MULBERRY – ON THE PAYROLL OF ARMENIA’S GOVERNMENT MACHINERY

ArmInfo
2010-03-02 13:49:00

ArmInfo. "Keep track of your letter" – such a heading appeared
at the sites of several Armenian ministries. It allows not only
to send letters or complaints but also follow the course of their
consideration. The correspondence with citizens is coordinated by
Mulberry electronic data management system (EDMS) which has already
been functioning in 25 of 44 ministries of Armenia.

Besides communication with citizens, the system also allows the
state structures to contact with each other in a simplified way. The
importance of this circumstance was emphasized by Armenia’s Prime
Minister Tigran Sarkisyan at today’s presentation of the system.

"Transfer of the state structures’ correspondence into an electron
format will make the state administration more efficient and
productive. The new system will change the work of the state machinery
and make it more transparent for those contacting it. Everyone will
be able to keep track of his letter, application or complaint, which
will be gathered in a common database", T. Sarkisyan said.

As Head of Armenia’s government machinery David Sarkisyan said, the
correspondence, circulating in the system, will have legal force due
to the attached authorized electron signature. "The Law On Electron
Document and Electron Digital Signature has been acting in Armenia
since 2005, however, for lack of the relevant institutes, there was
not such a practice in Armenia. Electron Signature Certification
Center is currently functioning in the country. This allowed the
big taxpayers, even in 2009, to deliver declarations in electronic
format", D. Sarkisyan said. One may keep track of his letter via a
12-digit code which will be provided upon sending of the letter to
one or another ministry. The management of the state structures will
be able to keep track of timeliness of satisfaction of requests, as
well as get acquainted with the opinions and conclusions the letter
will be overgrown with as it is moved through the instances.

According to D. Sarkisyan, the system is currently operating in 25
of 44 government executive bodies, and it is scheduled to install
the system in the rest ones till late 2011. The expenses for the
programme installation and management, including retraining of about
4,000 state civil servants and acquisition of a software license
made up about $700,000 over 4 years. The programme was upported by
the World Bank and EU.