Enhancement and Introduction of Participatory Governance (AM0057)

Brief Description of the Commitment

Develop and enhance participatory governance mechanisms within the public administration system. Review existing mechanisms, modernise the institutional functional system, and introduce innovative models for engaging non-state stakeholders in the policy-making process conducted by the State, while ensuring communication with the public and information delivering processes through public engagement.

"Problem Definition

4. What problem does the commitment aim to address?

There are existing gaps in the forms and mechanisms of participatory governance within the state administration system, which limit the participation of citizens, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders in decision-making and policy-making processes. This results in lack of sense of ownership over public processes, low levels of transparency and accountability, as well as decline in citizens’ trust in the state administration system.

Therefore:

1. It is necessary to establish permanent, institutionalised participatory governance mechanisms that will ensure the regular involvement of citizens, civil society and 8 the private sector at the stages of policy development, implementation and evaluation.

2. The formats for accountability and public participation of state bodies and local self-government bodies should be clearly defined, and mandatory mechanisms for consultations, public hearings, and feedback should be established.

3. It is necessary to strengthen the capacities of the state administration system and civil society in order to ensure the effective implementation of participatory processes.

These challenges are characteristic of relations both between the executive authorities and citizens, and between local self-government bodies and communities. Accordingly, the commitment is aimed at establishing an open, participatory, and accountable governance system that will enhance the quality of state policies and increase public trust in the State.

2. What are the causes of the problem?

The main causes of the weakness of the participatory governance system are related to the absence of political and institutional foundations, as well as the lack of a systemic approach and a unified state policy. Currently, at the level of the Government and state bodies, there are no clearly defined principles, strategies and mechanisms for participatory governance that would ensure the systematic involvement of citizens and civil society in decision-making processes. The participation of citizens, communities, and civil society is primarily of sporadic and non-institutionalized nature; it depends on individual initiatives or international obligations rather than a national participatory governance policy.

Commitment Description

1. What has been done so far to solve the problem?

In recent years, a number of important steps have been taken in Armenia to advance participatory governance, with the aim of creating structured platforms for cooperation and dialogue between citizens and the government.

In particular, the procedure for the establishment and rules of procedure of public councils adjunct to the Ministers and the bodies subordinate to the Government of the Republic of Armenia have been developed and introduced, which allows representatives of civil society, experts, and stakeholders to participate in the processes of discussion, development and evaluation of state policies. These councils constitute an important precondition for the establishment of periodic and structural participatory mechanisms at the level of the executive power. The Department of Participatory and Open Governance issues was established within the Office of the Prime Minister upon Decision of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia N 1204-L of 12 December 2024.

Additionally, the Law of the Republic of Armenia ""On freedom of information, as well as legal regulations established by the Government of Armenia, are in force in the Republic of Armenia to ensure accessibility and publicity of information. However, these legal acts are primarily focused on the provision of information and ensuring transparency, rather than the active participation of citizens and civil society in the stages of policy development and decision-making. Thus, despite the existing legal and institutional grounds, a unified and systematic participatory governance policy is still lacking — one that would ensure the continuity of citizen s' engagement, enhancement of the impact of governance processes, and enhancement of public trust.

2. What solution are we proposing?

The proposed solutions are as follows:
(1) Conduct an analysis of existing participatory mechanisms and take steps to improve them.
(2) Develop and introduce unified government participatory governance guidelines of the Government, which will ensure:

Regulated conduct of public consultations, hearings and joint working platforms, systematic engagement and communication of citizens and civil society representatives in the policy development and evaluation stages, effective mechanisms for accountability and feedback by state authorities. This model should become an integral component of government operations, contributing to the improvement of the quality of policies, strengthening public trust and fostering state–citizen relations based on participatory, open and inclusive principles.

3. What results do we want to achieve by implementing this commitment?

The expected outputs are as follows:

1. Establishment of a national institutional architecture for participatory governance, which will define the principles of participatory processes, the responsibilities of stakeholders and the formats of engagement at all levels of state administration.

2. Introduction of mechanisms for the regular involvement of citizens, experts, and civil society in the stages of public policy development, including public consultations, hearings, joint working groups, and digital participatory platforms.

3. Development of unified participatory governance guidelines and codes of conduct, which will ensure transparency, accountability of the processes and equal participation of all stakeholders therein.

4. Introduction of an innovative participatory model within the administration system, comprising a clear methodology, toolkit and digital solutions to ensure two-way and continuous interaction with citizens.

Final output: an open, accountable and participatory governance culture will be established at all levels of state administration system, due to which public trust in the State shall increase, quality of decision-making shall be improved, and public policies shall become more fair, inclusive, and substantiated by public needs.

Commitment Analysis Questions Answer

1. How will the commitment promote transparency?

Mechanisms for public consultations, open data and digital participatory platforms will be established, ensuring that decision-making processes are open and comprehensible.

2. How will the commitment help to foster accountability?

State authorities will have mandatory formats for regular reporting and public discussions, thereby strengthening public oversight.

3. How will the commitment improve citizen participation in defining, implementing, and monitoring solutions?

Citizens and CSOs will be engaged in the development, implementation, and monitoring of policies through approved participatory mechanisms and digital platforms.

Milestones | Expected Outputs | Expected Completion Date

Action 1. Cooperation with international stakeholders and those of the Republic of Armenia | Study best participatory governance models, establish professional cooperation with international and Armenian experts, as well as with CSOs. | December 2026

Action 2. Establishment of the Foundations of Participatory Governance | Analyse current participatory processes and develop the conceptual foundations of the participatory governance strategy of Armenia | December 2026

Action 3. Capacity Building within the State Administration System | Enhance the capacities and skills of the state administration. Cooperate with CSOs and international partners. | 1 st half of 2027

Action 4. Development of Guidelines for Monitoring of Participatory Governance and Maintenance of Procedures | This action will clarify procedures for public participation in development of policy, guidelines and methods in this area will be developed, and the capacities of state authorities, as well as the scope of the leads will be strengthened. | 2 nd half of 2027"