All papers, statistics and materials contained in the Country Profiles express entirely the opinion of the mentioned authors. They should not, unless otherwise mentioned, be attributed to the Secretariat of the United Nations. The designations employed and the presentation of material on maps in the Country Profiles do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

RREEPPUUBBLLIICC OOFF

AARRMMEENNIIAA PPuubblliicc AAddmmiinniissttrraattiioonn

CCoouunnttrryy PPrrooffiillee

Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM)

Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)

United Nations

January 2004

Table of Contents

Table of Contents........................................................................................... 1

Armenia ....................................................................................................... 2

1. General Information ................................................................................... 3 1.1 People.................................................................................................. 3 1.2 Economy .............................................................................................. 3 1.3 Public Spending ..................................................................................... 4 1.4 Public Sector Employment and Wages....................................................... 4

2. Legal Structure .......................................................................................... 5 2.1 Legislative Branch.................................................................................. 5 2.2 Executive Branch ................................................................................... 6 2.3 Judiciary Branch .................................................................................... 6 2.4 Local Government.................................................................................. 7

3. The State and Civil Society .......................................................................... 9 3.1 Ombudsperson ...................................................................................... 9 3.2 NGOs ................................................................................................... 9 3.3 Civil Society .......................................................................................... 9

4. Civil Service .............................................................................................11 4.1 Legal basis...........................................................................................11 4.2 Appointment ........................................................................................12 4.3 Remuneration ......................................................................................12 4.4 Training...............................................................................................12 4.5 Gender................................................................................................13

5. Ethics and Civil Service ..............................................................................14 5.1 Corruption ...........................................................................................14 5.2 Ethics..................................................................................................15

6. e-Government ..........................................................................................17 6.1 e-Government Readiness .......................................................................17 6.2 e-Participation......................................................................................18

7. Links .......................................................................................................19 7.1 National sites .......................................................................................19

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7.2 Institutional sites ..................................................................................19

Armenia Click here for detailed map

Source: The World Factbook - Ar

The latest presidential elections were held inKocharian was reelected to the post of Presidethe tragic event of 27 October 1999, whenMinister, the Speaker of the National AssembAssembly, the political situation is relatively st

The domestic political situation cannot be seNagorno-Karabakh conflict has dominated independence from the Soviet Union. The ceabut soldiers and civilians are killed every international negotiations conducted in the continue, as well as intensified face-to-face but have so far failed to bring a peace agreem

Since 1994 Armenia has enjoyed consecutive6% in 2000, and an average annual growthconsiderable flows of international aid and larg

Source: Europ

a Since March 20, 1997, Robert Kocharian was appointed to tKocharian was elected President of the Republic of Armenia for th

2

AA

AARRMMEENNII

menia

Government type

Republic

Independence

21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Constitution

Adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995 (click here)

Legal system

Based on civil law system

Administrative divisions

11 provinces (Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush, Vayots' Dzor, Yerevan)

Source: The World Factbook - Armenia

February and March 2003 when Robert nt of the Republic of Armenia.a Despite five gunmen assassinated the Prime ly and other politicians in the National able.

parated from its regional context. The Armenian politics since 1988, before se fire declared in 1994 has held well, year along the line of contact. The framework of the OSCE/Minsk Group meetings between the two Presidents, ent.

economic growth, with GDP growing at of 5.4%. This is partly dependent on e remittances from the Diaspora. ean Commission (External Relations) - Armenia (edited)

he post of Prime Minister. On March 30, 1998, Robert e first time (Source: Government of Armenia)

