ABA ROLI is currently implementing the Armenia Integrity Project (AIP) in partnership with Dexis, to support the Armenian Corruption Prevention Commission and the Ministry of Justice in implementing measures to strengthen integrity in the public sector. AIP focuses on three key objectives: strengthening corruption prevention institutions and integrity systems, supporting the implementation of specific legal-regulatory measures for corruption prevention, and facilitating of the collective citizen action approach to hold national and local level government entities engaged in corruption prevention mutually accountable.
Under this project, ABA ROLI is responsible for supporting the implementation of specific legal and regulatory measures for corruption prevention in Armenia (Project Result 2). The ABA ROLI project team assesses the Armenian legal framework and supports stakeholders in developing legislative and regulatory proposals.
To date, ABA ROLI has provided support to the Government of Armenia in the following areas:
- provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in the creation of the MoJ Anti-Corruption Task Force;
- developed and supported the Armenian government in the adoption of Model Rules of Conduct for Public Servants and the Guideline for the Development and Enforcement of Draft Sectoral Codes of Conduct for Public Servants;
- established incompatibility requirements for individuals serving in public positions by improving legislation to mitigate business interference in public administration through a blind trust management structure;
- broadened the concept of conflict of interest to include potential and apparent conflicts of interest;
- improved whistleblowing legislation; and
- ongoing enhancement of the legal, regulatory and policy framework for corruption prevention.
In 2024, the AIP will continue to study the major gaps in Armenian integrity system legislation and law enforcement, legal uncertainties, contradictions, and shortcomings in comparison with international standards and best practices. The AIP will also continue to support the development and adoption of legislative and regulatory framework amendments to conform with the Republic of Armenia’s international commitments and the strategic documents adopted by the Government of Armenia.
ABA ROLI’s anti-corruption and public integrity work seeks to prevent bribery, nepotism, embezzlement, political pressure, and abuse of power from undermining the delivery of public services. We do this by strengthening transparency, accountability, participation, integrity, and the rule of law as well as through the promotion of ethical values and a culture of integrity in the public sector. We deploy the expertise of ABA ROLI experts and the wider ABA to implement high-quality legal programming to address corruption and bring local and international expertise to the table. We work with multiple institutional partners in Armenia, including the Ministry of Justice, the Corruption Prevention Commission, the Office of the Civil Servant of the Prime Minister’s Office, ethics commissions and various areas of public service, and civil society organizations.