On May 5, the Annual Board Meeting of the Project “Fostering Responsiveness, Efficiency, Transparency and Inclusiveness” (Modern Parliament for a Modern Armenia, MAP 2.0) of the RA National Assembly of the UN Development Programme was held, in which the RA NA President Alen Simonyan, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sweden to the Republic of Armenia Patrik Svensson, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to the Republic of Armenia Andrew Turner, the UNDP Resident Representative to RA Natia Natsvishvili, the RA NA Chief of Staff, Secretary General Davit Arakelyan, the Chairman of the RA Audit Chamber Atom Janjughazyan, representatives from the NA Staff participated.
Welcoming the participants of the Board Meeting, the RA NA Alen Simonyan expressed his conviction that the activities of the Parliamentary Development Programme in the National Assembly are difficult to underestimate. It includes extensive work with both the Standing Committees and the Staff of the National Assembly. The NA President highlighted several areas where the involvement of the project has been vital for the effective functioning of the National Assembly. These include promoting the digitalization agenda, supporting pre-legislative processes, youth engagement projects, capacity building, and preparatory work on the National Assembly reform strategy.
Alen Simonyan assured that further steps will be built on these achievements this year and pointed out priority areas: development of the National Assembly’s digitalization agenda, support for the adoption and implementation of the NA reform strategy, strengthening public policy processes, expanding the involvement of women and youth, and developing the National Assembly’s capabilities as a green parliament.
“The support of the governments of Sweden and Canada, as well as the contribution of the UNDP Parliamentary Development Programme to strengthening parliamentary democracy in Armenia, is invaluable to us in these processes. I am grateful to all partners for their joint work. I am grateful to the Staff of the National Assembly, and I am confident that the Parliamentary Development Programme will continue to foster the institutional development of the National Assembly of Armenia in the future, strengthening a transparent, effective and inclusive parliamentary system,” the NA President underscored at the end of his speech.
“Sweden has long been a committed partner in supporting democratic governance, transparency and inclusiveness in Armenia. The Modern Parliament for a Modern Armenia Project is a witness to Armenia’s unwavering commitment to strengthening democratic institutions,” the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sweden to the RA Patrick Svensson said, welcoming the participants of the Board Meeting. He noted that significant achievements were recorded last year, which are key steps towards a more responsive, accountable and citizen-centered National Assembly. Underlining the actions taken towards public awareness and inclusiveness, the Ambassador informed that concrete steps have been taken within the framework of the project to mainstream gender-sensitive policies in the Parliament of Armenia. Patrick Svensson also considered the Conference on Climate Change and Energy Transition, held within the framework of the programme, as an important initiative. It was noted that the Conference emphasized the urgent need to take legislative action in terms of environmental sustainability. The Ambassador underlined that Sweden is ready to continue supporting Armenia, noting that modernization efforts are important in the processes of developing and strengthening democracy in Armenia.
“Democracy is an ongoing process. The steps taken towards democracy in Armenia are impressive. Armenia and the National Assembly have a crucial role to play in strengthening democratic institutions,” the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to the RA Andrew Turner said, stressing the participation and support of Canada to Armenia.
The UNDP Resident Representative to the RA Natia Natsvishvili, thanking the strategic partners for support, noted that parliaments are the heart of democratic governance. “The UNDP also continues its commitment to support the process of developing democratic governance, transparency and inclusive policies in Armenia,” Natia Natsvishvili said, informing that during the last year essential steps have been taken in expanding the NA institutional capacities. She described the Modern Parliament for a Modern Armenia project as a transformative programme.
The Project Coordinator of the UNDP “Fostering Responsiveness, Efficiency, Transparency and Inclusiveness” (Modern Parliament for a Modern Armenia, MAP 2.0) Ruzanna Hayrapetyan presented the key achievements of the Project for 2024, as well as the Action Plan for 2025.
Expressing her gratitude for the work done last year, Ruzanna Hayrapetyan noted that the vision of the RA NA strategy was outlined and approved in 2024. And in 2025, the draft strategy and roadmap, as well as the Action Plan to be implemented, are already available. Presenting the implemented projects in detail, Ruzanna Hayrapetyan touched upon the new tools related to gender equality and social inclusion, Youth Parliament programs, sustainable development goals, digitalization of the Audit Chamber, modernization of the human resources system of the Audit Chamber. She informed that in 2025, a number of training courses regarding the artificial intelligence in the context of cybersecurity will be held, as well as discussions on the climate change agenda will be held on a number of platforms. Within the framework of the Q&A session, the Project Coordinator gave clarifications on the work being carried out.
Introducing the structure and the vision of the new official Internet website of the RA National Assembly, Davit Arakelyan noted that the cornerstone of joint activities and projects is the support for the digitalization processes of the activities of the National Assembly of Armenia and the National Assembly Staff.
Summarizing the Meeting, the RA NA President Alen Simonyan thanked the partners for the support, expressing hope that the cooperation will be of continuous character.
The UNDP “Fostering Responsiveness, Effectiveness, Transparency, and Inclusiveness of the Armenian Parliament” project is supported through the Government of Sweden, the Government of Canada, and the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.