11.. GGeenneerraall IInnffoorrmmaattiioonn

1.1 People Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia 2

Population a

Total estimated population (,000), 2003 3,061 8,370 5,126

Female estimated population (,000), 2003 1,574 4,291 2,678

Male estimated population (,000), 2003 1,487 4,079 2,448

Sex ratio (males per 100 females), 2003 94 95 91

Average annual rate of change of pop. (%), 2000-2005 -0.45 0.89 -0.92

Youth and Elderly Population b

Total population under age 15 (%), 2003 20 29 19

Female population aged 60+ (%), 2003 15 10 22

Male population aged 60+ (%), 2003 11 8 16

Human Settlements c

Urban population (%), 2001 67 52 57

Rural population (%), 2001 33 48 43

Urban average annual rate of change in pop. (%), ‘00-‘05 0.19 0.59 -0.1

Rural average annual rate of change in pop/ (%), ‘00-‘05 -0.21 0.59 -1.1

Education d

Total school life expectancy, 2000/2001 8.5 10.5i 6.4 1

Female school life expectancy, 2000/2001 8.8 10.5i 6.4 1

Male school life expectancy, 2000/2001 8.1 10.6i 6.4 1

Female estimated adult (15+) illiteracy rate (%), 2000 2.4ii .. .. 2

Male estimated adult (15+) illiteracy rate (%), 2000 0.7ii .. .. 2

Employment e

Unemployment rate (15+) (%), 2001 36.4iii 1.3iv 11 1

Female adult (+15) economic activity rate (%), 2001 51v 43vi 58vii 2

Male adult (+15) economic activity rate (%), 2001 74v 50vi 76vii 2

Notes: i 1998/1999; ii 1989; iii 1997, Urban areas only; iv Based on registered unemployment from employment office records, On 31st December; v 1997; vi 2000; Data for all ages (activity rate shown is crude activity rate); vii Excluding armed forces

1.2 Economy Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia 3

GDP a

GDP total (millions US$), 2002 2,367 6,090 3,324

GDP per capita (US$), 2002 771 744 642

PPP GDP total (millions int. US$), 2002 9,085 25,493 11,339

PPP GDP per capita(int. US$), 2002 2,957 3,115 2,190

Sectors b

Value added in agriculture (% of GDP), 2003 23.5 14.3 20.5

Value added in industry (% of GDP), 2003 39.2 54.5 25.5

Value added in services (% of GDP), 2003 37.3 31.1 54.1

Miscellaneous c

GDP implicit price deflator (annual % growth), 2003 4.6 4.0 3.4

Private consumption (% of GDP), 2003 82.5 63.2 81.4

Government consumption (% of GDP), 2003 10.3 11.7 8.9

Notes:

2 United Nations Statistics Division: a Statistics Division and Population Division of the UN Secretariat; b Statistics Division and Population Division of the UN Secretariat; c Population Division of the UN Secretariat; d1 UNESCO ; d2 UNESCO; e1 ILO; e2 ILO/OECD3 World Bank - Data and Statistics:

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a Quick Reference Tables; b Data Profile Tables ; c Country at a Glance

1.3 Public Spending Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia Public expenditures d

Education (% of GNP), 1985-1987 .. 5.8 .. a

Education (% of GNP), 1995-1997 2 3 5.2i a

Health (% of GDP), 1990 .. 2.7 3

Health (% of GDP), 1999 4 1 0.8

Military (% of GDP), 1990 .. .. .. b

Military (% of GDP), 2000 4.4 2.7 0.9 b

Total debt service (% of GDP), 1990 .. .. ..

Total debt service (% of GDP), 2000 2.2 3.4 3.9

Notes: i Data refer to a year or period other than that specified

Click here for further information on “Subnational share of overall public spending and public administration employees”

1.4 Public Sector Employment and Wages

Data from the latest year available

Armenia 1991-1995

Armenia 1996-2000

Europe & Central Asia

averagee

1996-2000

Central Asia & Caucasus average4

1996-2000

Low income group

average4

1996-2000

Employment (,000) 30.0 10.2

Civilian Central Governmentf(% pop.) 0.80 0.27 0.61 0.90 0.46

(,000) 139.0 33.1 Sub-national Government5

(% pop.) 3.70 0.87 0.61 0.90 0.46

(,000) 150.0 84.5 Education employees

(% pop.) 3.99 2.22 1.58 1.68 0.91

(,000) 73.0 3.3 Health employees

(% pop.) 1.94 0.09 1.15 1.23 0.62

(,000) .. .. Police

(% pop.) .. .. 0.68 .. 0.30

(,000) .. .. Armed forces

(% pop.) .. .. 0.87 0.96 0.33

(,000) .. .. SOE Employees

(% pop.) .. .. 20.1 37.8 13.1

(,000) .. .. Total Public Employment

(% pop.) .. .. .. .. ..

Wages Total Central gov't wage bill (% of GDP) 1.8 2.9 5.6 5.3 5.4

Total Central gov’t wage bill (% of exp) .. .. 13.1 11.8 24.7

Average gov't wage (,000 LCU) .. 135.6

Real ave. gov’t wage ('97 price) (,000 LCU) .. 124.8

Average gov’t wage to per capita GDP ratio .. 0.5 6.3 12.1 4.4

Source: World Bank - Public Sector Employment and Wages

d UNDP - Human Development Report 2002a Data refer to total public expenditure on education, including current and capital expenditures. b As a result of a number of limitations in the data, comparisons of military expenditure data over time and across countries should be made with caution. For detailed notes on the data see SIPRI (2001). e Averages for regions and sub regions are only generated if data is available for at least 35% of the countries in that region or sub region.

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f Excluding education, health and police – if available (view Country Sources for further explanations).

