Board
Syuzanna Soghomonyan	Member of the ALA Board
Marat Atovmyan	Member of the ALA Board
Karen Kocharyan	Member of the ALA Board