On May 13, the closing event of the “Institutional Capacity Building for CSOs” program component took place, organized by the “NGO Center” Civil Society Development NGO. The program component was implemented within the framework of the “Strengthening Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership Countries” project by the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ).
Over the past 16 months, more than 100 representatives of civil society organizations from across Armenia have participated in various capacity development activities organized by the NGO Center. Each thematic training, including Project Design and Proposal Development, Strategic Planning, Human Resource Management, Communication, and Financial Sustainability and Management, was attended by around 100 CSO representatives.
Strategic plans, as well as communication and financial management procedures and policies, were developed for ten organizations.
The closing event was dedicated to participatory democracy, aiming to highlight the role of civil society in the consolidation of democracy in the context of dialogue with decision-makers.
The event was opened with welcoming remarks by Arpine Hakobyan, President of NGO Center, and Thomas Meyer, Project Director of the “Strengthening Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership Countries” at GIZ. They emphasized the impact of the program and highlighted the vital role of civil society in strengthening democratic processes.
The first part of the event featured expert presentations and discussions focused on the theme of participatory democracy. Speakers included:
- Lilia Afrikyan, Head of the Department for Participatory and Open Governance at the RA Prime Minister’s Office.
- Ashot Giloyan, Head of the Local Self-Government Policy Department at the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure.
- Gayane Nalbandyan, Advisor to the GIZ Armenia “Good Governance for Local Development in the South Caucasus” project.
In the second part of the day, an open discussion took place through a panel discussion format, focused on the current situation and opportunities for participatory democracy. The panel speakers were
- Liana Hovhannisyan, Assistant to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia.
- Meri Matevosyan, Member of the Ashtarak Community’s Council of Elders.
- Maria Petrosyan, Senior Legal Expert at the Center for Legislative Development Foundation.
- Anna Kroyan, Senior Legal Expert at Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center.
The “Institutional Capacity Building measures for CSOs” program component is implemented within the framework of the “Strengthening Civil Society in Eastern Partnership Countries” program, as a service provided by the “NGO Center” civil society development NGO.
The program is implemented by the GIZ with co-financing from the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union.