22.. LLeeggaall SSttrruuccttuurree

The Republic of Armenia has a system of presidential rule. In accordance with the Constitution, the President ensures compliance with the Constitution, the normal operation of the legislative, the executive and the judiciary, and serves as the guarantor of sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the Republic.

Source: The Republic of Armenia - Official site

2.1 Legislative Branch

Unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov (131 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; 75 members selected by direct vote, 56 by party list.g

Women in parliament: 6 out of 131 seats: (5%)..h

The 131-member National Assembly has exclusive legislative authority. The right to initiate legislation in the National Assembly shall belong to the Deputies and the Government.

Parliament may dismiss the government by a vote of no confidence and unseat the president with a two-thirds majority if the Constitutional Court finds him guilty of grave offenses.

The National Assembly appoints the president of the Central Bank, at the proposal of the President. At the proposal of the president of the National Assembly, the assembly appoints the president of the National Assembly's Oversight Chamber (Verahskich palat) and members of the Constitutional Court.

According to the Constitution there shall be six standing committees established in the National Assembly and ad hoc committees may be established as necessary. The legislature has on several occasions formed special commissions to investigate government activities and held hearings on issues of popular concern. The post-Soviet Constitution, enacted in 1995, allows the president to dissolve Parliament.i

The regular sessions of the National Assembly are held twice a year: from mid-September to mid-December and from the early February to mid-June. Meetings of the National Assembly are open.

A special session of the National Assembly is called by the President of the Republic at the initiative of at least one third of the overall number of delegates or of the Government. At the request of the majority of the overall number of delegates of the National Assembly a special session is held with the agenda and within the time period stipulated by the initiators.

A special meeting of the National Assembly is called by the president of the National Assembly at the initiative of the Government or at least one third of the overall number of delegates. A special meeting is held with the agenda and within the time period stipulated by the initiators.

The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia

g Source of fact boxes if nothing else stated: The World Factbook - Armeniah Inter-Parliamentary Union - Women in National Parliamentsi Freedom House - Nations in Transit 2003 (edited)

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Fact box: elections: Last held 25 May 2003 (next to be held in the spring of 2007) election results: Percent of vote by party - Republican Party 23.5%, Justice Bloc 13.6%, Rule of Law 12.3%, ARF (Dashnak) 11.4%, National Unity Party 8.8%, United Labor Party 5.7%; seats by party - Republican Party 23, Justice Bloc 14, Rule of Law 12, ARF (Dashnak) 11, National Unity 9, United Labor 6; note - seats by party change frequently as deputies switch parties or announce themselves independent

2.2 Executive Branch

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: President elected by popular vote for a five-year term;; prime minister appointed by the president; the prime minister and Council of Ministers must resign if the National Assembly refuses to accept their program

The President of the Republic is elected by the citizens of the Republic of Armenia for a term of five years. The President is considered elected when receiving more than half of the votes cast for candidates. If more than two candidates were voted for and none of them received the required votes, a run-off takes place. The candidate who receives the most votes in the second stage is considered elected. In the case where one candidate is voted on, he is considered elected if he received over half of the votes of the participants in the voting. The same person cannot be elected continuously more than two times to the office of President of the Republic.

The President may dissolve the National Assembly and designate special elections after consultations with the President of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister. The President of the Republic appoints and removes the Prime Minister of the Republic. The President also appoints and removes all members of the Government nominated by the Prime Minister.

The President furthermore appoints and removes the Chief Prosecutor upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister and appoints members and the President of the Constitutional Court. The President moreover heads the Council of Justice (Ardaradatutian khorhurd) and appoints judges for the courts proposed by the Council.

The Government of the Republic of Armenia exercises the executive authority of the Republic of Armenia. The Government is comprised of the Prime Minister and ministers. The Government's structure and work procedure, upon presentation of the Prime Minister, are fixed by decree of the President of the Republic.

Source: The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia

2.3 Judiciary Branch

Constitutional Court; Court of Cassation (Appeals Court).

The Constitution provides for the independence of judicial bodies, guaranteed by the President of the Republic, with the Law on the Status of Judges regulating the independence of judges The system and formation of the courts are established by the Constitution and the Law on the Judicial System.

The Constitution mandates a three-level court systemk:

• Court of Appeals (vchrabek dataran);

• Review courts (veraknnich dataranner); and

• Tribunal courts of first instance (arajin atyani dataranner)

j Central Electoral Commission - Presidential Elections 2003k The Law on the Judicial System uses the terminology: Court of Cassation, Appellate Courts, and Courts of First Instance.

