OSCE Office supports training of civil servants on freedom of
information
armradio.am
29.03.2008 11:48
A project on freedom of information training for civil servant
information officers, supported by the OSCE Office, was presented in
Yerevan.
Under the project, some 90 information officers from central government
agencies and all ten regions of Armenia will learn about international
standards of free access to information and receive practical guidance
on applying the Armenian freedom of information law.
"Free access to government-held information is vital for the democratic
functioning of any state. We hope that the institutionalization of
training for government press officers will assist in the important
process of further increasing the openness and transparency of
Armenia’s state bodies," said Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, Head of the
OSCE Office in Yerevan.
The nine-month project will be implemented jointly by the Civil Service
Council (CSC) of Armenia and the NGO Freedom of Information Centre
(FOIC) and was financed by the Italian government.
In line with the Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier this year
(on January 11, 2008) by the Office, the CSC and FOIC, a comprehensive
training programme on freedom of information will be developed and
officially adopted by the CSC into its permanent training curriculum
for civil servants. The project also envisages amending the `position
passports’ (a legal document identifying the scope of responsibilities
of the position) for civil service information officers to clearly
specify their functions and responsibilities with respect to freedom of
information.
Armenia adopted a comprehensive Freedom of Information Law in 2003, but
the full implementation of the law continues to pose a challenge for
national and local authorities.
`This project will support reforms in this area by providing government
information officers with comprehensive knowledge and skills in freedom
of information issues,’ said Shushan Doydoyan, President of the FOIC.
Manvel Badalyan, CSC Chairman, said: "We should be guided by the idea
that in a society each citizen is a partner of the state and should
have the right and possibility to receive the needed government-held
information and services without any arbitrary obstacles."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
