Armenians Turnout in Large Numbers to Vote Against Corruption

Over 1700 Armenians attended the NGO (non-governmental organization) Marketplace to support the fight against corruption. Held in the capital city of Yerevan, attendees helped select organizations to lead the charge by voting for their favorite NGO anti-corruption projects.

 

Organized by the USAID Mobilizing Action Against Corruption (MAAC) Activity, the NGO Marketplace brought together students, business owners, retirees, activists, government employees, and many others committed to the cause. An opportunity for NGOs to publicly showcase anticorruption initiatives, it was designed as an open, transparent, and competitive approach for awarding grants for organizations to implement innovative anti-corruption activities.

 

“We wanted to bring NGOs together so they could see what each is doing. This was an opportunity for them to meet and discuss projects, challenges and ideas for the future,” says MAAC Chief of Party François Vézina. Twenty-four civil society organizations from throughout Armenia participated. Set up in eye-catching booths featuring maps, posters, scale models, music, audio-video presentations, leaflets, and other means to attract supporters to their anticorruption ideas, the participating NGOs spent the better part of the day “pitching” their concepts to the public, judges and media in attendance.

 

The Marketplace served as a one-stop shop for NGOs to “market” their projects, “sell” them to decision-makers and await selection of winners all in one day. The decision-makers were made up of the MAAC evaluation team, the Armenian public in attendance and a panel of judges. The MAAC evaluation team’s vote accounted for 20%, while the Armenian public wielded 30% of an organization’s score. To avoid the possibility of larger NGOs dominating the vote, each voter selected his/her top three projects, providing a more level playing field for smaller organizations. The panel of judges which accounted for 50% of the score was comprised of a university professor, a news radio bureau chief, private sector executives, and representatives from the Armenian government and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

 

“In the marketplace of ideas, you are all winners,” stated U.S. Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch, who announced the eight winning organizations invited for pre-award grants negotiations. “Each of you has enhanced the public’s understanding of how ordinary citizens can take action against fraud, waste and abuse.” A total of $156,000 in grants to be implemented by April 2010 will be awarded by MAAC, with awards ranging from $12,000 to $25,000.

 

In addition to great turnout, many participating NGOs were from outside Yerevan. Gender diversity was also prevalent, with 11 of the 24 organizations being women-run. Diversity was also reflected in the winners-circle, with three of the eight winners stemming from regional organizations and half of them led by women.

 

Held on 22 April 2009, the event was a welcomed approach for finding solutions beyond established channels. Illustrating the benefits of an open, transparent, and competitive process, the NGO Marketplace brought attention to the significant role NGOs can play in fighting corruption. Most importantly it empowered Armenians, allowing them to participate in the selection of projects that will help their country fight corruption.