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Fact box: chief of state: President Robert KOCHARIAN (since 30 March 1998).; re-elected 5 March 2003j

head of government: Prime Minister Andranik MARKARYAN (since 12 May 2000)

The highest court is the Court of Appeals. First instance courts try most cases, with a right of appeal to the Court of Appeals, and then to the Court of Appeals (click here for more information).

The Constitutional Court rules on the conformity of legislation with the Constitution, approves international agreements, and decides election-related legal questions. It can accept only cases proposed by the President, by two-thirds of all parliamentary deputies, or election-related cases brought by candidates for the National Assembly or the presidency.l

With regard to judicial control over laws, according to Article 15 of the Civil Code of the Republic, a legal act, whether adopted by a local self-governing body or state authorities, that violates the civil rights of a citizen or a legal person, can be ruled as unlawful upon the decision of the court. The rights violated by the legal acts ruled as unlawful, are to be defended. Besides, Article 26 of the Civil Procedure Code establishes the rules according to which the legal acts, adopted by local self-governing bodies or state authorities, contradicting the laws, can be acknowledged as unlawful.m

Under the Constitution, the President appoints judges for the tribunal courts of first instance, review courts, and the Court of Appeals. The Council of Justice, which the President heads, proposes the candidacies for the presidents and judges of the Court of Appeals and its chambers and the presidents of the review, first instance tribunal and other courts and presents its finding concerning the candidacies for other judges presented by the Justice Minister. The Justice Minister and the Chief Prosecutor are the vice-presidents of the Council. The President appoints the other 14 members of the Council of Justice for five years and four of the nine Constitutional Court judges (the National Assembly appoints the other five).

The selection of judges is based on the provisions of Part 9 of the Charter of the Ministry of Justice, according to which a relevant Commission formed by the Minister of Justice is responsible for the procedure of examination and selection of applicants. The examination is based on a 20-score system, and special examination commissions, formed by the Minister of Justice, are responsible for grading the applicants. The Minister of Justice, then, can interview those candidates who satisfied the requirements of written examinations. Based on the results of the written and oral tests, the Minister of Justice proposes the list of the candidates, which is introduced to the President of the Republic by the Council of Justice.n

Judges and members of the Constitutional Court are permanent. A judge holds office until he reaches age 65 and a member of the Constitutional Court until he reaches age 70.

Source: The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia

2.4 Local Government

The cornerstone for the formation of the system of local self-government in Armenia was laid in 1995 with the adoption of the Republic of Armenia Constitution chapter 7 of which is devoted entirely to territorial administration and local self-government. It was the Constitution that introduced new administrative-territorial units, viz. marz (regions) and communities that had to replace the former administrative-territorial units. The Constitution provides for state government in the regions by stipulating that Regional governors (marzpetner) are appointed and dismissed by the

l U.S. Department of State - Human Rights Practice 2003m Source: Government of Armenia

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n Source: Government of Armenia

Government. The President of the Republic upon presentation by the Prime Minister appoints and dismisses the mayor of Yerevan.o

Community Councils and Community Heads (or Mayor in urban communities, Head of a district community in the district communities in Yerevan and Village Head in rural communities) are elected in all the communities for a three-year period. Community Heads recruit their own staff. The number of Councilors varies from five to fifteen depending on the size of the population.

In December 1995, on the basis of the Constitution, the Law On administrative-territorial division was adopted, which drew borders of both the communities and localities and described marz and communities that were to become new administrative-territorial units. 11 marz were established (including the city of Yerevan which was given the status of a marz) and 930 communities, of which 47 were urban, 871 were rural and 12 were district communities in Yerevan. One community can incorporate various localities, both towns and villages that do not have the status of a separate community. Based on that principle, 8 out of 952 rural communities were included in urban, whereas the others in rural communities.

The Law On local self-government, which was the most important piece of legislation in the field, was passed in 1996 and took effect on November 10, 1996 (i.e. on the first day of municipal elections). The Law defined the concept of “local self-government”, the principles of local self-government, the bodies of local self-government and their powers and competence as well as mutual relations, etc. It has to be noted that the Law On local self-government adopted in 1996 was on the whole in line with the provisions of the European Charter on Local Self-Government.

In terms of the formation of the local self-government system the adoption of other laws (that are directly or indirectly related to that system) had an important role and significance. Among those were the laws On the budgetary system, On local duties and charges, On local referenda, On financial equalization, On urban development and On condominiums as well as the Civil Code and Land Code, etc.

A new Law On local self-government was adopted in 2002 (click here for a guide to the 2002 law.)

