Training course for Freedom of Information officers of state bodies

Upon the initiative of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office in Yerevan and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, the final training course, titled “Freedom of information as a tool for promoting the transparency of state bodies and integrity of state officials", intended for Freedom of Information officers of state bodies.

Participants of the training course included Shushan Doydoyan, Head of the Personal Data Protection Agency of the RA Ministry of Justice, David Gullette, Democratisation Programme Officer of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Gevorg Hayrapetyan, Head of the Department of the Agency on Conducting Administrative Proceedings, information and public relations officers of bodies of state administration of the Republic of Armenia, experts and lawyers.

The training was aimed at not only enhancing the knowledge of specialists in the relevant field of the Law on Freedom of Information, but also revealing through discussion the main obstacles existing in the Law on Freedom of Information causing problems in practice both for the requesting party and the party administering information.

Shushan Doydoyan expressed gratitude to the OSCE Office in Yerevan for its support and noted that these discussions, recommendations and opinions will only bring benefit to full implementation of the Law, revealing and reforming of the existing gaps.

Shushan Doydoyan also addressed the ways of receiving and providing information, the grounds for refusing to provide information and the procedure for appealing.

David Gullette, Democratisation Programme Officer of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, welcomed the participants of the working discussion, emphasised such working meetings organised for Freedom of Information officers and stressed that it will promote full implementation of the Law and development of co-operation between mass media and the society. Within the framework of the training course, the speakers also addressed the legal basis of freedom of information, objects and subjects of provision of information, accountability and transparency in the state administration system within the scope of the Law on Freedom of Information, as well as topics on reduction of corruption risks. During the discussion, the participants presented their recommendations for the purpose of including them in the amendments intended to be made to the Law of the Republic of Armenia “On freedom of information”.