Current Strategy (2009-2013) - Page 2

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Democracy and Governance

The USG seeks to advance the process of democratization in Armenia by developing a vibrant civil society, capable and transparent democratic institutions and independent media. The long-term goals are to cultivate democratic institutions and build a democratic culture, increase competition within elite circles and de-concentrate power by assisting grassroots efforts and NGOs with programs aimed at increased civic representation of the middle class and other agents for change. Our new programs will address following issues:

Alternative media: The medial outlets in Armenia that are financially independent, even the non-public stations, still self-sensor, offer partial coverage in the news and collude with the established powers. This, combined with indirect government pressure is the real roadblock to progress. As such, USAID has a unique opportunity of refocusing its resources in an attempt to respond to changed realities empowering alternative media. The new approach towards alternative media will have three directions: 1) production and distribution of alternative content; 2) Promotion of alternative media; 3) a monitoring/advocacy/legal component.

Civil society: USAID plans to start new Civil Society activity and will work on increasing the capacity of civil society groups to provide policy advice and serve as watchdogs, strengthen financial viability of NGOs to ensure their sustainability, as well as assist in improving legal and regulatory framework for NGOs.

Rule of law: Building institutional capacities and individual skills of key actors in the justice system is a challenge Armenia will face for years. USAID assistance will primarily strengthen the bar, improve the quality of legal education, raise ethical standards of judges, and extend technical support on key legislation. ABA/ROLI will continue to provide selective technical support to judges on the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) case law.

Parliamentary Assistance: USAID is planning to cooperate with at least one leading parliamentary committee on institutional development and public outreach reform. Assistance will also target selected staff members who provide services to the committees.

Political Processes: To address the imbalance in the distribution of political power within Armenian society USAID will enhance the capacity of citizens to organize and engage proactively in political processes and assist local-level political party and issue-oriented civic organizations in establishing links with similar local organizations throughout Armenia and expand active civil society monitoring.