Action plan – Metsamor, Armenia, 2025 – 2026

At-a-Glance

Duration

Dec 2026

Date Submitted

27th February 2025

Foreword(s)

In 2024, Metsamor Municipality submitted an application for membership in the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP) and officially joined the Local OGP community. This marked a significant step toward advancing transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More, accountability, and inclusive governance within the municipality. Beginning from June, meetings were organized with OGP-secretariat in Armenia, civil society representatives, municipal staff, local OGP member communities in Armenia, and international organizations to establish a collaborative effort towards OGP Metsamor. Responsible persons were appointed to lead this effort from the Metsamor Municipality and Armavir Development Center NGO. Through regular online and offline meetings, all of the involved stakeholders agreed to foster an effective dialogue and jointly develop a local action plan.

Community-wide discussions involving the OGP-Armenia Secretariat, municipal staff, and local NGOs emphasized the importance of participatory and innovative approaches in governance. These discussions provided valuable insights and strengthened the commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... to collective action. This collaborative effort reflects our shared ambitionAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should “stretch government practice beyond its current baseline with respect to key areas of open government.” Ambition captures the po... to build a transparent, inclusive, and innovative local governance model. Together, we are committed to implementing and monitoring this plan to ensure meaningful and sustainable progress for the Metsamor Municipality.

Open Government Challenges, Opportunities and Strategic Vision

What is the long-term vision for open government in your context and jurisdiction?

Metsamor municipality strives to build a transparent, inclusive, and participatory governance model that aligns with the core principles of the Open Government Partnership (OGP). In this vision,  we picture citizens as active stakeholders in decision-making processes, fostering a culture of trust, accountability, and innovation.

By embracing open government principles, the municipality aims to:

• Ensure transparency and accountability by providing open access to information, enabling citizens to monitor and engage with local governance,
• Institutionalize meaningful civic participation by introducing participatory mechanisms in governance structure,
• Promote innovation and openness in public service deliveryTo ensure that citizens of all groups are better supported by the government, OGP participating governments are working to improve the quality of and access to public services. Commitments in this are... More to enhance efficiency and inclusivity,
• Strengthen partnerships between government, civil society, and other stakeholders to co-create solutions to local challenges.

Through these efforts, Metsamor Municipality seeks to transform into a model community, where democratic values take root, public trust is strengthened, and citizens play a vital role in shaping a resilient and inclusive future.

What are the achievements in open government to date (for example, recent open government reforms)?

Metsamor has made more information publicly available, including posting municipal budgets, and council decisions on its official website and social media page. The municipality has placed special attention on how information is presented to the public. Efforts are now focused on creating more engaging and accessible content, ensuring that residents can easily understand and interact with municipal updates. To strengthen this approach, Metsamor has a communication specialist responsible for enhancing content quality, increasing citizen engagement, and making municipal information more visually and easily understandable for the community.

The municipality encourages residents to exercise their right to know and report misconduct on the official website. Metsamor promoted the national “Azdararir” platform – a unified digital whistleblowing system for reporting corruption or conflicts of interestA key part of anti-corruption involves preventing or revealing conflicts of interest — when a public official is in a position to use public office for personal or private gain. Technical specificat... anonymously.

Metsamor was recognized as Armenia’s “Youth Capital” in 2023 – a testament to its active youth policy. Throughout 2023, the city carried out lots of events to develop young people’s skills, provide information on opportunities, and encourage youth civic involvement. All programs were implemented with support from international and local partners. The Youth Capital initiative raised the profile of youth issues and gave young residents a platform to engage with local authorities.

What are the current challenges/areas for improvement in open government that the jurisdiction wishes to tackle?

Though the municipality puts lots of effort, there is still the challenge for public awareness and engagement.  Many residents are unaware of their rights and opportunities to participate in governance. The municipality aims to improve that through greater outreach with clearer, more engaging content and channels. Although the municipality has e-governance tools in place, many citizens lack digital literacy, which is a challenge.

Metsamor is a large community with villages that are geographically dispersed, making accessibility and coordination across different areas a challenge, including the participation of citizens.

While the youth in Metsamor is active, so much that they even made the city a youth capital for a year, there is no existing mechanism for their participation with the community.

What are the medium-term open government goals that the government wants to achieve?

During the next 3–5 years, Metsamor Municipality aims to establish a comprehensive framework for participatory mechanisms and inclusive participation. This includes:

• Developing and implementing a pilot initiative for participatory governance, ensuring diverse and equitable representation in decision-making processes and building public trust.
• Increasing the participation of underrepresented groups, particularly youth, women, ethnic minorities, and displaced people.
• Building the capacity of community members and municipal staff to effectively utilize inclusive governance tools that enhance participation and collaboration.
• Establishing initial partnerships with civil society organizations, local leaders, and community representatives to create a framework for ongoing dialogue and inclusive decision-making, while piloting joint initiatives for inclusive governance.

By doing so, the municipality seeks to lay the foundation for decision-making processes to be transparent, inclusive, and reflective of the diverse needs and aspirations of the community.

How does this action plan contribute to achieve the Open Government Strategic Vision?

Both commitments in the action plan—participatory budgeting and youth participation—align with OGP’s commitment to fostering open, transparent, and accountable governance. By focusing on inclusive participation, the community is ensuring that decision-making processes are not only more democratic but also more responsive to the needs of all citizens, especially youth and marginalized/underrepresented groups.

These initiatives contribute directly to the OGP’s strategic vision by:

• Enhancing civic engagement and promoting active participation in governance.
• Building stronger partnerships between government and civil society.
• Strengthening government transparency and accountability in resource allocation and policy development.
• Empowering citizens, particularly youth and underrepresented groups, to shape their community’s future.

