IFES - Armenia
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Armenia
IFES began working in Armenia prior to its 1995 elections. Since then, we have worked with local partners to support the country’s institutions and citizens in building democracy.
We have worked to improve the conduct of elections, empower citizens to participate in their communities, and facilitate the electoral participation of people with disabilities. We have also conducted a series of surveys to identify Armenians’ beliefs and opinions about their country’s political and economic development. IFES’ work in Armenia has been funded by USAID.
Past Projects
Building Armenia’s Electoral Infrastructure
Registration officers cope with high volume of voters at a polling site in Artik of Aragatsotn marz.
In 2005, IFES began a project that aims to increase the government of Armenia’s ability to fulfill its international and national election commitments in time for the 2007 parliamentary and 2008 presidential elections.
To meet this goal, IFES is working with the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) and the Passport and Visas Department (OVIR, which falls under the jurisdiction of the police) as well as other interested parties, including the Armenian government, members of the National Assembly, and members of civil society.
More Effective Voter Registration
To produce a more inclusive, efficient and transparent voter registry, IFES is working with the CEC and OVIR (and others) to
- develop a new national voter registry,
- make it publicly available online (as required by Armenian law),
- mobilize voter registration drives, and
- train election and OVIR officials in the new registration procedures.
IFES, the CEC, and OVIR are also working with citizen groups (called Voter List Advisory Committees) who are helping to identify and correct errors in the new voter registry.
IFES worked with its local partners to develop a strategic plan for this project and continues to offer them support with respect to testing and refining the new system.
More Informed Voters
To better inform Armenia’s eligible voters, IFES is working with the CEC (and citizens groups) to produce nonpartisan public information campaigns that will educate voters about their rights and responsibilities and about Armenia’s electoral process. The campaign will reach voters through TV and radio broadcasts, as well as newspapers, billboards, and movie theaters as appropriate.
EMB Better Prepared to Conduct Elections
To prepare all members of Armenia’s various election management bodies (at the national, provincial and local levels), IFES is working with officials at all levels to provide them with reference copies of all CEC decisions and of Armenia’s election code. IFES will also offer provincial and local officials training to enable them to better carry out their duties.
Ensuring Everyone Can Exercise Their Right to Vote
IFES is working with local partners on a pilot project that aims to increase the number of voters with disabilities who participate in the 2007 parliamentary elections. In eight cities, IFES and its partners are working to ensure polling stations are accessible to voters with disabilities. Among other activities, they are also working with local election officials in those cities to include components in voter information campaigns that inform voters with disabilities about improved access to polling stations and encourage them to vote.
Educating Active Citizens (2000-2004)
In 2000, IFES began a major project to empower the citizens of Armenia. Its objective was to increase citizen participation in governance by encouraging civic initiatives and advocacy. By providing training and information, IFES worked with local community groups to improve their ability to organize their members, articulate their group concerns, and communicate them to local government. In this way, the project promoted more responsive and transparent behavior on the part of government.
Encouraging Community Involvement and Advocacy
IFES engaged citizens throughout Armenia, but particularly focused on rural areas, which might not have plentiful sources of political information. First, IFES trained a group of local civic educators who then facilitated dialogue groups and initiative groups. Over the course of the project, educators conducted more than 4,000 such meetings in 400 Armenian communities involving more than 70,000 people.
The dialogue groups provided a place for citizens to gather and share information and discuss the issues that concerned them in their community. These groups discussed a range of issues, including community development, local self-governance, community schools, and water supply. (This article describes the activities of one discussion group.)
The initiative groups moved from dialogue to action and advocacy. These groups worked on issues that ranged from improving telephone connections, developing NGOs, providing heating for a health clinic, renovating kindergartens, establishing community foundations, and correcting local voter registries.
IFES was able to involve an even broader cross-section of Armenian society by working with local partners to stage an annual event entitled “Days of Good Will, Good Deeds, Good Results.” Nearly 300,000 citizens participated in the event, which allowed them to feel that by working together, they can effect real change in their communities.
Information as the Prompt to Action
Information is essential to citizen empowerment. As a result, IFES produced a number of informational products, including citizens’ guides to national and regional government, televised candidate debates, results of public opinion surveys, and issue-oriented leaflets. IFES also staffed nine resource centers around Armenia that were equipped with access to the Internet as well as print and electronic materials about elections, the rule of law, good governance, and citizen participation.
