A round table discussion that explored strategic directions of the Judicial and Legal Reforms in Armenia and the essential role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in driving the reform process, was held on 2-3 June. The round table's primary objective was to foster a more active involvement of civil society organisations by granting them a prominent role and emphasizing their vital contribution in monitoring the strategy's implementation.
Organised by the EU/Council of Europe joint project ‘’Support to the Justice Reform in Armenia’’, the Ministry of Justice and the Centre for Legislation Development Foundation, the dynamic discussion involved approximately 50 representatives, including civil society. The round table focused on various topics related to the progress achieved in the second semester of 2022 and the first semester of 2023, as well as future endeavours outlined in the Strategy for Judicial and Legal Reforms in the Republic of Armenia.
The discussions revolved around addressing the issue of court backlog, including exploring potential innovative solutions such as delegating small claims to notaries. Furthermore, civil society representatives actively participated and expressed their perspectives on implementing integrity checks for judges, prosecutors, and investigators, with the aim of promoting accountability and transparency.
By highlighting the participation of civil society and underscoring the importance of their contributions, this dialogue paves the way for an impactful implementation of the Judicial and Legal Reforms strategy.
‘’Engaging in ongoing dialogues between governmental bodies responsible for policy-making and representatives of civil society is crucial. Nevertheless, it is vital for these discussions to be productive, ensuring that the insights and suggestions put forth by civil society representatives are acknowledged, thoroughly deliberated, accepted, and incorporated into the development of policy documents and legal acts," mentioned Araks Melkonyan, President of Protection Without Rights NGO.
This event is part of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe” in the framework of the project "Support to the Justice Reform in Armenia".
