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Evidence-based Youth Policy Development in Armenia

Fellowship Summary: Preparing and promoting a participatory policy analysis as evidence for reforming youth policies in Armenia, with support from a youth CSO social media campaign.

Grigor’s project was focused on exploring and enhancing youth participation in policy development and decision-making in Armenia. Its cornerstone is the publication of a bilingual Armenian-English Research Report “Youth Participation in Policy Development and Decision-Making”. (Download the Research Report in English here and in Armenian here). This comprehensive report sheds light on the political and civic involvement of young people at both the community and state levels. It identifies key issues and provides 22 recommendations for addressing gaps and needs, targeting national and local authorities, international organizations, and political parties.

The project engaged a wide range of stakeholders, including youth workers, youth policymakers, and national authorities responsible for youth, who were interviewed to gather valuable insights. Additionally, Grigor and his colleagues reached out to approximately 200 young people through an online survey and conducted five focus groups involving 50 participants in total, including young people and policymakers. This collaborative effort ensured that diverse perspectives were incorporated into the research. Furthermore, Grigor took a study trip to Brussels to learn about evidence-based youth policy development and implementation best practices.

The impact of the work is already evident, as its recommendations have been considered during the drafting of the Law on Youth and the Youth Policy Strategy and Action Plan of Armenia. Furthermore, the Armenian Progressive Youth NGO will utilize the methodology developed within the project to conduct the same study annually, monitoring changing patterns and emerging trends.

Country	Armenia
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Team

ASKGOV.GE: On the Road to Opening up the Government Data

Fellowship Summary: Strengthening the ‘AskGov.ge’ platform, with adaptations from international good practice, to increase access to information held by public bodies.

Country	Georgia
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Using Data in Politics: Awareness-raising Campaign among the Voters and CSOs prior to the Georgian Parliamentary Election 2020

The action: Using Data in Politics: Awareness-raising Campaign among the Voters and CSOs prior to the Georgian Parliamentary Election 2020 aimed to research the use of data in Georgian politics, identify the main trends of political manipulations while targeting the voters and educate the large audience about the importance of data protection/privacy. To identify the local trends, Nino observed the pre and post-election period in Georgia and followed Tactical Tech’s methodologies and close guidance by the Fellowship Supervisor – Varoon Bashyakarla. As a part of the research, Nino interviewed the field experts from the CSOs, media, think tanks, digital marketing agencies and personal data protection company representatives. Following this, she disseminated the research findings among the large professional networks at the DataFest Tbilisi 2020 and Open Data public events. On top of that, Nino launched the media/social media campaign and applied creative materials (animated videos, posters, publications, quizzes) to reach a wide audience and engage the general public in discourse.

The project delivered an analytical document – Data in the Georgian Politics researching the data-driven methodologies to influence the voters’ decisions in the country. As the study reveals, out of 12 globally-acknowledged methodologies, including advanced TV targeting, only the Robocalls and Mobile Texting methods have been used by almost all politicians in Georgia. Hence, the project developed educational animated videos and a quiz tailored to data use in Georgian Politics. As a result of the community outreach campaigns, approximately 100,000 Georgians were reached and became more aware of the possibilities of their personal information being used in political processes; it’s expected that some of them will change their behavior and become more cautious with their data in digital space. Finally, the project created a network of 150 activists trained about the use of personal data in political processes and expected to further contribute to research and advocating the issue.

Video ‘The business of using your data in elections’ (in English):

Video ‘The business of using your data in elections’ (in Georgian):

Video ‘How data is being used in politics?’ (in English):

Video ‘How data is being used in politics?’ (in Georgian):

Infographics ‘Methods of influencing voters using data’ (in English):

Infographics ‘Methods of influencing voters using data’ (in Georgian):

Data in the Georgian Politics Research Paper

Country	Georgia
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Transparent Budget Is Not A Lux

The action: Transparent Budget is not a Lux aimed to engage the citizens of Nikopol (a city in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast of Ukraine) in monitoring the municipal budget and increase their participation on the local level. The action was implemented in three phases. First, Maria researched the municipal budget from the perspectives of education, healthcare, public expenditures and infrastructure (construction of roads and bridges). Following this, the project team organized awareness-raising campaigns and discussions; through the social media posts, publications and creative infographics, young people actively engaged in the discourse. At the last stage of the project, Maria organized awareness-raising training for the young leaders to advocate transparent budgeting tools and held a roundtable discussion engaging the project participants, local authorities, and representatives from the business & non-governmental sectors. The latter event served as a platform to collaborate with the decision-makers and share recommendations.

The project delivered the budget monitoring research document with a creative infographic on the municipal budget priorities of Nikopol City. Also, the action engaged 40 active young leaders and raised their awareness in participatory budgeting. As an outcome of the training, the participants developed 7 seed project initiatives on the topics of sports and rehabilitation centers, shelter for victims of domestic violence, workshops and education, etc. Also, through the visibility campaign, action reached nearly 161,452 people via social media channels; 60,000 local citizens via the outdoor advertisements, and 8,020 readers via the newspaper publications and informed them about the Nikopol budget expenditures. On top of that, the roundtable meeting facilitated dialogue among the stakeholders from the public, private and non-governmental sectors. All in all, the action contributed to increasing the transparency of the local government and the budget of Nikopol City due to the high public control.

