“Exploring Innovative Approaches for Combating Corruption” International Conference was held in Tbilisi on 29-30 November, 2019
The Armenian delegation participated in the 2-day “Exploring Innovative Approaches for Combating Corruption” International Conference in the scope of Good Governance Forum (GG Forum) organized by the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) in Tbilisi on 29-30 November, 2019.
As a part of the Armenian delegation representatives of the RA Prime Minister's Office, EITI Secretariat, Office of Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Finance, as well as EITI MSG members attended the Forum.
The conference aimed to explore innovative mechanisms and the most cost-effective approaches of combating corruption, especially high-level corruption. The conference intended to do this by engaging local and international experts and stakeholders around several key related topics: Anti-Corruption monitoring and institutional solutions to combating corruption, beneficial ownership transparency, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), public procurement and open contracting.
Panel discussions and workshops were attended by representatives and experts of governments, civil society organizations and international organizations, as well as journalists and Anti-Corruption activists, who shared best practices in developing Anti-Corruption mechanisms.
The representatives of EITI Armenia highlighted the work done toward implementation of the EITI Standard in Armenia, challenges of the process, and the role of EITI and its impact on combatting corruption.
During the EITI panel discussion, the Head of the EITI Armenian Secretariat Lusine Tovmasyan presented the benefits of EITI implementation, effective ways of getting stakeholder engagement, advice to countries wishing to implement EITI, Georgia in particular, the importance of 2019 EITI Standard’s requirements on environmental reporting, from the point of view of ensuring transparency and accountability in the mining sector in more comprehensive way.
At the workshop “EITI’s Contribution to the Fight against Corruption: The Cases and Opportunities of Eurasia” that was moderated by the Gor Khachatryan, Advisor of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Armenia, Harutyun Movsisyan, a MSG member of the Civil Socity Constituency, presented the financial flows of the metal mining industry in Armenia disclosed in the EITI First National Report of Armenia. Participants from other countries discussed successful practices of good management of financial flows in the fight against corruption.
At the Conference participants also discussed the role of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in the fight against corruption, the importance of disclosure of beneficial owners, the Global Register of Beneficial Owners created by OpenOwnership, the ways to collect data and how to use this data.
Livestream videos of the panel discusstions
Panel 1: Anti-Corruption Institution and Mechanism for Fighting Corruption
https://www.facebook.com/IDFI.official/videos/1250417741813059/?epa=SEARCH_BOX
Panel 3: BO-added Value and How It Works
https://www.facebook.com/IDFI.official/videos/573992960030473/
Panel 4: Global Standard for Transparency in the Extractive Industries
https://www.facebook.com/IDFI.official/videos/412240522985650/
Panel 6: Transparent Public Procurement Rating (TPPR): Achievements, Challenges and Prospects
https://www.facebook.com/IDFI.official/videos/457849514935898/
Visit of Armenian delegation to attend the Good Governance Forum in Tbilisi was organized within the framework of the project “Support the implementation of the Global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine” implemented by German Development Cooperation via Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
