End of Commitment Report – Transparency of community resource management

Name of Evaluator

Arpine Hakobyan (“NGO Center” civil society development NGO)

Email

[email protected]; [email protected]

Member Name

Gyumri, Armenia

Action PlanAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... Title

Action plan – Gyumri, Armenia, 2021 – 2026

CommitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action...

TransparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More of community resource management: Create a community resource management register.

Title

Transparency of community resource management: Create a community resource management register.

Action

It is necessary to create a unified register/system of community resources for the communities of Gyumri and Vanadzor, where the community resources will be determined: movable and immovable property (including the community budget), determination of procedures, mechanisms, and legal procedures to manage these resources. Particular attention is paid to assistance provided from the community budget, grants, donations, management of the public real estate, and Cemetery management problems. Mapping and addressing are possible here; the order has already been approved by the government. In particular, comprehensive information on land acquisition.

Problem

Community resource management needs to be made more transparent and accountable. In this regard, it is quite important to clarify and introduce competition procedures and mechanisms for community property resources. An existing or newly created electronic community resource inventory application/tool (defining what counts as a community resource) should be used to clarify procedures for each use (grants, assistance/aid, donations, sale, auction, rent, etc.). Often, grants are provided from the municipal budget of a particular organization, assistance to citizens, and other donations for which there is no reliable information. Developing a reporting and monitoring mechanism will help improve the effective management of community resources.

1.1 What was the overall level of progress in the commitment implementation at the time of this assessment?

Limited

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The commitment in Gyumri has made limited progress and remains incomplete. A unified national registry for municipal property was launched in 2022, allowing residents to pay land, property, and vehicle taxes online, but no regulationGovernment reformers are developing regulations that enshrine values of transparency, participation, and accountability in government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or reforming ... exists on cemetery land. Proposed by the only informed participant, the commitment aimed to create a cadastral map of cemetery lands to prevent land grabbing, reduce corruption, and stop burials beyond designated areas. Cemeteries were envisioned to be mapped like immovable property, with each plot registered; currently, they appear only as general zones. Implementation would require drones, aerial surveys, and entering data to assign plots to individuals. Gyumri also lacks formal grant and donation procedures, with support based only on CSO applications, limiting transparency. The auction mechanism is still in development and planned for 2026.

Evidence:

• Unified state registry
• CSO focus group interviews

Provide evidence that supports and justifies your answer:

Photo Group Meeting.jpeg
Focus Group Gyumri Participant List.pdf
Evidence Community Property Management-Gyumri.docx

1.2 Describe the main external or internal factors that impacted implementation of this commitment and how they were addressed (or not).

External shocks:

• COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 war in Artsakh, which shifted municipal priorities and delayed activities.
• Local government electionsImproving transparency in elections and maintaining the independence of electoral commissions is vital for promoting trust in the electoral system, preventing electoral fraud, and upholding the democr... More: In Gyumri, local government elections were held on 17 October 2021. Subsequently, in 2024, the sitting mayor resigned, and on 13 December, by decision of the Prime Minister of Armenia, an acting mayor was appointed to lead the community. New local elections were then held on 30 March 2025, resulting in a newly elected mayor currently in office. Throughout these changes, the obligation to continue implementing the OGP commitments was not transferred to the new authorities, leading to a loss of institutional memory and continuity. New authorities were largely unaware of previous OGP commitments, as reported by civil society during focus groups and interviews with authorities.

Internal factors:

• Dependence on national reforms: The unified national property registry replaced local inventory plans, reducing local autonomy in implementation.
• Procedural bottlenecks: Draft regulations for donations and grants are not developed. Grants are provided based on applications and the decision of the council of elders each time.
• Mitigation measures:
  No mitigation measures have been implemented.

Remaining gaps:

• Key milestones, such as the auction mechanism and formal adoption of grant/donation procedures, remain incomplete and are expected only by 2026.
• Regulations for donations and grants have to be developed, adopted, and implemented.
• “This commitment also envisaged mapping, measurement, and registration of each cemetery plot into a general register, similar to private land and immovable property, to prevent misappropriation of cemetery plots and the sale of others’ property; however, this has not yet been completed.”

1.3 Was the commitment implemented as originally planned?

Few of the commitment milestones were implemented as planned.

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

A few of them have been launched but not fully completed. The unified national registry replaced the planned local inventory, fulfilling part of the goal. Cemetery land allocation on mapping, measuring, and registering each cemetery plot into a general register has not yet been carried out. No formal procedures for donations or grants exist in Gyumri, and municipal support continues to be provided based on CSO applications, which does not ensure transparency or equal opportunities. The auction system is being developed nationally and will operate only from 2026. While the implementation path diverged from the original action plan, the majority of activities were pursued in line with the intended objectives.

Evidence:

• Unified state registry
• Gyumri CSO focus group reports

Provide evidence for your answer:

Photos.jpeg
Focus Group Gyumri Participant-list1.pdf
Evidence Community Property Management Gyumri1.docx

2.1.1. – Did the government disclose more information; improve the quality of the information (new or existing); improve the value of the information; improve the channels to disclose or request information or improve accessibility to information?

