Transparency and Accountability:
Government and Civil Society Collaboration
On June 14, 2013, Armenia hosted the first international conference as a member the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a new multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and use new technologies to strengthen governance. Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan and U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern delivered opening remarks at the conference, which brought together representatives of the Armenian government, civil society and media, as well asinternational experts from the USA, Bulgaria, Estonia and Georgia.
Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern delivered opening remarks at the conference, which brought together representatives of the Armenian government, civil society and media, as well asinternational experts from the USA, Bulgaria, Estonia and Georgia. The goal of the conference was to assist the Government of Armenia to improve its ability and capacity to fulfill the country’s obligations under the OGP Action Plan. The event also sought to enhance public awareness and oversight on issues related to Armenia’s participation in the OGP global initiative.
The conference was organized by the Government of Armenia and the Freedom of Information Center of Armenia (FOICA), with financial support from USAID. FOICA, along with other civil society actors, has helped the Armenian government to develop the OGP Action Plan. FOICA will continue to provide input and assist with advancing the Action Plan and monitoring the government’s performance.
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The Open Government Partnership formally launched in September 2011, when the eight founding countries (Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States) endorsed an Open Government Declaration and announced their country action plans for improved governance. Since then, some 60 countries have joined the initiative. Armenia has been a member since November 2011.
Open Government Partnership/Armenia International Conference Agenda
OGP Action Plan by the Republic of Armenia
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