Source: The Law on Local Self-Government: Questions and Answers (2002)

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o The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia

33.. TThhee SSttaattee aanndd CCiivviill SSoocciieettyy 3.1 Ombudsperson

The Law on the Human Rights Defender has been in force since January 1, 2004. The law regulates the appointment and removal, as well as the mandate of the Human Right Defender.

Source: Government of Armenia 3.2 NGOs

According to the Ministry of Justice, there were some 2,800 registered NGOs in Armenia as of November 2002. Of these, approximately 1,000 were registered over the previous year. Only a fraction, though, actually operate in practice. The scope of NGO activities is very broad and includes areas such as politics, human rights, benevolence, labor, business, and social and women’s affairs.

In September 2002, several women’s NGOs agreed to form a nationwide coalition to promote women’s political participation. According to Svetlana Aslanian, chairwoman of the Center for Civil Society Development, the NGO network will be particularly concerned with boosting female representation in local governments.

The impact of NGOs on government policies remains quite limited. And even though the American group World Learning has launched grants in the fields of advocacy, Armenian civic groups have not been very active in lobbying the government or Parliament for passage of legislation.

The activities in 2002 of an NGO called Havat (Faith) provided a rare example of successful policy advocacy. Havat succeeded in urging Parliament to pass amendments to the Law on Social Security of Handicapped People aimed at better integrating the disabled into society. Another NGO, Antenna, likewise lobbied for changes in the controversial Law on TV and Radio in collaboration with other media associations. Also worth mentioning is a new group set up in April 2002 by Raffi Hovannisian, Armenia’s U.S.-born former foreign minister. The National Citizens’ Initiative has the stated goal of promoting civic activism and public participation in the country’s political life.

The public’s attitude toward the NGO sector is generally positive, and the media’s coverage of NGOs is equally so. However, the government’s attitude is rather indifferent. Only one nominally apolitical organization has received strong government attention: the Yerkrapah Union of veterans of the Nagorno-Karabakh war. The authorities have in the past used the paramilitary group, which comprises some top army commanders, for suppressing the opposition. However, Yerkrapah’s political influence has declined substantially since the assassination of its founder, Vazgen Sarkisian, in the 1999 Parliament massacre.

Source: Freedom House - Nations in Transit 2003 (edited) 3.3 Civil Society

In late 2000 a new Law on TV and Radio was passed. In accordance with one of its provisions, President Kocharian appointed in January 2002 all nine members of the at newly created National Commission on Television and Radio, empowered to issue and revoke broadcasting licenses by administering biddings for air frequencies. The first such tender, held on April 2, resulted in the closure of the popular A1+ channel.

The legal framework for the functioning of the Armenian media is provided by Article 24 of the Armenian Constitution guarantees to everyone “the right to freedom of

9

speech, including, independent of state borders, the right to seek, receive and disseminate information and ideas by any means of information communication.” However, freedom of speech can be restricted “by law, if necessary, for the protection of state and public security, public order, health and morality, and the rights, freedoms, honor, and reputation of others.”

There are at least eight independent FM radio stations based in Yerevan and one such station in the second largest city of Gyumri. They confine their programming largely to music and brief newscasts. State radio retransmits the daily programs of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Voice of America.

According to official figures, 82 newspapers were published in Armenia as of April 2002. Of these, the government owns only a handful. The only state-owned national daily, Hayastani Hanrapetutyun, has a circulation of 6,000 copies per issue. There are also six privately owned national dailies that offer a wide variety of opinions. Only one of them, Azg (3,000), is affiliated with a political party.

Source: Freedom House - Nations in Transit 2003 (edited)

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44.. CCiivviill SSeerrvviiccee

As an essential part of State Governance Reforms, special importance is attached to the regulation of civil service relations and implementation issues, especially to the formation and development of the civil service system. With the Law on Civil Service adopted in 2001, the Armenian Government intends to implement an efficient and balanced personnel policy, to staff the state administration with well-qualified, competent individuals with high moral values who are not dependent on changes in the ratio of political forces. Civil servants (CS) will be provided with state guarantees for legal and social security.

Source: UNDP - National Human Development Report 2001

In January 2002, President Kocharian appointed all seven members of the Civil Service Council, which is supposed to ensure civil service independence by protecting government employees against arbitrary dismissals. A provision in the Law on Civil Service empowers the council to select staff for most government agencies and regularly check the professional fitness of government officials. The council held the first competition for vacant government posts in October 2002, selecting 55 members of its staff from a pool of 560 applicants. More such contests were held later in the year 2002.

The government, meanwhile, restructured 15 different agencies by either merging them into appropriate ministries or subordinating them directly to the prime minister’s office. According to Manuk Topuzian, chairman of a special government commission overseeing the civil service reform, more than 1,000 government jobs were slashed between January and June in 2002 as a result of the restructuring.

