The Armenian Prime Minister adopted a decree to regulate selection and working procedures of public councils adjacent to ministers and heads of government-affiliated bodies, aimed at fostering inclusive decision-making and strengthening civic engagement.
These councils were introduced by the government in 2016 as advisory bodies ensuring civil society participation in the public policy. However, their functionality and impact have varied significantly across the governmental bodies, while CSO Meter and other civil society reports repeatedly flagged the gaps in transparency and regularity of these councils.
New rules on public councils aim to address their weak implementation and limited functioning
According to the standard rules of procedures, councils must be set up transparently and meet at least quarterly. However, according to the CSO Meter 2024 Armenia report, as of November 2024, public councils had been established in only 7 of the 12 ministries, and only 3 had convened meetings. The reports also highlighted that participation of regional CSOs is hindered by the lack of possibility to participate online and no reimbursement of travel to Yerevan.
In line with the Strategic Goal 5 on Participatory Governance System of the Public Administration Reform Strategy, the Office of the Prime Minister, with support from the USAID-funded ‘Civil Society in Action’ programme, initiated consultations on improving public council regulations in 2024. This process included in-person discussions with CSOs, whose recommendations were largely incorporated, as well as the publication of the draft regulation for broader public consultation.
How will the development affect civil society in practice?
The new regulation adopted in September 2025 seeks to standardise procedures, clarify roles, and improve the overall effectiveness of public councils as consultative platforms. It introduces clearer rules on council formation, meeting procedures, and transparency, and includes options for remote participation.
Under the regulation, all draft strategies, concepts, and programmes developed by ministries and other governmental bodies must be discussed with council members both at the initial concept stage and again after the development of the legal act before its official circulation. The procedure requires state bodies to ensure possibility of remote participation in the sessions, establishes mechanisms for providing feedback to members’ suggestions and ongoing communication between the sessions, and regulates the selection of council members. CSOs are eligible to participate if they are operating in the relevant sector, have at least 5 years of experience , and implemented at least 2 projects in that area. A 25% quota is set for regional organisations (based outside Yerevan), with reduced requirements of 2 years’ experience. Individual experts with relevant backgrounds may also be included. The composition of councils, their meeting minutes, and annual activity reports must be published on the official websites of the respective government bodies.
Under the updated framework, CSOs will have more structured opportunities to contribute to policymaking, legislative discussions, and policy monitoring. If implemented effectively, the new procedures could address long-standing concerns about lack of mechanisms for engaging in early stages of the policymaking process. This has the potential to strengthen government-civil society relations, particularly in critical areas such as anti-corruption, human rights, social and economic policy.
Based on the Prime Minister’s decision, the government bodies will have 90 days since the decision date for establishing public councils in line with the new procedure, and a 6-month deadline for adapting government websites to the transparency requirements.
Armenia is undergoing significant governance and anti-corruption reforms, making public trust and civic engagement more critical than ever.
While the revised Public Council framework aligns with international democratic standards and open government principles, its success will depend on proper implementation. Additionally, as the country navigates political, economic, and social challenges, broader public involvement in decision-making is essential to ensure more sustainable and widely accepted policies. The CSO Meter Armenia reports provide recommendations to guide more effective, balanced, and inclusive public participation in policymaking. Building on these recommendations and consultations with civil society stakeholders, Transparency International Anticorruption Center, in cooperation with the Office of the Prime Minister and together with other CSOs, promotes reforms to strengthen participatory governance, one of the key priorities under the Public Administration Reform. These efforts also serve as part of the regional CSO Meter Hub’s work to achieve substantial improvements to the civil society environment in their countries.