OSCE Office in Yerevan helps reduce corruption risk in public services

YEREVAN, 8 October 2007 - An OSCE-supported publication aimed at educating both the public and public officials to reduce the potential for corruption was presented today in Yerevan.

The "Know and Act" manual offers practical information on the role, functions and administrative procedures of Armenian local self-government bodies, notary offices and other agencies.

"The experience of our reception centres shows that, unfortunately, in many cases corruption becomes possible due to the lack of knowledge of citizens and public officials about their rights and responsibilities as well as relevant procedures. This book aims to fill this gap," said Marc Bojanic, Deputy Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, at the presentation.

The manual was prepared by local NGO the Millennium Association for Education and Research, based on the experience of the Anti-Corruption Reception Centre in the Armenian town of Martuni, with support from the OSCE Office in Yerevan. It provides information on the prices for various administrative services as well as templates for applications and other documents that a person needs to file when dealing with local self-government bodies and public agencies.

Hard copies of the manual are available for wide distribution in the OSCE Office in Yerevan and an electronic version is also available: //www.osce.org/yerevan/item_11_27160.html.

The OSCE has supported the operation of Anti-Corruption Reception Centres in the capital Yerevan as well as Armenia's Lori and Gegharkunik provinces since 2006. Experts working in these centres assist people on issues ranging from healthcare and education, traffic police and military conscription to public services and consumer rights.