Source: Freedom House - Nations in Transit 2003 (edited)

4.1 Legal basis

The relationships connected with the Civil Service shall be regulated by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, international agreements of the Republic of Armenia, this law, the normative legal acts of the Civil Service Council, as well as by other legal acts.

The labour relationships of the Civil Servants shall be regulated by the labour legislation of the Republic of Armenia, if peculiarities regulating such relations are not defined by the legislation on the Civil Service.

The service relationships among the Civil Servants shall be regulated by internal labour disciplinary rules defined by the legislation.

Source: The Law of the Republic of Armenia on Civil Service

The Law on Civil Service, 2001 regulates in detail the regular checks of correspondence of civil servants to the requirement of the position, defining evaluation, testing and training systems. The rights of civil servants, their responsibilities, the limitations applicable for them, the scope of obligations, as well as specific provisions that refer to the mechanisms for appraisal/promotion, disciplinary penalties and dismissal from the position are also envisaged. The law establishes the bodies for management and organization of civil service - promoting uniform civil service state policy, an independent body established by law - civil service council and chiefs of staff from relevant institutions.

Source: UNDP - National Human Development Report 2001

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4.2 Appointment

The law stipulates that all positions in civil service can be filled only with individuals who are recognized as winners in open and transparent competition. The competition will be conducted through tests and interviews by a steering commission formed for this purpose. The specific job descriptions, which are considered a new practice in the legal environment of Armenia, will define the clear scope of major requirements and competences of the CS, as well as applicability area of the Law, classification of positions, ranking of CS, appointment to positions, evaluation and training, waiting lists, the legal status of CS, their appraisal and application of disciplinary penalties, dismissal, as well as management and organization of the civil service and assumption of civil service positions.

Source: UNDP - National Human Development Report 2001

4.3 Remuneration

According to the Poverty Reduction Paper for Armenia, Section 4, Chapter 11, paragraph 469 the state budget 2003 incorporates, inter alia, the following measure envisaged in the PRSP: As an important implementation modality of the civil service reform and anti-corruption program, the salaries of civil servants, tax and customs service staff will be increased by 78% in 2003;

Source: Government of the Republic of Armenia - Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper

4.4 Training

The Law on Civil Service specifies the Armenian School of Public Administration, established with EU help in 1994 and strengthened by another EU project in 2001-02, as the institution to deliver the preliminary round of training to civil servants. Later, more flexibility on training providers was expected and allowed for. Within one year these courses were underway and, as soon as allowed by the law, the Civil Service Council opened up training contracts to other state institutions in the capital and the regions.

Source: UNDP - Civil Service Training in the context of Public Administration Reform

According to the Law on Civil Service, Article 20:

• training of the Civil Servant shall be held on the basis of the attestation results of the Civil Servant, in case of changing the passport of the given Civil Service Position, as well as by the initiative of the Civil Servant or the Chief of Staff on basis of the application of the Chief of Staff;

• every Civil Servant shall be subject to mandatory training at least once every three years;

• the expenses connected with the training of Civil Servants shall be made at the expense of the resources of the state budget, as well as of other resources not prohibited by the legislation of the Republic of Armenia;

• the Civil Service Council shall approve the list of educational institutions conducting training of Civil Servants and the training syllabus to be used by those institutions for training of Civil Servants;

• the Civil Service Council shall determine the procedure for conducting training of Civil Servants on the basis of this law.

Source: The Law of the Republic of Armenia on Civil Service

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4.5 Gender

The “2004 to 2010 National Plan of Action of the Republic of Armenia on the Improvement of the Status of Women and the Enhancement of their Role in Society” defines basic policy elements for the Armenian government with respect to the position of women in society. Its main goal is to fulfill Armenia's Constitutional Provision on equal rights and opportunities for men and women.

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Source: OSCE - Press Release (9/2003)

55.. EEtthhiiccss aanndd CCiivviill SSeerrvviiccee 5.1 Corruption

2003 CPI Score relates to perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country analysts and ranges between 10 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt).

Corruption Perceptions Index

2003 CPI

Score Surveys

Used Standard Deviation

High-Low Range

Number Inst.

