In 2022, Armenian authorities adopted a Model Code of Conduct for Public Servants, developed by the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the Corruption Prevention Commission of Armenia (CPC), within the framework of the PGGII Project on “Strengthening institutional capacities to fight and prevent corruption in Armenia”.
The document is as a result of a long process of public consultation, modifications, and official approvals. The process of finalisation of the Model Code was facilitated by a public conference on corruption prevention, integrity and codes of conduct held in February 2022, and included extensive national consultation, the outcomes of which were taken into account in the endorsed version of the Model Code.
In order to mark its adoption, as well as give impetus to the development and adoption of subsequent Codes of Conduct for each public institution in Armenia, the Council of Europe and the Corruption Prevention Commission of the Republic of Armenia organised a “High-level Conference on the Model Code of Conduct for Public Servants in Armenia”. The latter provided an opportunity to present to a wider public the final version of the Model Code, highlighting its importance in the development of the corruption prevention system of Armenia. The discussion also focused on the follow-up steps, and namely: the adoption of dedicated codes of conduct by all institutions, as well as the development of associated guidance and training to ensure effective implementation of the rules and promotion of ethical practices.
The Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, the Ambassador of the European Union to Armenia, and the Executive Secretary of GRECO and Head of the Action against Economic Crime Department of the Council of Europe made keynote speeches, highlighting the importance of this area of work, and Armenia’s commitment to further strengthen its anti-corruption system, in line with European standards.
The event was also attended by over 60 representatives from Parliament, public authorities, the judiciary and civil society, who learnt about the experiences of other countries as regards the adoption and implementation of rules and codes of conduct as key parts of the national anti-corruption system.
Following the high-level conference, the Head of the Action against Economic Crime Department of the Council of Europe and Executive Secretary of GRECO discussed the pace of the anti-corruption reforms with the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, the Chair of the Corruption Prevention Commission and the Ambassador of the European Union to Armenia. Noting the authorities’ commitment to effective reforms, the Head of the Action against Economic Crime Department underlined the continued readiness of the Council of Europe to further support Armenia to enhance the effectiveness of its anti-corruption measures.
The Council of Europe will for instance provide assistance in the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct for Public Servants, including the further adoption of specific Codes of Conducts for different categories of officials and the development of related guidance and training.
This activity was organised in the framework of the Project on “Strengthening institutional capacities to fight and prevent corruption in Armenia” which is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe in their Partnership for Good Governance II.