Today, on November 24, the RA Ministry of Finance held the official opening ceremony of the "Promotion of Public Control and Accountability of State Procurement" program.
The project is aimed at strengthening public control over the public procurement system in the Republic of Armenia and promoting the transparency and accountability of public procurement and is implemented by the NGO "Association of Informed Citizens" within the framework of UK international development support with the support of the UK government and in cooperation with the RA Ministry of Finance.
The RA Deputy Minister of Finance Avag Avannesyan, welcoming the guests, highlighted the implemented program. "This is another step to equip our public, in the form of civil society, with the necessary tools to demand the quality of services provided by the state."
Daniel Ioannisyan, coordinator of the "Union of Informed Citizens" programs, highlighted at the opening ceremony that the procurement sector poses numerous corruption risks. However, he expressed optimism that strengthening control by non-governmental organizations and journalists in the procurement sector will mitigate these risks and enhance the efficiency of public administration. Ioannisyan mentioned the great honor for the Association of Informed Citizens to collaborate with partners such as the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Armenia, the Ministry of Finance, as well as journalists and civil society representatives interested in monitoring the procurement sector.
The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the Republic of Armenia, N.G. John Gallagher, emphasized that strong collaboration between the government and civil society organizations is crucial for better understanding local needs and finding effective solutions. He expressed his delight that the UK Government's Good Governance Fund is funding this project, which aims to promote accountability and public scrutiny of public procurement. I hope that the proposals to be submitted within the framework of the program will be carefully considered by the decision makers and as a result will contribute to the greater transparency, accountability and ultimately efficiency of the state procurement system for the benefit of all the RA citizens."