90 percent confidence

range

Rank Country 1 Highly clean 9.7 8 0.3 9.2 - 10.0 4 9.5 - 9.9

78 Armenia 3.0 5 0.8 2.2 – 4.1 5 2.4 -3.6

133 Highly corrupt 1.3 8 0.7 0.3 - 2.2 6 0.9 - 1.7

Source: Transparency International - Corruption Perceptions Index 2003 Surveys Used: Refers to the number of surveys that were used to assess a country's performance. 17 surveys were used and at least 3 surveys were required for a country to be included in the CPI. Standard Deviation: Indicates differences in the values of the sources. Values below 0.5 indicate agreement, values between 0.5 and c. 0.9 indicate some agreement, while values equal or larger than 1 indicate disagreement. High-Low Range: Provides the highest and lowest values of the sources. Number Institutions: Refers to the number of independent institutions that assessed a country's performance. Since some institutions provided more than one survey. 90 percent confidence range: Provides a range of possible values of the CPI score. With 5 percent probability the score is above this range and with another 5 percent it is below.

In light of the special importance of fighting corruption, a Steering Committee to coordinate the anti-corruption program efforts of the Republic of Armenia Government was established under Decree 44 of the Prime Minister dated January 22, 2001. The fight against corruption encompasses three main priorities:

1. Raising public awareness of the danger posed to society by corruption and its consequences;

2. Preventing corruption; and

3. Ensuring the rule of law in order to protect the rights and legitimate interests of individuals.

Under the first priority, it is necessary to highlight the elaboration of an anti-corruption strategy, public awareness, the consolidation of civil society institutions in the fight against corruption, and the role of the independent mass media.

Under the second priority, one should focus on the importance of the political will of the authorities, improvements in the public administration system, ensuring public participation in governance, intervention of the state in the societal process, and adherence to codes of conduct by public officials.

Under the third priority, it is necessary to emphasize the role of a strong and independent judiciary, the importance of streamlining and clarifying the legislative framework, ensuring flawless enforcement of laws, protecting human rights, and implementing the human rights' defender (ombudsman) institution.

Source: Republic of Armenia Anti-Corruption Strategy and Implementation Action Plan

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A major public opinion survey on corruption released October 2002 in Armenia has found that the overwhelming majority of those polled believe that corruption remains a serious problem in the country.

The main goal of the survey was to identify public perceptions of corruption. It was based on the questioning of 1,400 individuals, including 1,000 households, 200 businessmen and 200 public officials. The survey, which for the first time also targeted public officials as respondents, was conducted throughout the country.

The survey was initiated by the non-governmental organizations Centre for Regional Development/Transparency International Armenia, Civil Society Development Union and 'Development Network', with the support of the OSCE. The study contributes to actions taken by the Armenian Government to elaborate a national anti-corruption strategy. It establishes a baseline against which to measure future changes and provides an up-to-date picture of attitudes to corruption in Armenia.

According to the survey, the overwhelming majority of respondents believe that corruption is a serious problem in Armenia. They did not relate its occurrence to the gaining of independence; most of them mentioned that it became an issue either before the formation of the USSR or during the Soviet period. Survey results demonstrated that 95 per cent of households, 97 per cent of businesses and 93 per cent of public officials thought that corruption in Armenia was mainly caused by the state authorities. As for the causes of corruption, all the groups referred to poor law enforcement and imperfect legislation and regulations.

The OSCE Office in Yerevan is co-ordinating an international task force to combat corruption in Armenia. The main objective of the group represented by World Bank, International Monetary Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, European Commission, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Council of Europe, and the British, German, French, US, Russian, Italian embassies is to assist the Government in working out a detailed strategy and its implementation in combating corruption in Armenia.

Source: OSCE - Press Release (Public Opinion on Corruption)

5.2 Ethics

The draft law on civil service (see chapter 4 on Civil Service) envisages the development of the rules of ethics for a civil servant. In this case the initiative came from an NGO, the Union of Armenian State Servants, which prepared a Code of Ethics for civil servants as a basis for further elaboration.

An attempt to work out the rules of ethics for civil servants (CS) was made by the Union of Armenian State Servants (NGO). The research-survey conducted in five governors' offices was aimed at revealing the CS sentiments on the expedience and importance of introducing CS rule of ethics (six sections on the whole). Out of the 189 surveyed, 72% are males of working age (25-55 years old), which is highly typical of our governance system. The majority (72%) are convinced that the introduction of the rules of ethics will significantly contribute to regulating the CS activities.

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1. The majority of the surveyed agrees that the civil service is a professional activity, requiring that the CSs be guided by state interests, and adhere to decision making and implementation mechanisms (1.1. provision of rules). CSs do not support the idea of politicizing their work and unilaterally reject the possibility of non-professional activity.

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2. Out of the surveyed, 60% accept in principle that civil service is a voluntary limitation of their freedoms rather than a system of privileges, however they (70%) would not like to have limitations reinforced by law. The surveyed negatively responded to a provision 1.5 of the rules, whereby outside of service, CS should refrain from business contacts with persons who have problems with the authorities. This provision needs reconsideration since the draft law, too, stipulates CS freedoms outside of work and professional activity.

