On November 11-12, a training course took place, attended by 15 representatives from the media and CSOs. The focus of the two-day training was on the monitoring of beneficial owners’ data.

The primary objective of the training was to equip journalists and civil society representatives with practical tools and skills that would enable them to identify beneficial owners and investigate the operations of the organizations connected to them.

Ani Grigoryan, who leads the CivilNet fact-checking team, and journalist Mkrtich Karapetyan provided participants with insights into the concept of beneficial ownership reforms, transparency standards, global practices in this field, the functioning of registries both in Armenia and other countries, and shared their valuable experiences in conducting investigative journalism.

Participants were introduced to the Toolkit on BO developed by the Freedom of Information Center, a valuable resource furnishing journalists and researchers with practical skills and guidance on sourcing, utilizing, and aggregating data on beneficiary activities from open channels.

On the following day of the training, FOICA researcher Harutyun Tsatryan presented the Beneficial Ownership reform process in Armenia, along with the findings of research conducted by FOICA, particularly concerning its impact on business entities and media organizations.

Subsequently, FOICA expert Gevorg Hayrapetyan engaged participants in discussions regarding the protection of personal data in the context of disclosing real beneficiaries.

The event was carried out within the “Advanced Access to Information and Beneficial Ownership Transparency in Armenia” project implemented by the Freedom of Information Center NGO. The Project is supported by the Eastern Partnership: Open Door Grants, Sub-grants provided under the EU for Integrity Programme.