To discuss the recent concerns voiced by NGO representatives about the amendments in the new draft of the law on “NGOs”, today, the Ministry of Justice organized a meeting at Tsakhkadzor area. The new draft of the law on NGOs assumes that NGOs should submit an annual report on their completed activities, while prior to the meeting, in the conversation with us, a number of NGO representatives expressed confidence that if they begin presenting a mandatory report on every activity, they would lose their sovereignty, and the state control and the levers of state interference in their activities would continue to be more intensive. The only positive aspect that the NHO representative see in this new law is the opportunity to be engaged in economic activity.
Justice Minister Hovhannes Manukyan, in response to the question of Aravot.am of whether the NGO’s concern is appropriate, replied that the NGO’s financial freedom and the mechanisms of economic independence should be compared for sure and be combined with some control mechanisms. “These mechanisms must operate in any country. We just need to try finding some links with the representatives of the NGO sector so that the control is not abused.” However, the minister believes that at the same time financial abuse cases happen by these NGOs, which should be regulated by the law.
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Pursuant to Hovhannes Manukyan, the necessity for elaboration of the new law on “NGOs” has been raised long ago, “The problems that need to be regulated mainly refer to financial reporting, financial independence and the opportunity of being engaged in economic activities, it is necessary to develop separate control mechanisms between the state and NGO relations,” said the minister.
In the interview with Aravot.am, David Amiryan, Deputy Director of the “Open Society Foundations”, attending the meeting shared the view of the Minister that it is necessary to make amendments to the law as it has not been revised since 2001. However, according to David Amiryan, there was a clear position in the previous draft regarding the financial reporting. “In other words, only state-funded organizations were submitting a report, but, now, this reporting requirement applies to everyone.” According to him, every year, the organization shall submit a report, while there are organizations that are reluctant to reveal the source of funding. David Amiryan says that the provisions of law which underlies for amending the law: the issues of arbitrariness, economic activity and applying to court, have become tools in the hands of the state, which resulted in development of the draft that grants maximum opportunity to the state to intervene in activities of public organizations and carry out a supervision.
The only thing, according to our interlocutor, which complies with the concept elaborated prior to the law is being engaged in economic activities. However, there is one more problematic matter that by the new law that a report should be submitted about the person who is involved in volunteering. “However, there are events where 2,000 students who volunteered to present the organization, so whether all of them should be submitted.” In an interview with us, the NGO representative noted that the draft does not provide any economic advantage to the organizations. “If the law is passed, it would be worse. We expect such discussions be more and open.” This meeting organized under Support for Democratic Governance in Armenia program was also attended by experts from the EU countries. Aravot.am asked the international expert Fraga Golubović whether such amendments in the law may affect NGOs, our interlocutor replied that there is a big risk that really there would be a control. “It’s a just concern, but this discussion is called for having a common consensus on the issue.” Justice Minister, in the conversation with the journalists, assured that at the end of the discussion the draft will be presented to Government by the end of this year.
Ella HOVHANNISYAN
