Freedom of Information Center of Armenia.

In 2011-2012 400 community servants have been trained in the Freedom of Information Education Center (NFEC). The trainings in the NFEC have been conducted based on the training module developed by the Freedom of Information Center of Armenia (FOICA) and Union of Armenian Government Employees (UAGE). The training module “Inter-Personal Relations, Freedom of Information and Ensuring Public Relations in the RA Local Self-Government System” was adopted as per the Decree No. 129 – Ա, dated 20 October 2011 and approved by the RA Vice-Prime-Minister and Minister of Territorial Administration Mr. Armen Gevorgyan. The training module for community servants includes two sections: the bases of integrity in the civil service system, and freedom of information and ensuring public relations in the community system. It covers issues like access of information right, the implementation practice of the ARM “Law on Freedom of Information”, the legal bases of the access to information right, the objects and subject for providing information, methods of receiving and providing information, bases for denying information, appeals and punishments for violating the access to information right, methods for information e-governance, as well as officials’ ethics, communication structure, methods for working with unsatisfied participants, serving citizens, types of interpersonal relations, supervisor-employee relations, and interpersonal relations in the workplace. Each training session lasted three days.

The trainers were:
- Mrs. Marine Hakobyan, FOICA and National Assembly expert;
- Mr. Gevorg Hayrapetyan, FOI lawyer;
- Mr. Vache Qalashyan, UAGE president,
- Mr. Gegham Sargsyan, RA State Civil Service, Head of Education Department,
- Mr. Gor Abrahamyan, YSU professor, State Civil Service, PR officer;
- Ms. Arpine Barseghyan, the Department of the Community Service RA Ministry of Territorial Administration.

The training course was of satisfaction to all participants, who expressed readiness to once again participate in such training in the non-formal education center of the Freedom of Information Center. In their evaluation sheets 89% of the community servants assessed the training course as very useful, 11% - useful. All participants - 400 community servants, gave positive answer to the question on whether they feel it is necessary to further update their knowledge in the topic covered by the training and whether they will apply their knowledge in their every-day work.

The trained community servants noted in their evaluation sheets: “The training was extremely instructive. It is desirable that at least on a yearly basis we become aware of the important developments in the freedom of information field so that we are able to consider ourselves full-fledged community servants and be helpful to the community population”, it is with these words of satisfaction that Loris Marz (region) community servants departed following the training held in the Education Center of the FOICA. “The training workshops were very useful and henceforth we will not only apply but also use the Freedom of Information Law, since many issues can be clarified through the right to freedom of information”, “was useful and instructive”, “it was interesting, I will try to apply the knowledge gained in practice”, “very productive course”, “we received a lot of new and effective knowledge”.

All 400 community servants who took part in the trainings received state certificates.