Action plan – Yerevan, Armenia, 2023 – 2024

At-a-Glance

Duration

Oct 2024

Date Submitted

9th January 2023

Foreword(s)

The city of Yerevan has been part of the Local 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 since May 17, 2022.

During this period, many meetings, discussions, and public hearings with civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, and active citizens took place in Yerevan Municipality.

We created a separate section on the official website of the Yerevan Municipality, which we called “Local OGP Yerevan”. Also, a Facebook page of Yerevan’s “OGP Local” initiative was created in order to provide access to information related to the initiative and ensure awareness of current activities among Civil society representatives, non-governmental organizations, and citizens.

Then followed the process of developing an action plan. An announcement about the submission of proposals within the frameworks of the “Local OGP” initiative was posted on the official website and Facebook page of Yerevan Municipality in order to develop the “OGP L” initiative action plan. The Yerevan Municipality proposed 9 directions on which citizens could present their suggestions. About 12 Civil Society Organizations applied and expressed their willingness to participate. In total, about 45 proposals were collected, most of which were either repetitive in terms of content, did not comply with the principles of the OGP, or were subject to clarification and amendment. The proposals were aimed at the improvement of public transport, services provided to the population, 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, accountability, innovation, participation in the fields of health care, sustainable social environment development, and innovation in the fields of garbage removal, and green economy.

Open Government Challenges, Opportunities and Strategic Vision

What is the long-term vision for open government in your context and jurisdiction?

The Yerevan Municipality has made considerable efforts within its competence to establish mechanisms at the local level based on democratic, fair, and broad participation. Those reforms could not be implemented without the direct participation of citizens, civil society representatives, and other interested parties.

In 2002, Armenia ratified the European Charter of Local Self-Government, and in 2013, the additional protocols of the Charter on the right of participation in local self-government affairs.

Yerevan is also an active member of the European Covenant of Mayors, which aims to promote “green economic development” in communities and improve the quality of life of residents through the use of modern energy-saving technologies and renewable energyEnsuring universal access to sustainable, dependable, and affordable energy is critical to every aspect of prosperity. Increasing public oversight and transparency in the energy sector can help to ens... More sources. Strategic programs such as the Yerevan Climate Change Adaptation Program have been developed to identify current and projected local climate hazards and to formulate adaptation and mitigation programs. The Sustainable Energy Development Action Program, the Green City Action plan, and the “Doughnut” economic model taking into account the challenges facing the city, define priorities, where the city will be able to achieve systemic change through sustainable development.

What are the achievements in open government to date (for example, recent open government reforms)?

Correct management policy has become a priority for Yerevan Municipality. Policies for environmental protection, waste management, public utility service provision, as well as business development policies were jointly developed and implemented by municipal authorities, local civil society, and private organizations. Below are some of the main achievements assessed by Yerevan Municipality.

Organization of public hearings, the tool of “Active Citizen“, ensuring transparency of information on official websites, organization of the European Union’s Sustainable Energy Week in Yerevan which is a traditionally organized and high-profile series of activities aimed at raising awareness of climate change impacts and renewable energy.  Yerevan Municipality highlighting the development of environmental educationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ..., organized intellectual, drawing, and photography competitions, “Energy City” hackathon, “Students for the Climate” educational event, “Informed Generation: Sustainable Future” a two-day training seminar-event, a month-long sectoral awareness campaign and an expo-exhibition under the theme “Sustainable Technologies”, ensuring the involvement of thousands of people in the activities and raising awareness. Also the “EU: Solar Community for Yerevan” project which aims to reduce energy consumption in public places through the implementation of energy efficiency measures and the installation of rooftop photovoltaic systems, online broadcasting of the City council sessions, etc.

What are the current challenges/areas for improvement in open government that the jurisdiction wishes to tackle?

Currently, one of the important challenges is the low level of citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More in the decision-making process of public importance. The interest of citizens and civil society organizations in participating in public hearings, discussions, and meetings is low.

Another challenge is the lack of an integrity system among community workers. Thanks to the implementation of the integrity system in the Yerevan Municipality, in addition to providing the necessary knowledge and skills, an assessment of corruption risks will be carried out at specified intervals in the staff of the Municipality and administrative districts, which will help to highlight possible corruption risks and implement measures aimed at their prevention, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the fight against corruption phenomena, the effectiveness of prevention.

The main source of greenhouse gas emissions is energy, and most greenhouse gases are produced in the urban environment, especially in cities with high levels of urbanization. In this sense, Yerevan is considered a target city. Cities use most of the world’s energy supply and are responsible for about 70 percent of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Increasing levels of these emissions are already causing climate change. In this context, as the next challenge, the lack of a co-responsible tool for the implementation, control, and awareness of “green” programs should be noted.

What are the medium-term open government goals that the government wants to achieve?