Yes

Degree of result:

Marginal

Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.

The commitment improved disclosure of information in Gyumri, though not fully. Citizens can now access information on land, property, and vehicle taxes through the unified e-community registry, which has significantly enhanced accessibility. Cemetery land allocation has also been clarified through an officially approved plan, reducing risks of mismanagement and corruption. However, unlike in Vanadzor, Gyumri has not introduced online publication of lease contracts, which limits accountability in property use. Moreover, there are still no formal procedures for donations and grants, meaning related information remains opaque and not equally accessible to all stakeholders. While the quality and availability of property-related data improved, important gaps in financial transparency and municipal support allocation persist.

Evidence:

• Unified registry
• Gyumri CSO focus group reports

Provide evidence for your answer:

Focus-Group-Gyumri-Participant-list2.pdf
Evidence-Community-property-management-Gyumri2.docx

2.1.2. – Did the government create new opportunities to seek feedback from citizens/enable participation inform or influence decisions; improve existing channels or spaces to seek feedback from citizens/enable participation/ inform or influence decisions; create or improve capabilities in the government or the public aimed to improve how the government seeks feedback from citizens/enables participation/ or allows for the public to inform or influence decisions?

No

2.1.3 Did the government create or improve channels, opportunities or capabilities to hold officials answerable to their actions?

Yes

Degree of result:

Marginal

Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.

Accountability channels were somewhat strengthened through the publication of lease agreements and the introduction of a national registry where residents can verify property-related obligations. The cemetery land allocation plan addressed corruption risks in graveyard management. However, accountability in budget allocations, donations, and grants remains weak. CSOs emphasized that support is still given based on ad-hoc council decisions rather than transparent, competitive procedures. Thus, progress is evident but fragmented

Evidence:
N/A

2.1.4 Other Results

Yes

Degree of result:

Marginal

Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.

The commitment indirectly strengthened intergovernmental cooperation. Municipalities became integrated into national reforms (unified registry, state auctions). Negotiations on expanding payment coverage (e.g., for waste fees) demonstrate increased responsiveness to citizen demands. Civil society actors gained awareness and experience, though unevenly across the two cities. These secondary effects contribute to long-term institutional learning, even if immediate outputs are partial.

Evidence: Focus group Interviews with CSOs

Provide evidence for your answer:

Meeting.jpeg
Focus Group Gyumri Participant-list3.pdf

2.2 Did the commitment address the public policy problem that it intended to address as described in the action plan?

Unclear

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The commitment aimed to improve transparency and accountability in community resource management. Some progress was achieved: a unified national registry was introduced, and a regulation on cemetery land allocation has been approved, reducing opportunities for corruption. However, core challenges remain unresolved in Gyumri. There are still no formal procedures for grant and donation allocation, leaving the process opaque and dependent on case-by-case applications. Institutional discontinuity after local elections further weakened implementation. Citizens’ trust in online systems is mixed: some value efficiency, while others distrust digital tools due to technical errors and a lack of awareness campaigns. Overall, the commitment partially addressed the problem but fell short of ensuring full transparency and equal participation.

Evidence:

• Focus group interviews with CSOs in Gyumri;
• Unified registry

Provide evidence for your answer:

Focus Group Gyumri Participant-list4.pdf

3. Provide at least one lesson or reflection relating to the implementation of this commitment. It can be the identification of key barriers to implementation, an unexpected help/hindrance, recommendations for future commitments, or if the commitment should be taken forward to the next action plan.

Implementation of the commitment in both Vanadzor and Gyumri revealed important lessons about institutional continuity, realistic planning, and the interdependence between local and national reforms.
A key lesson concerns institutional instability and loss of continuity. Frequent leadership changes in both cities—especially mayoral resignations and arrests—caused prolonged decision-making paralysis. In Vanadzor, the inability of the council to convene meetings prevented the formal adoption of several drafted regulations. In Gyumri, newly elected officials were unaware of previous Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP) obligations, highlighting the need to institutionalize commitments through written mandates, not individual political will.
Another major reflection is the over-ambitious and centrally dependent design. The introduction of the unified national property registry overtook local initiatives, reducing municipal ownership of the process. Future commitments should better assess municipal capacities and clarify how national systems complement, rather than replace, local
responsibilities.
The experience also underscores the importance of procedural transparency and citizen trust. While online tools such as the e-community registry improved access to information, gaps in grant and donation procedures continue to undermine fairness. Citizens’ limited trust in online systems and lack of awareness further constrain participation. Awareness campaigns and simplified, transparent procedures are essential to strengthen public confidence.
Finally, the lesson for future action plans is to ensure realistic timelines, financial backing, and contingency mechanisms for political turnover. Integrating OGP principles into municipal regulations and digital platforms can ensure sustainability and protect progress regardless of leadership changes.