On 19 March, 2025, the second stream of budget training courses for young specialists and CSO/Media representatives on the implementation of advocacy in the budgetary process and expected results was held within the framework of the “Budgets for Citizens” project.
Ms Syuzanna Soghomonyan, representative of the Armenian Lawyers’ Association facilitated the training. She presented the stages of implementation of budget advocacy. The lecturer touched upon the specifics of each stage, from planning to evaluation, emphasizing the results that can be achieved through the effective application of advocacy tools in the budget process.
During the trainings, constructive cooperation methods which play a decisive role in the success of budget advocacy were discussed. Participants learned how to build collaborative bridges with various stakeholders: government agencies, CSOs, and citizens.
Special attention was paid to the key directions and criteria for assessing participatory processes. Evaluation indicators which should describe the potential impacts of participatory processes were examined.
The theoretical part was followed by interactive practical work, during which the participants were divided into groups and given a specific task. The groups had to define the final objective and expected results of the project using the SMART method.
Participants analyzed the problem and its causes, mapped out potential supporters, developed fundraising methods, and selected the budget implementation where the ultimate objective could be achieved.
The training was conducted in a hybrid format, which allowed young specialists and representatives of CSOs and Media organizations from Yerevan as well as the remote regions to fully participate in the discussions and group work.
The “Budgets 4 Citizens” (B4C) action (8 December, 2022 – 7 December, 2026) is being implemented with the financial support of the European Union by the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, in cooperation with partners “Economic Development and Research Center” (EDRC) NGO and “Agora Central Europe” NGO (Czech Republic).
