Sweden has long been a committed partner in supporting democratic  governance, transparency and inclusiveness in Armenia - ambassador

ArmInfo.  On May 5, the Annual Board Meeting of the Project "Fostering Responsiveness, Efficiency, Transparency and Inclusiveness" (Modern Parliament for a Modern Armenia, MAP 2.0) of the RA National Assembly of the UN Development Programme was held, in which the RA NA President Alen Simonyan, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sweden to the Republic of Armenia Patrik Svensson, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to the Republic of Armenia Andrew Turner,  the UNDP Resident Representative to RA Natia Natsvishvili, the RA NA  Chief of Staff, Secretary General Davit Arakelyan, the Chairman of  the RA Audit Chamber Atom Janjughazyan, representatives from the NA  Staff participated.

Welcoming the participants of the Board Meeting, the RA NA Alen  Simonyan expressed his conviction that the activities of the  Parliamentary Development Programme in the National Assembly are  difficult to underestimate. It includes extensive work with both the  Standing Committees and the Staff of the National Assembly. The NA  President highlighted several areas where the involvement of the  project has been vital for the effective functioning of the National  Assembly. These include promoting the digitalization agenda,  supporting pre-legislative processes, youth engagement projects,  capacity building, and preparatory work on the National Assembly  reform strategy.

Alen Simonyan assured that further steps will be built on these  achievements this year and pointed out priority areas: development of  the National Assembly's digitalization agenda, support for the  adoption and implementation of the NA reform strategy, strengthening  public policy processes, expanding the involvement of women and  youth, and developing the National Assembly's capabilities as a green  parliament.

"The support of the governments of Sweden and Canada, as well as the  contribution of the UNDP Parliamentary Development Programme to  strengthening parliamentary democracy in Armenia, is invaluable to us  in these processes. I am grateful to all partners for their joint  work. I am grateful to the Staff of the National Assembly, and I am  confident that the Parliamentary Development Programme will continue  to foster the institutional development of the National Assembly of  Armenia in the future, strengthening a transparent, effective and  inclusive parliamentary system," the NA President underscored at the  end of his speech.

"Sweden has long been a committed partner in supporting democratic  governance, transparency and inclusiveness in Armenia. The Modern  Parliament for a Modern Armenia Project is a witness to Armenia's  unwavering commitment to strengthening democratic institutions," the  Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sweden to the RA  Patrick Svensson said, welcoming the participants of the Board  Meeting. He noted that significant achievements were recorded last  year, which are key steps towards a more responsive, accountable and  citizen-centered National Assembly. Underlining the actions taken  towards public awareness and inclusiveness, the Ambassador informed  that concrete steps have been taken within the framework of the  project to mainstream gender-sensitive policies in the Parliament of  Armenia.  Patrick Svensson also considered the Conference on Climate  Change and Energy Transition, held within the framework of the  programme, as an important initiative. It was noted that the  Conference emphasized the urgent need to take legislative action in  terms of environmental sustainability. The Ambassador underlined that  Sweden is ready to continue supporting Armenia, noting that  modernization efforts are important in the processes of developing  and strengthening democracy in Armenia.

"Democracy is an ongoing process. The steps taken towards democracy  in Armenia are impressive.  Armenia and the National Assembly have a  crucial role to play in strengthening democratic institutions," the  Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to the RA  Andrew Turner said, stressing the participation and support of Canada  to Armenia.

The UNDP Resident Representative to the RA Natia Natsvishvili,  thanking the strategic partners for support, noted that parliaments  are the heart of democratic governance. "The UNDP also continues its  commitment to support the process of developing democratic  governance, transparency and inclusive policies in Armenia," Natia  Natsvishvili said, informing that during the last year essential  steps have been taken in expanding the NA institutional capacities.  She described the Modern Parliament for a Modern Armenia project as a  transformative programme.

The Project Coordinator of the UNDP "Fostering Responsiveness,  Efficiency, Transparency and Inclusiveness" (Modern Parliament for a  Modern Armenia, MAP 2.0) Ruzanna Hayrapetyan presented the key  achievements of the Project for 2024, as well as the Action Plan for  2025.

Expressing her gratitude for the work done last year, Ruzanna  Hayrapetyan noted that the vision of the RA NA strategy was outlined  and approved in 2024. And in 2025, the draft strategy and roadmap, as  well as the Action Plan to be implemented, are already available.  Presenting the implemented projects in detail, Ruzanna Hayrapetyan  touched upon the new tools related to gender equality and social  inclusion, Youth Parliament programs, sustainable development goals,  digitalization of the Audit Chamber, modernization of the human  resources system of the Audit Chamber. She informed that in 2025, a  number of training courses regarding the artificial intelligence in  the context of cybersecurity will be held, as well as discussions on  the climate change agenda will be held on a number of platforms.  Within the framework of the Q&A session, the Project Coordinator gave  clarifications on the work being carried out.

Introducing the structure and the vision of the new official Internet  website of the RA National Assembly, Davit Arakelyan noted that the  cornerstone of joint activities and projects is the support for the  digitalization processes of the activities of the National Assembly  of Armenia and the National Assembly Staff.

Summarizing the Meeting, the RA NA President Alen Simonyan thanked  the partners for the support, expressing hope that the cooperation  will be of continuous character.

The UNDP "Fostering Responsiveness, Effectiveness, Transparency, and  Inclusiveness of the Armenian Parliament" project is supported  through the Government of Sweden, the Government of Canada, and the  National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.