OSCE Office in Yerevan supports anti-corruption campaign in high schools

YEREVAN, 23 December 2008 - High school students from eight schools in Yerevan and the Kotayk region learned about fighting corruption during an OSCE-supported pilot course that ended with a closing ceremony today.

The four-month project, dubbed "Who if not us?", was organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan in collaboration with the non-governmental organization The Future is Yours. More than 1,000 participants learned about their rights and ways to deal with corruption.

"The OSCE Office promotes co-operation between state institutions and civil society organizations in the fight against corruption. Informing young people about their rights and the negative effects of corruption is important to help develop a healthy and mature society. We anticipate further co-operation in the field," said the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Ambassador Sergey Kapinos.

Narine Sargsyan, the president of The Future is Yours, added that the course would help prevent corruption at an early stage by teaching students about its root causes.

Deputy Education Minister Bagrat Yesayan and Armen Ashrafyan, head of the anti-corruption and organized crime department at the General Prosecutor's Office, said anti-corruption training was important in schools and answered the questions of the students and the representatives of NGOs.

Paintings by the students addressing the theme of corruption were exhibited during the event.