ARMENIAN NGOs HAVE PROBLEM OF FINANCIAL STABILITY

Noyan Tapan
Nov 30, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 30, NOYAN TAPAN. The November 30 round table
organized by the Professionals for the Sake of Civil Society NGO was
dedicated to the problem of civil society in Armenia, mostly to the
problem of financial stability of NGOs’ sector.

According to Karen Sargsian, a member of Board of the Professionals
for the Sake of Civil Society NGO, a specialist of protection of
interests, local NGOs functioning with financing of international
organizations in Armenia, not being sponsored by these structures
in the future, appear in a hard financial position and are not able
to fulfil their goals and tasks any longer. Study of experience of
coming out of such situations and of experience contributing to NGOs’
financial rehabilitation abroad showed that the law of "one percent"
was used there: that is, a tax-payer just transfers 1 percent of
tax paid by him to this or that organization. NGOs have considerably
developed and become independent in countries where that law has been
adopted and used.

According to K. Sargsian, the adoption of the law of "one percent" in
RA will have positive manifestations: distribution of financial means
will become more democratic, the people will take a direct part in it,
the law will induce the public to make charity, and the organizations,
which have no possibilities of receiving grants, will become a source
of stable financing.

Karen Sargsian also said that the organization has already conducted
a number of studies in this direction and the bill of "one percent"
has been given out to the National Assembly’s Zharangutiun (Heritage),
Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia), and Republican factions.