Armenia, as a young democracy, has made significant strides since the Velvet Revolution in 2018 to modernise public governance and strengthen democracy. This assessment, funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation, looks at how Armenia can make better use of innovative and participatory approaches to improve governance. It builds on efforts of the Armenian Government to implement the OECD Principles of Public Administration and explores opportunities to adopt OECD best practices for fostering innovation, participation and continuous improvement. These best practices bring users to the centre of the design and delivery of public services and ensure stakeholders are engaged in policy development and the delivery of streamlined, high-quality services. The results of this assessment will contribute to the project Democratic Institutions and Participatory Policymaking, funded by Swiss Development Cooperation, from 2025-2033.
Armenia has made significant headway in implementing cross-cutting reforms to improve the effectiveness and attractiveness of its public sector. Emerging examples of participatory budgeting in Armenian municipalities, user-centred service design through a life-events approach and efforts to increase levels of innovation and participation through the 2022 Public Administration Reform Strategy all show progress towards a more inclusive, capable and resilient public sector. Furthermore, important steps have been taken to enhance digital democracy, participation and openness in public life, key principles of the OECD’s Initiative on Building Trust and Re-enforcing Democracy.
Armenia has demonstrated increased commitment to the principles of open government – transparency, accountability and participation – in recent years. Armenia joined the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2011 and is now implementing its fifth National Action Plan (2022-2024) commitments. Concurrently, civil society in Armenia has advanced considerably since the 1990s, with civil society organisations gaining prominence and building capacity with international support. With this shift, the public administration in Armenia also provides citizens and stakeholders with more ways to participate in policymaking and service design and delivery, to advocate for their needs and to share their insights and expertise.
The report identifies opportunities for the country to use innovative and participatory approaches to policymaking to strengthen democracy.
This report was approved and declassified for by the OECD Public Governance Committee on 11 October 2024 and prepared by the Secretariat for publication.