"Insuring Accessibility of Information on Public Services provided
by the State"
REPORT
Tsakhkadzor, 14 - 15 August, 2004
The Seminar "Insuring Accessibility of Information on Public Services
provided by the State" was held on August 14-15, 2004 in Writers’ Creativity
House in Tsakhkadzor. The seminar summarized the activities that the Armenian
Young Lawyers Association carried out in the course of the sub-project "Dissemination
of Information". Representatives of RA ministries, Armenian Office of
Great Britain's Department for International Development (DFID), the local
government bodies, international organizations, employees of the Information
Center of the 3rd Governmental Building of RA, mass media as well as the local
non-governmental organizations took part in the seminar.
Karen Zadoyan, President of Armenian Young Lawyers Association, Armen Khudaverdyan,
Deputy Project Manager of “The Armenia - Public Sector Reform Programme” and
Ara Hovsepyan Head of the Armenian Office of Great Britain's Department for
International Development opened the round table.
Armen Khudaverdyan, Deputy Project Manager of “The Armenia - Public Sector
Reform Programme” made a report “The Information Center of the
3rd Governmental Building of RA as a mean for insuring the accessibility of
information on public services provided by the State”, where he spoke
about the establishment of the center as well as of its activities, role and
importance. He also spoke about the problems, which exist in this sphere and
about the privileges and shortages of the center. After that the participants
exchanged views and held hot discussions. Different viewpoints were introduced.
In particular Dzonik Margaryan, head of the staff of RA Ministry of Labor and
Social Issues mentioned that all ministries in some extent have solved the
citizens’ requests for getting information. According to Ms. Margaryan
RA Ministry of Labor and Social Issues had established a Public Affairs Department,
which worked and is currently working rather effectively and thanks to its
successful operation the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues was announced
the “most open ministry” in 2003. She also informed that connections
with the citizens are realized through letters, notices and visits. The Ministry
has its website, where the citizens can find information on the issues of concern.
The visitors approach to the employees of the Ministry, which makes an enquiry
to the corresponding department, and provide clarifications on the issues of
concern of the visitor. Two rooms where the disabled people can apply for information
are separated downstairs as well. Dzonik Margaryan also added that the Ministry
provides a quarterly report to the Government, which is published in press.
Karen Asatryan, head of the Armenian Center for Integration and Democratization,
thought that it would be more expedient if the Ministries with the help of
NGOs will establish corresponding research and analytical groups, which will
examine, analyze and group the citizens’ requests and introduce to the
Ministries.
Answering to the question of the participants whether there are statistical
data on the operation of the center and if the center satisfy the citizens’ requests,
Laura Khachatryan, representative of the Ministry of Urban Development said, “The
Center is a newly established structure and has a free entrance, it is yet
difficult to introduce any statistical data at present. Official registration
of the statistical data will be put into practice soon. Whereas the citizens’ requests
are solved to some extent.”
Hrachya Petrosyan, representative of the Union of Armenian State Employees
mentioned that a lot of outsiders, such as news-vendors, other people or the
relatives of the employees enter the building and naturally divert their attention
from their work and hinder the regular operation of the Information Center.
In this connection he suggested to establish a “filtration” mechanism
in this structure, which will promote its regular and due operation.
Arayik Hayrapetyan, head of the staff of the Armenian National Statistical
Service noted a definite difference between the information provided by the
National Statistical Service and the information provided by the ministries,
saying that the information is different by its nature. The beneficiaries of
the above mentioned bodies are different as well. Mr. Hayrapetyan also informed
that an Open Statistical Library had been founded in the Armenian National
Statistical Services in 2000. The access to the library is free of charge and
is realized on permit basis.
Joining the discussions Dzonik Margaryan said that establishing connections
between the beneficiaries and the corresponding services should be the goal
of the Information Center. It should direct the beneficiaries. That is if that
subdivision is unable to satisfy the beneficiary’s demand it should direct
him to the corresponding department.
Armen Abrahamyan, Expert on Information Technologies thinks that, “The
existing information in each ministry should be systematized and together with
the corresponding law be entered into Internet structure, which in its turn
should be user friendly and easily accessible. The websites of the ministries
currently lack legislative acts of the corresponding spheres.”
After the discussions and speeches of the participants, David Abgaryan, Vice-President
of Armenian Young Lawyers Association introduced the report “Information
leaflets published in the bounds of the project "Dissemination of Information" as
access to free information on the public services provided by RA Ministry of
Labor and Social Issues, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education and Science. ” He
introduced the list of 10 published information leaflets on the public services
provided by RA Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, Ministry of Health and
Ministry of Education and Science as well as of the list of 16 radio programs
on the public services provided by RA Ministry of Labor and Social Issues,
Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education and Science, which were broadcast
on the Public Radio of Armenia. Mr. Abgaryan also provided detailed information
and clarifications concerning each of them. Then AYLA Vice-president answered
to the questions of the participants. The participants got acquainted with
different viewpoints and discussed them. Nearly all participants considered
very important the fact of publication of information leaflets on the public
services provided by the State and the broadcasting of the radio programs.
They suggested continuing those activities after the end of the sub-project.
Karen Zadoyan, AYLA President, advocate also mentioned that the number of individuals
who apply for legal advice to AYLA has increased. The fact of the limited number
of the copies of leaflets, 5000 each, was mentioned as a shortage. The participants
thought that a larger amount of copies should have been published. They also
suggested publishing leaflets and broadcast radio programs on the public services
provided by other ministries.
After the discussions AYLA President Karen Zadoyan summarized the results of
the first day of the round table.
Karen Zadoyan, AYLA President opened the second day with the report “Free
legal services to the socially vulnerable layers and special groups of the
population provided by AYLA branch offices as an effective tool for insuring
the accessibility of public services provided by the state and rehabilitation
of their violated rights.” He introduced and clarified the AYLA’s
mission, goals and strategic directions of its activities, as well as the networking
of AYLA’s regional offices, the statistics of legal advice services provided
by the organization. After that he provided information on free legal advice
services that AYLA provided to the population in the sphere of healthcare,
social, labor and education issues in the bounds of this business case. Then
he answered to the questions of the participants. After Mr. Zadoyan’s
speech the participants discussed and exchanged views. They evaluated positively
the free legal advice provided by AYLA to the citizens in the sphere state
services in the sphere of healthcare, labor, social and education issues and
thought that it was necessary to continue providing free legal services in
future as well.
After the discussion the participants summarized the work of the round table.
They evaluated positively the activities of newly established Information Center
as well as the rather extensive, useful and qualified work that AYLA had carried
out in such a short period of time in the bounds of the sub-project “Dissemination
of Information”. They also noted the importance as well as the sense,
effectiveness, and qualified organization of the round table.
Thus the two-days round table provided an opportunity to disclose the problems,
the advantages and shortages that exist as well as the role and the importance
of the newly created Information Center in RA and the 10 information leaflets
and 16 radio programs, which introduce the state services in the sphere of
healthcare, labor, social and education and were prepared in the bounds of
sub-project “Dissemination of Information”. The analysis of the
suggested problems, their discussion and consistent solving will promote to
the due realization of the constitutional principle of free information and
free dissemination of information in our republic and thus secure the complete
protection of the legal rights of interests of the citizens.
“H2” and “Armenia” TV Companies and Armenian Public Radio
covered the work of the round table. “Yerkir” weekly newspaper
published an article telling about the round table as well.
