Grant signing in Armenia

29 July 2016

Council of Europe grant to improve transparency and communication of the Communities Association of Armenia

TSAGHKADZOR, ARMENIA. Executive Director of the Communities Association of Armenia (CAA), Natalia Lapauri and the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, Natalia Voutova signed on 29 July 2016 a grant agreement designed to support the Association in the implementation of its strategic objectives.  These objectives are improving communication with and between members of the CAA and other stakeholders and enhancing transparency. The Association’s Strategic Plan 2016-2020, developed with support of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe within the framework of the “Institutional support to Communities Association of Armenia”, was approved by the Republican Council of the CAA on 28 July 2016, following a four month-long participatory process.

“The signing of the grant agreement restates our commitment to continually strengthening the institutional capacities of the Association to better serve the needs of our member communities” said Natalia Lapauri. The grant will be used by the Association to position itself as an influential actor with regards to the local self-government policy agenda and will enable regular updating of the web-site, social media accounts and the periodical journal of the Association. Additionally, thanks to this grant the CAA will improve its financial transparency towards its members and other relevant stakeholders.

“We are hopeful that during the coming seven months the members of the Association will see the benefits of making financial flows transparent and enhancing the communication functions of the CAA” stated Natalia Voutova,.

The grant agreement was signed within the framework of the project “Institutional support to Communities Association of Armenia”, implemented by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and financed by the Government of Switzerland and the Council of Europe. Support is provided in the framework of the 4-year-programme “Improvement of the local self-governance system”, co-ordinated by the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation, in partnership with the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank and the Armenian Territorial Development Fund (ATDF).

Armenia joined the Council of Europe in 2001, ratified the European Charter of Local Self-Government in 2002, with entry into force on 1 May 2002 and its Additional Protocol on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority in 2013. Countries which have ratified the Charter are bound by its provisions. The Charter imposes compliance with a minimum number of rights, which are the bedrock of European local self-government. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe ensures respect for these principles.