OSCE Office in Yerevan supports award ceremony and debate for International Anti-Corruption Day

An anti-corruption forum promoting the rule of law and accountability and an annual award ceremony recognizing business entrepreneurs, civic activists and media representatives for their efforts in the fight against corruption was held on 9 December 2016 in Yerevan to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day.

The events brought together some 100 representatives from state institutions, civil society and international organizations. The events were organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan in co-operation with the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, the Civil Society Organizations’ Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenia and the Freedom of Information Centre.

The anti-corruption forum focused on the perspectives and future co-operation efforts of the government bodies and civil society, as well as their work with the government’s Anti-corruption Council.

“The OSCE Office in Yerevan attaches great importance to implementing anti-corruption initiatives and promoting joint efforts of the state and civil society to advance efficient and accountable governance practices and reduce corruption in Armenia,” said David Gullette, the Democratization Programme Officer at the OSCE Office.

At the Award ceremony, those who were honoured were:

• Gevorg Beglaryan, who was recognized as “Citizen of the Year” for his successful efforts to fight corruption in public services administration;
• Journalist Nelli Grigoryan from the “Aravot” daily newspaper, who was recognized for actively reporting on corruption issues in Armenia;
• Khachik Gevorgyan, Chair of ARMACAD, an organization offering a platform to learn about opportunities in research, scholarships, awards, was praised for raising awareness on corruption risks in the business sphere and successfully promoting a law ensuring cheap exports;
• The Business For Business website, founded by Babken Tunyan, was honoured in the Media of the Year category for highlighting issues related to monopolies;
• Ofelya Zakaryan was recognized with the Young Citizen of the Year award for her research and suggestions as part of the Youth Against Corruption project to fight corruption in customs;
• The SME Co-operation Association was named Civil Society of the Year for its activities to promote reform in the business community and protecting rights of entrepreneurs.

“For progress both ideas and actions are important, and this initiative is a great opportunity to consolidate our joint efforts to embark on the fight against corruption,” said Minister and Chief of Government Staff David Harutyunyan.

Prosecutor General Arthur Davtyan stressed that the fight against corruption remains a priority for his Office and presented statistics including on cases launched and charges brought against officials.