Project leaflet:

Project infographics:

Country	Ukraine
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Research for Advocacy for Higher Quality of Care in Maternal and Newborn Health Services in Armenia

This Fellowship research project aimed to study the experience of pregnant women in maternal health care centers of Armenia and advance the implementation of an integrated person-centered model of obstetric care in the country. As a component of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this initiative can be exemplified by the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent’s Health 2016–2030 which has expanded the focus of its objectives to cover not merely the survival but also thriving of women and children so that they can achieve their full potential for health and well-being, and contribute to the transformative change envisioned in the SDGs. To promote higher quality obstetric services, Suren conducted research and pursued advocacy campaigns with his team. First, the gaps, inconsistencies, and violation of patients’ rights in the local hospitals were examined and the extent of person-centered maternity care during facility-based childbirth was assessed; then he prepared the summary of specific recommendations for the Ministry of Health and relevant organizations in the sector. Following this, Suren launched an advocacy campaign, trained the administration and staff members in all 12 maternity hospitals along with the validation of suggested recommendations, and disseminated research findings to the wider audience.

The project produced a research paper analyzing the data collected from 729 patients of all 12 health facilities of Yerevan delivering maternal care services. The project also facilitated high-level discussions on the challenges and solutions of advancing the integrated person-centered model of obstetric care in Armenia. As an advocacy campaign, Suren conducted 14 workshops in the sector organizations and the Ministry of Health, allowing him to raise the awareness of over 150 obstetric care providers, policy-makers, and health care planners in the field. The action overall promoted person-centered maternity care as a quality attribute of obstetric care delivery and suggested expertise-based recommendations to the relevant entities to advance the health, wellbeing, and human rights of women and children in the country.

Country	Armenia
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Citizen Engagement for Transparent Land Management in Rural United Territorial Communities of Ukraine

The project aimed to foster citizens’ engagement in the rural United Territorial Communities (Hromadas) and promote transparent land management in Ukraine. To achieve the above objectives, Oleksandra applied high-quality and user-center IT solutions & GIS technologies to the research and visibility campaigns. First and foremost, she created the opinion polls for Hromadas and researched the problems of AHs, data mining to explore the land management practices on the local level. Then, she mobilized the field experts and organized the online ideation to exchange expertise with the rural community. Finally, to increase the land management transparency, Olaksanda disseminated the results of the research and online webinars/ideathon with the local people and the decision-makers.

The action raised awareness of the local authorities and civil activists from more than 150 rural areas of Ukraine. Also, the project delivered a research document and opinion poll summary to enhance citizens’ access to information about the effective management of land resources. Within the frame of the fellowship, Oleksandra created a Facebook network of the Project Ambassadors unifying the community representatives and experts in one group. To disseminate the project deliverables and reach a larger audience, she developed an online course comprising 8 educational webinars and engaging more than 900 participants. On top of that, the project created a map of good practices for better engagement and facilitated the dialogue between the local community and the authorities via sharing the recommendations based on the results of the online ideathon, research & opinion poll summary, webinars and joint action plan.

Project website: Transparent Lands with the Map of good practices for the better engagement and educational video lectures.

Research Paper (in Ukrainian):

Project in media:

Залучення громадян для управління земельними ресурсами у громадах – результати дослідження

Country	Ukraine
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Raising awareness on EU visa free rules and opportunities for Georgia

The project aimed to raise awareness of the Georgian public on the EU-free movement in the EU/Schengen area and therefore, reduce the risks of the violation of the EU-Georgia visa regulations. To achieve the latter objective, Gogita conducted field research and interviews with local and international experts. Then, he prepared the Policy Brief on the EU-Georgia Visa-Free Movement and shared it with the relevant state institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. In the final stage, he organized 10 interactive workshops across the country. The seminars were held in 8 Georgian cities and engaged the students, teachers, journalists, non-governmental organizations, etc. Finally, to share the findings of the policy paper to the international community, Gogita attended the Second Association Exchange Forum in Kyiv dedicated to Association Agreement implementation in Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine and delivered a speech at the panel discussion on the topic of Post-Visa Free Agenda for Political Associations and Corporations on Justice, Freedom, and Security.

The action raised awareness of the nearly 500 young people in the eight Georgian cities. Based on the desk research and interviews, Gogita developed a comprehensive Policy Brief – EU-Georgia Visa-Free Movement – Achievements and Challenges. The document incorporates a complex analysis of Georgia’s visa-free movement in the European Union and suggests recommendations for the Georgian Government. Thus, the project produced 25,000 informative leaflets about the visa-free movement regulations. The leaflets were distributed to the public during the regional meetings and different communication campaigns organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia and the host organization – Georgian Center for Strategy and Development (GCSD). All in all, the training, policy brief, informative leaflets and online campaign served as an instrument to raise policy discussions and improve policy coherence on the EU-Georgia’s visa-free issues.

