While Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine each have their own challenges when it comes to upholding democratic values and practices, the Open Government Partnership recently brought them together to bolster participatory democracy. As part of a community dialogue, stakeholders in the Eastern Partnership region exchanged ideas related to combating corruption, managing public finances, boosting civic engagement, and promoting cooperation and innovation to foster good governance.

Peter Varga, program lead of the EU for Integrity Programme for the Eastern Partnership, gives opening remarks during the OGP community dialogue.

Counterpart’s USAID-funded Civil Society in Action project, supported the community dialogue, held June 6-7 in Yerevan, along with the EU for Integrity Programme, government representatives from the four regional countries, civil society organizations, and Open Government Partnership members. Approximately 70-80 participants, including representatives from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development anti-corruption network, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, and the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, engaged in the two-day series of panel discussions and breakout sessions.

John Allelo, USAID/Armenia mission director, speaks during the event.

The first event of its kind, the community dialogue succeeded in deepening cooperation, galvanizing support for democracy commitments, troubleshooting challenges and sharing good practices, and encouraging further ambition to foster open and good governance.

Katie Krueger, director of governance and fragile states at Counterpart, gives opening remarks at the OGP community dialogue.

Arayik Harutyunyan, chief of staff to the prime minister of Armenia, EU Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, and USAID/Armenia mission director John Allelo provided opening remarks, in addition to Counterpart’s director of governance and fragile states Katie Krueger.

Breakout groups collaborate during the OGP community dialogue event.

The Civil Society in Action project works to strengthen the institutional capacity of civil society organizations in Armenia to promote sustainability and improve collaboration and dialogue with the government, prioritizing local leadership and locally owned solutions. Krueger said it was a natural fit for the Civil Society in Action project to partner with the Open Government Partnership because of its focus on driving democracy forward through locally led development.

When governments and civil society work together to solve problems, Krueger said, it results in more effective solutions and more resilient and democratic nations.