3. The surveyed fully support the realization of the principles of loyalty towards political authorities, political discretion, adherence to requirements of the legislature, honesty (Sections 2&3).

4. Due to the fact that today the performance of duties, especially service provision, does not take place without "personal promises", Section 4 on agreeing and disagreeing to the unacceptability of "personal promises" elicited sharply deviating responses.

5. The requirements on the capability to perform professional work, team building and teamwork are acceptable on the whole (Section 5 & 6). The issue of a further political career after civil service is another concern. About half of the surveyed do not agree with that provision, since positions in the government apparatus for many have been seen traditionally as another step in the career ladder.

Source: UNDP - National Human Development Report 2001

66.. ee--GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt

e-GovernmentReadiness IndThe index refergeneric capacitaptitude of the sector to use ICencapsulating iservices and deto the public, hquality informa(explicit knowleeffective commtools that supphuman developThe index is coof three sub-indWeb Measure TelecommunicInfrastructure InHuman Capital

3

Web Measure Index: A scale based on progressively sophisticated web services present. Coverage and sophistication of state-provided e-service and e-product availability correspond to a numerical classification.

Telecommunications Infrastructure Index: A composite, weighted average index of six primary indices, based on basic infrastructural indicators that define a country's ICT infra-structure capacity. Primary indicators are: PC’s, Internet users, online population and Mobile phones. Secondary indicators are TVs and telephone lines.

Human CapitaA composite ofgiven to adult li

ex: s to the y or public T for

n public ploying

igh tion dge) and unication ort ment. mprised exes:

Index, ations dex and

Index.

6.1 e-Government Readiness

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

Armen

ia

Azerba

ijan

Belarus

Georgi

a

Moldov

a

Russia

Turkey

Ukraine

e-Government Readiness Index

Source: United Nations – World Public Sector Report 200

3

00.10.20.30.40.50.60.70.80.9

1

Armen

ia

Azerba

ijan

Belarus

Georgi

a

Moldov

a

Russia

Turkey

Ukraine

Web Measure Index Telecom. Infrastructure Index Human Capital Index

Source: United Nations – World Public Sector Report 200

17

l Index: the adult literacy rate and the combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment ratio, with two thirds of the weight teracy and one third to the gross enrolment ratio.

6.2 e-Participation

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

Armen

ia

Azerb

aijan

Belaru

s

Georg

ia

Moldova

Russia

Turkey

Ukraine

e-

18

Participation Index

Source: United Nations – World Public Sector Report 2003

e-consultation:

The government website explains e-consultation mechanisms and tools. It offers a choice of public policy topics online for discussion with real time and archived access to audios and videos of public meetings. The government encourages citizens to participate in discussions.

e-decision making:

The government indicates that it will take citizens input into account in decision making and provides actual feedback on the outcome of specific issues.

e-Participation Index:

Refers to the willing-ness, on the part of the government, to use ICT to provide high quality informa-tion (explicit know-ledge) and effective communication tools for the specific purpose of empower-ring people for able participation in consultations and decision-making both in their capacity as consumers of public services and as citizens.

e-information:

The government websites offer information on policies and programs, budgets, laws and regulations, and other briefs of key public interest. Tools for dissemi-nating of information exist for timely access and use of public information, including web forums, e-mail lists, newsgroups and chat rooms.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Armen

ia

Azerb

aijan

Belarus

Georg

ia

Moldova

Russia

Turkey

Ukraine

e-information e-decision making e-consultation

Source: United Nations – World Public Sector Report 2003 d

77.. LLiinnkkss

7.1 National sites

Authority Topic

President of the Republic http://www.president.am/eng/

Prime Minister http://www.gov.am/en/gov/premier/

Government http://www.gov.am/en/

Structure of Government http://www.gov.am/en/gov/structure.html

Parliament http://www.parliament.am/

Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://www.armeniaforeignministry.com/

Ministry of State Property Management http://www.privatization.am/

Ministry of Transport and Communication http://www.mtc.am/

Constitutional Court http://www.concourt.am/

Central Electoral Commission http://www.elections.am/

National Statistical Service http://www.armstat.am/

7.2 Institutional sites

Institution Topic

Council of Europe http://www.coe.intEuropean Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

http://www.ebrd.com/country/country/armenia/index.htm

European Union (EU) http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/armenia/...

International Labour Organization (ILO) http://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/natlex_browse.homeOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

http://www.osce.org/yerevan/overview/

OSCE - legislation http://www.legislationline.org

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) http://www.undp.am/

World Bank (WB) http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/eca/armenia.nsf

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