Country	Georgia
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National Research on e-Petitions

The action aimed to identify the effectiveness of the newly-emerged (2015) e-petition instruments in Ukraine. To do so, Anya conducted the first national fact-based e-petition research in 393 cities of Ukraine. The data was collected through electronic applications requesting public information from the local authorities. To assess the level of public dialogue between the citizens and the local authorities, the survey measured various indicators, including the number of submitted, reviewed, supported, and implemented e-petitions. To follow the standards of representativeness, the research covered the big, small, and medium-sized cities, regional cities, and regional centers. In the final stage of the action, Anya developed a list of recommendations and submitted them to the local authorities. To discuss the project deliverables with a broader audience, she presented the survey results at the Forum Practice of e-democracy, held in Kyiv on December 7, 2018.

The project produced bilingual national-wide research on e-petitions in Ukraine. First of all, the document explored the advantages and disadvantages of electronic governance and citizens’ engagement in local policy-making. Thus, the study improved public dialogue between the civil society and the government, as the local authorities agreed to cooperate and follow the shared recommendations. Also, the survey raised awareness of respective public institutions as the publication was shared with the Government of Ukraine, including the Ministry of Justice.

Research paper ‘e-Petitions in Ukraine: the National Study’:

Country	Ukraine
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Introduction of the institute of beneficial ownership in Armenia

The project aimed to combat corruption in Armenia and foster free economic competition through research, constructive dialogue, and awareness-raising training. In the beginning, Mariam organized the workshops on Introduction of the Institute of Beneficial Ownership in the Republic of Armenia in the five Armenian cities of Yerevan, Vanadzor, Gyumri, Gavar, and Kapan. Then, Mariam held a roundtable discussion in a public-private dialogue format to discuss the possibility of the introduction of the concept in the RA anti-corruption strategy. Finally, based on the international best practices, Mariam developed policy recommendations. In addition, Mariam carried out social media campaigns in the frames of which she produced awareness-raising publications. To enhance her skills and exchange ideas on the anti-corruption lobby, she participated in the 5th Open Government Partnership Global Summit in Tbilisi and did a study tour at the various anti-corruption institutions in the United Kingdom, as well as at the Centre for Policies and Reforms of Moldova.

Through the interactive seminars, the action raised awareness on the concept of Beneficial Ownership and improved the knowledge and understanding of 80 young lawyers, civil society and business representatives throughout Armenia. The latter was followed by a roundtable discussion in the Public-Private Dialogue format, engaging more than 100 participants from governmental bodies, international organizations, business, civil society organizations, youth associations, and media outlets. Due to the advocacy efforts during the discussion and under the project, in general, the introduction of the beneficial ownership registry has been enshrined in the RA Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2019-2022. The campaign and publications served as a tool to reach a wider audience and inform them about the anti-corruption measures. In addition, the social advertising video Together against Corruption prepared within the Action was selected among the best three works of the International Youth Competition organised among the 6 member states of the CIS. In this regard, Mariam was awarded a medal by the RA Prosecutor General for her endeavours and commitments towards fighting against corruption. Thus, the action built capacity for Mariam herself, as she was given the opportunity to advance her skills through the field visits in London, Chisinau, and Tbilisi.

Project in media:

Ինչու՞ է անհրաժեշտ բացահայտել ընկերությունների իրական սեփականատերերին

Ովքե՞ր են ընկերությունների իրական սեփականատերերը

Իրավաբանների հայկական ասոցիացիայի անդամ Մարիամ Զադոյանը՝ մրցանակակիր

Country	Armenia
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Civil Society Involvement in Monitoring Tbilisi City Hall

The project studied the enforcement of Georgia’s political priorities (youth and women empowerment, environmental protection) by the local public administration. Through policy-monitoring research, Mariam assessed the budget and strategic documents of the Tbilisi City Hall from the perspectives of gender equality, environmental mainstreaming, and youth participation. The project also aimed to scrutinize public administration performance, accessibility to public information, and transparency of electronic governance. To investigate the local agendas in-depth, she applied different methodologies (desk research, interviews and content analysis). To raise awareness of the local administration, recommendations were then shared with the relevant departments.

The study produced a bilingual report researching the local agenda of the Tbilisi City Hall in terms of gender, youth, and environment. In retrospect, the project delivered significant tangible results in the field of environmental protection. To address the current climate challenges, Mariam recommended a list of transport regulations. Within two years after the fellowship completion, the Georgian Government introduced mandatory technical inspections on the personal vehicles. Thus, the local authority initiated a new transport policy and sustainable mobility program in compliance with her recommendations. The newly-initiated program promotes the sustainable and green development of the city. Therefore, all ongoing infrastructure projects have to follow the recommendations proposed by the international field-experts.

When given the opportunity by the EU-funded Eastern Partnership Civil Society Facility to replicate some of these achievements at a larger scale, Mariam initiated a regional action to research the local environmental agenda of six municipal administrations of Georgia (Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi) and Ukraine (Kyiv, Lviv, Kriviy Rig) in 2020. The regional project was implemented in collaboration with Bohdan Dyachenko (EaP Fellow from Ukraine) and Tea Turashvili (EaP Fellow from Georgia).

Report in English:

Report in Georgian:

Country	Georgia
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