Thus, the action plan’s initiatives support and accelerate the achievement of the OGP’s vision for an open, inclusive, and participatory government.

How does the open government strategic vision contribute to the accomplishment of the current administration’s overall policy goals?

Metsamor’s open government strategic vision aligns with the administration’s policy by promoting transparency, citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More, and inclusive governance. Through participatory budgeting, youth engagement mechanisms, and digital governanceAs evolving technologies present new opportunities for governments and citizens to advance openness and accountability, OGP participating governments are working to create policies that deal with the ... More improvements, the municipality will develop greater accountability and public trust.

Engagement and Coordination in the Open Government Strategic Vision and OGP Action Plan

Please list the lead institutions responsible for the implementation of this OGP action plan.

• Metsamor municipality
• The financial-economic and procurement department of Metsamor municipality
• The education, culture, sports and youth department of Metsamor municipality
• The department of development programs, tourism, trade, service and advertising

What kind of institutional arrangements are in place to coordinate between government agencies and departments to implement the OGP action plan?

The department of development programs, tourism, trade, service and advertising will be the main department responsible for promoting the action plan, and there will be 2 municipal departments directly involved in the active implementation of action plan:

• The financial-economic and procurement department, which will be responsible for the implementation of participatory budgeting, ensuring financial transparency, efficient resource allocation, and accountability in public procurementTransparency in the procurement process can help combat corruption and waste that plagues a significant portion of public procurement budgets globally. Technical specifications: Commitments that aim t... More,
• The education, culture, sports and youth department, which will lead youth participation mechanisms, particularly youth ambassadors initiative, and will support education and cultural projects that enhance civic engagement.

To align Metsamor’s open government initiatives with national policies, these municipal departments will cooperate with the following national ministries: the ministry of territorial administration and infrastructure and the ministry of education, science, culture, and sports.

What kind of spaces have you used or created to enable the collaboration between government and civil society in the co-creation and implementation of this action plan? Mention both offline and online spaces.

1. Creation of a working group with the municipality staff and Armavir Development Center NGO
2. Creation of multi-stakeholder group
3. Offline and online meetings with civil society representatives and municipality staff

What measures did you take to ensure diversity of representation (including vulnerable or marginalized populations) in these spaces?

The genderOGP participating governments are bringing gender perspectives to popular policy areas, ensuring diversity in participatory processes, and specifically targeting gender gaps in policies to address gov... More balance was kept, ensuring equal representation of women. Additionally, there was significant participation from youth, people from rural communities, and ethnic minorities, particularly Yazidi (largest minority group in Armenia, many of whom live in rural areas of Armavir province).

“Huysi Metsamor” and “Community and Family” were NGOs involved in the co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive... are NGOs that work with the vulnerable/marginalized groups of people in Metsamor.

Who participated in these spaces?

• Municipality staff (Metsamor municipality mayor, deputy mayor, leading specialists from the relevant departments of the municipality, department of development programs, tourism, trade, service and advertising, the financial-economic and procurement department, the education, culture, sports and youth department, Local OGP team of the municipality)
• OGP Secretariat-Armenia
• Civil society
• Armavir Development Center NGO (promoting civic participation and the improvement of socio-economic conditions in Armavir region, actively involved in the Open Government Initiatives in Armenia),
• Huysi Metsamor NGO (dealing with the issues of people with disabilitiesA government is not open unless it is accessible to all, and governments are working to ensure people with disabilities are afforded equitable services and opportunities to participate. Technical spec...),
• Community and Family Public Charitable Organization (working with children in difficult life situations, vulnerable families, and all those who are alienated from society, to activate and unite the community),
• Metsamor Youth Parliament NGO (active youth group in the community)
• Youth from Metsamor city and 30 villages
• Citizens of Metsamor community

How many groups participated in these spaces?

6

How many public-facing meetings were held in the co-creation process?

9

How will government and non-governmental stakeholders continue to collaborate through the implementation of the action plan?

All four non-governmental stakeholders agreed to actively participate in the implementation process, contributing within the scope of their capacity and areas of expertise. It will include:

• Participating in the multi-stakeholder meetings organized by the municipality,
• Being involved in the implementation of the commitments,
• Promoting, sharing information of the Local OGP processes in the community, commitments, etc.

Please describe the independent Monitoring Body you have identified for this plan.

Not identified

Provide the contact details for the independent monitoring body.

What types of activities will you have in place to discuss progress on commitments with stakeholders?

• Meetings with the multi-stakeholder forumRegular dialogue between government and civil society is a core element of OGP participation. It builds trust, promotes joint problem-solving, and empowers civil society to influence the design, imple...,
• Meetings with the working group of Local OGP Metsamor

How will you regularly check in on progress with implementing agencies?

• First of all, there will be a communication channel with the appointed contacts from the implementing agencies, Metsamor municipality and NGOs.
• Bi-monthly online or offline meetings with the appointed contacts to review updates on the action plan.

How will you share the results of your monitoring efforts with the public?

It will be shared on the municipality’s official website 

Local OGP Metsamor social media page

Through public hearings, forums, events organized by the municipality, implementing partners and NGOs

Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders

• Naira Arakelyan, President at Armavir Development Center NGO, Armavir Development Center NGO
• Azganush Mnatsakanyan, Project coordinator, Local OGP point of contact at Armavir Development Center NGO, Armavir Development Center NGO
• Ani Tovmasyan, Project manager at Armavir Development Center NGO, Armavir Development Center NGO
• Margarit Sedrakyan, President at Huysi Metsamor, Huysi Metsamor NGO
• Knarik Garanfilyan, President at Community and Family NGO, Community and Family NGO
• Gegham Hayrapetyan, Metsamor Youth Parliament, Metsamor Youth Parliament NGO

Support-Letter-Head-of-community-Metsamor.pdf