The municipality and all stakeholders give big importance to the promotion of citizens’ participation in the meetings, discussions, and hearings held in the community. In this sense, it is recommended to ensure a participatory decision-making process among residents and young people in the fields of community management and democratic processes. The proposal also aims to support the formation of human-centered policies, raise the level of awareness among citizens and form accountable public administration through enhanced community-resident dialogue. The process of establishing a system of integrity among community servants is also considered one of the important commitments. To this end, it’s planned to create a platform called ‘’Green Development’ ’on the official page of the municipality, which will consist of three components (‘’Green Actions’ ’Green Seal’’, ‘’Green Procurement’’) and will include an integrated approach to sustainable practices at all levels of municipal government. The platform will be regularly updated and will contain information on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and energy savings resulting from energy efficiency projects implemented by the city authorities, will encourage municipal organizations to comply with sustainable development standards and receive the appropriate Green Seal, will facilitate the purchase of goods and services through the «green» procurement procedure, which can promote sustainable consumption and production.

How does this action plan contribute to achieving the Open Government Strategic Vision?

Within the framework of the Local Open Governance Partnership, this is Yerevan’s first action plan, which is clearly in line with the provisions of Yerevan’s five-year development plan and other strategic plans of the city.

How does the open government strategic vision contribute to the accomplishment of the current administration’s overall policy goals?

The local open government strategic vision is also consistent and contributes to the accomplishment of the current administration’s overall policy goals.

One of the pillars of government promoted by the administration of the current City Mayor, Hrachya Sargsyan, is open government, lowering the level of air pollution, and simplifying services provided to residents.

Engagement and Coordination in the Open Government Strategic Vision and OGP Action Plan

Please list the lead institutions responsible for the implementation of this OGP action plan.

• Yerevan Municipality
• Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia
• RA Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures

What kind of institutional arrangements are in place to coordinate between government agencies and departments to implement the OGP action plan?

Project implementation coordination is fully carried out by Yerevan Municipality, local Open Governance Partnership coordination team.

What kind of spaces have you used or created to enable the collaboration between government and civil society in the co-creation and implementation of this action plan? Mention both offline and online spaces.

The co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive... was designed in three steps:

Step one: A Facebook page of Yerevan OGP Local initiative was created in order to provide access to information related to the initiative and ensure awareness of current activities among civil society representatives, non-governmental organizations, and active citizens. Also on the official page of Yerevan Municipality, a new section has been created where citizens can find information about programs, initiatives, meetings, and works implemented by the Yerevan community within the framework of the “Local Open Government Partnership” initiative. Then online and offline meetings and discussions were held in the municipality about the rationale of Yerevan Municipality joining the “OGP Local” initiative. As a result, Municipality, together with representatives of civil society and non-governmental organizations, applied to the members of the managing committee of the “Open Government Partnership” initiative in order to become a member of the “OGP Local”.

Step two: A public consultation was launched for the submission of proposals for all residents to identify issues of interest and possible commitments. It was proposed 9 directions on which citizens could present their suggestions.

Step three: Based on the results of the co-creation round-tables the open gov team completed the OGP commitments sheet and shared the draft text with all participants so that they could incorporate comments or observations.

What measures did you take to ensure diversity of representation (including vulnerable or marginalized populations) in these spaces?

During the entire period of joining the initiative and developing the action plan, online and offline meetings, and discussions were held, public discussions and public hearings were organized, and informative flyers were printed with the aim of informing about the goals of the initiative all layers of society, target groups, including vulnerable or marginalized populations.

Who participated in these spaces?

Civil society organizations, NGOs, academic institutions, public sector representatives, and active citizens.

How many groups participated in these spaces?

12

How many public-facing meetings were held in the co-creation process?

4

How will government and non-governmental stakeholders continue to collaborate through the implementation of the action plan?

A working group will be created by the mayor’s decision in order to fulfill the commitments assumed by the OGP Local action plan. In this action plan the employees of the municipality, the ministry, and civil society organizations will be involved. In this way, it will be possible to regularly organize a more effective and interactive online or offline meeting discussion.

Please describe the independent Monitoring Body you have identified for this plan.

This action plan will be monitored by civil society organizations.

Provide the contact details for the independent monitoring body.

• USAID’S ARMENIA INTEGRITY PROJECT (AIP), Team leader, amanukyan@dexisonline.com

What types of activities will you have in place to discuss progress on commitments with stakeholders?

Follow-up meetings will be held with the working group established by the Mayor’s decision to discuss the steps toward the implementation of commitments.

How will you regularly check in on progress with implementing agencies?

The regularity will depend on each 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... and the duration of each milestone, but on average each commitment will be reported on a quarterly basis.

How will you share the results of your monitoring efforts with the public?

On the Facebook page created specifically for the local OGP and on the official page of the Yerevan Municipality, infographics and informative illustrative materials will be regularly posted, which will ensure public awareness of the progress of the commitments under the program.

Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders

• Arsen Manukyan, Team leader, USAID’S ARMENIA INTEGRITY PROJECT (AIP)
• Shushan Doydoyan, President, Center for Freedom of Information NGO

Yerevan Action Plan FINAL
Open-Government-Partnership Local OGP