Getting Women Involved
IFES partnered with an Armenian NGO—the Women’s Republican Council (WRC)—to focus on ways to get women involved in project activities and to advocate for the issues that concern them. Joint IFES-WRC activities included public information campaigns and training for female candidates for local and parliamentary office (among other things).
Armenians Take Ownership of Program
During the course of the project, Armenian participants founded their own civic education NGO—the Center for Community Dialogues and Initiatives—to carry on the work they had begun with IFES.
Surveying Citizens’ Knowledge and Beliefs (1998-2004)
Registration officers cope with high volume of voters at a polling site in Artik of Aragatsotn marz.IFES is working with local partners on a pilot project that aims to increase the number of voters with disabilities who participate in the 2007 parliamentary elections. In eight cities, IFES and its partners are working to ensure polling stations are accessible to voters with disabilities. Among other activities, they are also working with local election officials in those cities to include components in voter information campaigns that inform voters with disabilities about improved access to polling stations and encourage them to vote.
Educating Active Citizens (2000-2004)
In 2000, IFES began a major project to empower the citizens of Armenia. Its objective was to increase citizen participation in governance by encouraging civic initiatives and advocacy. By providing training and information, IFES worked with local community groups to improve their ability to organize their members, articulate their group concerns, and communicate them to local government. In this way, the project promoted more responsive and transparent behavior on the part of government.
Encouraging Community Involvement and Advocacy
IFES engaged citizens throughout Armenia, but particularly focused on rural areas, which might not have plentiful sources of political information. First, IFES trained a group of local civic educators who then facilitated dialogue groups and initiative groups. Over the course of the project, educators conducted more than 4,000 such meetings in 400 Armenian communities involving more than 70,000 people.
The dialogue groups provided a place for citizens to gather and share information and discuss the issues that concerned them in their community. These groups discussed a range of issues, including community development, local self-governance, community schools, and water supply. (This article describes the activities of one discussion group.)
The initiative groups moved from dialogue to action and advocacy. These groups worked on issues that ranged from improving telephone connections, developing NGOs, providing heating for a health clinic, renovating kindergartens, establishing community foundations, and correcting local voter registries.
IFES was able to involve an even broader cross-section of Armenian society by working with local partners to stage an annual event entitled “Days of Good Will, Good Deeds, Good Results.” Nearly 300,000 citizens participated in the event, which allowed them to feel that by working together, they can effect real change in their communities.
Information as the Prompt to Action
Information is essential to citizen empowerment. As a result, IFES produced a number of informational products, including citizens’ guides to national and regional government, televised candidate debates, results of public opinion surveys, and issue-oriented leaflets. IFES also staffed nine resource centers around Armenia that were equipped with access to the Internet as well as print and electronic materials about elections, the rule of law, good governance, and citizen participation.
Getting Women Involved
IFES partnered with an Armenian NGO—the Women’s Republican Council (WRC)—to focus on ways to get women involved in project activities and to advocate for the issues that concern them. Joint IFES-WRC activities included public information campaigns and training for female candidates for local and parliamentary office (among other things).
Armenians Take Ownership of Program
During the course of the project, Armenian participants founded their own civic education NGO—the Center for Community Dialogues and Initiatives—to carry on the work they had begun with IFES.
Surveying Citizens’ Knowledge and Beliefs (1998-2004)
IFES has conducted multiple surveys (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) in Armenia that probe citizen attitudes towards the economic and political situation in their country as well as their beliefs about democracy, Armenia’s status as a democracy, and the role of citizens in a democracy.
To learn more about our experts from this region, visit here.
For more information, please contact us at europe.asia.programs@ifes.org.
Applications and resumes are not accepted at this address.
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IFES News in Brief: IFES, an Observer of the Yerevan, Armenia Elections, Comments on the Poll
IFES News in Brief: IFES, an Observer of the Yerevan, Armenia Elections, Comments on the Poll
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IFES.org Feature: Smoldering Election for Mayor of Yerevan, Armenia
IFES.org Feature: Smoldering Election for Mayor of Yerevan, Armenia
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IFES in the News: Anthony Bowyer Discusses Armenian Elections (.pdf)
IFES in the News: Anthony Bowyer Discusses Armenian Elections (.pdf)
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